George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap as championship leader Kimi Antonelli was forced to halt his run due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, knows he must begin closing the gap with his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive. His strong start in Baku suggests he is ready to do just that. The Mercedes driver benefitted from a substantial slipstream effect provided by Fernando Alonso on his best lap, allowing him to edge out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferraris by roughly four-tenths of a second.
Even before that optimal lap, Russell demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running among the top times. Antonelli’s day was dramatically cut short when a hydraulic problem forced him to stop after about 35 minutes of track time. The setback means he will have to work harder in the second practice session, scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m.
on Sky Sports F1, to regain lost ground. The young Italian, who has claimed victory in the previous two races, faces a challenging Baku circuit that is notorious for its high‑speed straights, tight corners, and frequent incidents. With an 81‑point lead over Russell and a margin of more than 100 points to Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, Antonelli cannot afford to let reliability issues erode his advantage.
"In terms of Kimi's session, FP1 is the least representative session, so that's a blessing," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. She added, "The bigger concern is why they had the issue. We knew reliability was a big talking point for Mercedes earlier in the session; it seems to have been in a much better place the last few races especially, but that's going to be the biggest concern." Meanwhile, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their quickest laps on the medium‑compound tyres, positioning themselves as serious contenders for pole position in Friday’s qualifying and the race win on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, not to be outdone, introduced a suite of new components for Baku, including an updated floor, revised sidepods, and redesigned mirrors.
Verstappen displayed strong early‑session speed on the hard tyres, reinforcing Red Bull’s intent to fight at the front of the grid. If Russell’s slipstream advantage is removed from his best lap, the performance gap narrows, suggesting a tight battle between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari as the weekend progresses. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris occupied sixth and fourteenth places respectively, each more than a second off Russell’s time despite recent aerodynamic upgrades.
Piastri at one point suspected damage to his car, but the team found no visible issues, while Norris has yet to reveal his true pace. McLaren’s current development focus is largely aerodynamic, targeting improvements that will be most effective on high‑speed, non‑street circuits.
The team still has ample time across the remaining practice sessions to refine their package and extract more performance. Red Bull’s reserve driver Isack Hadjar, confirmed to stay with the team through 2027, returned to the track for the first time since July after missing three race weekends due to a wrist injury. Unfortunately, he also suffered an engine problem that cost him roughly 30 minutes of running time. This development opened the door for Liam Lawson to step back into the Racing Bulls lineup, where he launched from seventh on the grid, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth.
Further down the order, Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him after the season, recorded a ninth‑place best time. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten in tenth position.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident caused only a brief loss of track time, and the team has introduced a significant upgrade package for the weekend. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed. On Thursday, September 24, the day begins with the F2 qualifying at 10:55 a.m., followed by the team bosses’ press conference at noon, and then the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 1 p.m.
The F1 Show airs at 2:15 p.m. Friday, September 25, features the F2 sprint at 5:10 a.m., the third practice session for the GP at 9:30 a.m., the F2 feature race at 11:10 a.m., and the build‑up to qualifying at 12:30 p.m., with the actual qualifying session kicking off at 1 p.m. The day concludes with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 3 p.m.
Saturday, September 26, includes the second F2 feature race at 7:55 a.m., the GP build‑up at 10:30 a.m., and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself at noon, followed by post‑race analysis and Ted’s Notebook later in the afternoon. Sunday’s programming wraps up the weekend with additional GP reaction coverage. All of this action is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to stream via NOW without a long‑term contract and the ability to cancel at any time. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues its exciting run, and the Baku race promises to be a pivotal moment for the championship battle, especially as reliability, strategy, and outright speed converge on one of the sport’s most demanding circuits.