George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap despite the drama surrounding his championship rival, Kimi Antonelli, who was forced to halt his run due to a hydraulic failure. The British driver, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, knows he must start closing the gap quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive and avoid an early end to the season's battle for the crown. His strong start in Baku could be a pivotal moment in that pursuit. Russell’s best lap was significantly aided by a powerful slipstream from Fernando Alonso, allowing him to shave four‑tenths off the times of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferraris.
Even before that final flying lap, Russell had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, hinting that the Mercedes could be in genuine contention for the weekend’s top spot. Antonelli, meanwhile, lost roughly 35 minutes of valuable track time when his car suffered a hydraulic issue that forced him to pull off the circuit. The setback means the Italian will be playing catch‑up in the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 13:00, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Antonelli has won the previous two races, but Baku’s street layout is notoriously unforgiving and often produces unexpected twists, so the 81‑point margin he holds over Russell – and the more than 100‑point gap to Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris – could shrink rapidly if his car’s reliability does not improve.
"FP1 is the least representative session for Kimi," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "That’s a small blessing. The bigger worry is the cause of the hydraulic problem.
We heard reliability was a hot topic for Mercedes earlier in the day, and while they seemed to have sorted things out in recent races, this issue could become a major concern moving forward." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc each set their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, positioning themselves as potential front‑runners for qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, on the other hand, arrived in Baku with a suite of new components, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods and fresh mirror designs. Verstappen looked particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting that the team’s aerodynamic upgrades may be paying off. If the slipstream advantage that helped Russell achieve his quickest lap is removed, the front‑row battle appears to be a three‑way contest between Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were positioned sixth and fourteenth respectively, both over a second off Russell’s pace despite the team having introduced several upgrades. Their developments are largely aerodynamic, which tend to shine on high‑speed, non‑street circuits, meaning they still have ample opportunity to extract performance in the remaining practice periods.
Piastri at one stage believed his car had sustained damage, but the team found no visible issues. Norris, meanwhile, has yet to unleash his full speed, leaving spectators eager to see whether he can close the gap in the later sessions.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, confirmed to stay with the team through 2027, returned to the garage for the first time since July after missing three race weekends with a wrist injury. Unfortunately, he also lost about 30 minutes of running because of an engine problem, further limiting his data collection. This development paved the way for Liam Lawson to step back into the Racing Bulls, where he launched from seventh on the grid, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth.
Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him after the season, managed to finish ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured tenth place. Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident cost him little time, and the team has introduced a significant upgrade package that could prove decisive later in the weekend. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed.
Thursday, September 24, features F2 qualifying at 10:55, a team bosses’ press conference at noon, the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 13:00, and "The F1 Show" at 14:15. Friday, September 25 includes the F2 sprint at 05:10, the third practice session at 09:30, the F2 feature race at 11:10, a build‑up to qualifying at 12:30, and the qualifying itself at 13:00, followed by Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 15:00. Saturday, September 26 sees the second F2 feature race at 07:55, a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30, the main race at noon, a post‑race reaction at 14:00, and another notebook segment at 15:00.
All events will also be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold on a Saturday schedule this week, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix acting as the centerpiece of a triple‑header of races. Viewers can stream the action via Sky Sports with the NOW platform, which offers a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime subscription, ensuring fans can catch every moment of the high‑octane weekend without long‑term commitments.