Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell's attempt to claim a clean sweep of the fastest practice times at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Red Bull reignited its challenge to the Mercedes pair ahead of Friday's qualifying. The final practice session on the Baku streets was marked by increasingly gusty winds, which added a new layer of difficulty to the already demanding, wall‑lined circuit. The unpredictable breezes caused a spate of off‑track excursions, with several drivers losing grip or misjudging braking points and ending up briefly off the racing line. Mercedes had carried the momentum from Thursday’s calmer conditions into the early minutes of the session, with Russell posting a blistering lap that seemed poised to cement a one‑two finish for the team.
However, Verstappen quickly found a rhythm on the soft compound tyres, gradually shaving off tenths of a second with each sector. By the end of the hour, his best lap of 1:43.922 eclipsed Russell’s time, putting the Dutchman at the summit of the practice leaderboard. Russell’s run was not without drama.
While pushing hard on Turn Seven, he clipped the barrier and was forced to limp back onto the track, narrowly avoiding a more serious incident. Despite the near‑miss, he managed to finish only 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen, securing second place.
The narrow margin underscored how the wind‑laden environment was equalising performance across the field. Further down the order, Ferrari struggled to match the leading pace for most of the session. Yet, on his final lap, Lewis Hamilton managed to climb into third place, finishing a mere 0.111 seconds shy of Verstappen’s benchmark. Hamilton’s improvement was aided by a strategic tow from cars ahead on Baku’s long pit straight, which gave him a short burst of straight‑line speed at a critical moment.
This aerodynamic assistance, combined with the ever‑changing wind direction, is expected to play a decisive role in the upcoming qualifying, where every fraction of a second counts. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft highlighted the impact of the weather, describing the conditions as a recipe for “an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying.” He warned that the gusts would continue to challenge drivers, making tyre management and car stability paramount. Kimi Antonelli, who leads Russell by 81 points in the championship standings, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who occupied fifth. Both drivers experienced brief off‑track moments, illustrating how even the front‑runners were vulnerable to the fickle Baku winds.
Three weeks after his sensational pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated that his Alpine could still compete at the front, posting the sixth‑fastest lap and outpacing the McLaren duo. Despite McLaren introducing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku weekend, Lando Norris had already signalled on Thursday that the team was unlikely to fight for pole, a sentiment that was reinforced by the practice times, which showed the British outfit trailing by roughly 0.8 seconds. Oscar Piastri, the Australian rookie, posted a solid seventh‑fastest time, followed closely by Norris, who managed to stay ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.
Hadjar, returning from a three‑race hiatus due to a wrist injury, appeared to be still regaining his rhythm and was consequently slower than his usual Red Bull standards. In the midfield, Franco Colapinto secured tenth place in the second Alpine, just ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising improvements during Friday’s morning run. The Williams team, aiming to break into the congested upper‑midfield, appeared to have made meaningful progress with its aerodynamic and suspension updates. Lance Stroll’s session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, forcing him to retire after only nine laps.
The incident highlighted the unforgiving nature of the Baku circuit, where even a small miscalculation can end a driver’s run. Looking ahead, the schedule for the weekend is packed. On Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 will kick off at 11:10 am, followed by the Azerbaijan GP qualifying build‑up at 12:30 pm, and the main qualifying session at 1:00 pm, all broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. A “Qualifying Notebook” from Ted will be released at 3:00 pm, offering expert analysis of the session.
Saturday’s agenda includes the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself at noon. The race will conclude with a post‑race reaction segment at 2:00 pm and a final “Ted’s Notebook” at 3:00 pm, again streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event.
Fans are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for an optimal video player experience. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 throughout the week, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serving as the opening race of a triple‑header weekend.
Viewers can stream the coverage via NOW, which offers a contract‑free subscription that can be cancelled at any time.