Max Verstappen managed to snatch the top spot from George Russell in the final practice run‑through at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, disrupting what had looked like a clean sweep of the fastest times for the Mercedes driver. The Red Bull driver’s increasingly quick laps on the soft compound eventually saw him post a best lap of 1:43.922, edging out Russell by just under a tenth of a second.
This shift in the hierarchy came as the Baku street circuit grew windier and more unpredictable, turning the final hour of practice into a session riddled with off‑track excursions and driver errors. The day began under relatively calm conditions, allowing Mercedes to dominate the early part of the session.
Russell, who had set a blistering pace in the previous day's practice, appeared poised to lead the field into qualifying. However, as the wind picked up, the street layout – with its tight walls and high‑speed straights – became a far more demanding environment. Several drivers, including Russell himself, struggled to keep the car on the racing line. Russell’s near‑miss at Turn Seven, where he briefly ran straight into the barriers before recovering, highlighted just how treacherous the conditions had become.
He ultimately finished the session in second place, just 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen. Ferrari, which had been trailing the leaders for much of the hour, managed to make a late‑stage surge thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s final‑lap effort. The former Mercedes star clocked a time that placed him third overall, a mere 0.111 seconds off Verstappen’s benchmark. Hamilton’s improvement was aided by a slipstream – a powerful tow from cars ahead on Baku’s long pit straight – which gave him a crucial boost in straight‑line speed.
Both the aerodynamic tow and the gusty wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying session, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. "The weather has given us the possibility of an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying to come," said Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft.
"These are not easy conditions out there by any stretch of the imagination." His remarks underscore the consensus among teams that the combination of wind and the circuit’s narrow confines will test driver skill and car setup to the limit. Kimi Antonelli, who leads the championship by 81 points over Russell, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who occupied fifth.
Both drivers experienced brief off‑track moments, a reminder that even the most experienced pilots can be caught out by the unpredictable gusts. Three weeks after his spectacular pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated Alpine’s progress by securing sixth place, outpacing the McLaren duo.
McLaren, despite bringing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade to Baku, appears to be struggling to extract the full benefit of the new parts. Lando Norris, who had already suggested that the reigning world champions were unlikely to fight for pole after Thursday’s runs, confirmed that assessment with a pace roughly 0.8 seconds off the leading times. Oscar Piastri managed to place seventh, narrowly ahead of Norris, while Red Bull’s rookie Isack Hadjar, returning from a three‑race layoff due to a wrist injury, found himself further down the order as he worked to regain full confidence in the car. Franco Colapinto secured tenth place in the second Alpine, just ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed signs of improvement compared to earlier sessions.
The Williams team appears to be targeting a climb into the congested upper‑midfield battle, and the Friday morning runs suggested that the upgrades were beginning to pay off. Lance Stroll’s session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, resulting in a brief stop in the runoff area and limiting his total lap count. The practice session also featured a packed schedule of ancillary events.
The F2 Feature Race 1 was slated for 11:10 a.m., followed by a build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP qualifying at 12:30 p.m. Qualifying itself kicked off at 1 p.m., with a post‑qualifying analysis segment titled "Ted's Qualifying Notebook" scheduled for 3 p.m. The weekend continued on Saturday with the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., additional build‑up programming, and the main Grand Prix race at noon.
The day concluded with a reaction segment and another edition of Ted’s Notebook in the afternoon. All of these broadcasts were available on Sky Sports Main Event, with the added recommendation to use the Chrome browser for optimal video playback. The 2026 Formula 1 season, now in its mid‑year phase, continues to deliver a triple‑header of races, with the Baku event acting as the centerpiece of a busy weekend.
Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, enjoying the flexibility of a no‑contract subscription that can be cancelled at any time. In summary, the final practice in Baku highlighted the volatile nature of the circuit under windy conditions.
Verstappen’s late‑session surge, Hamilton’s slipstream‑assisted lap, and the assorted off‑track incidents all point to a qualifying session that promises to be both unpredictable and exciting. Teams will need to fine‑tune their aerodynamic setups to cope with the gusts, while drivers will have to balance aggression with precision to avoid costly mistakes on the narrow streets.
The stage is set for a dramatic showdown on Saturday, where the fastest lap will determine the grid positions for one of the most challenging races on the Formula 1 calendar.