George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the first practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap despite the fact that championship leader Kimi Antonelli was forced to stop on track after a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, must start closing the gap to his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive, and his strong showing in Baku suggests he is beginning to do just that.
The Mercedes pilot benefited from a substantial slipstream 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 had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the early stages of the session, indicating that the car’s low‑down‑force setup is well‑suited to the high‑speed street circuit. Antonelli’s day, however, took a dramatic turn when a hydraulic issue forced him to pull off the track, costing him about 35 minutes of valuable running time. The setback means the Italian will have to work extra hard in the second practice session, scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m.
on Sky Sports F1, to regain lost ground. Antonelli has won the last two races, but Baku is notorious for its demanding layout and the propensity for unexpected incidents, so his comfortable 81‑point lead over Russell – and the even larger margins he enjoys over Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris – could be eroded quickly if reliability problems persist. "In terms of Kimi's session, FP1 is the least representative session, so that's a blessing," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "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 best times on the medium‑compound tyres, positioning themselves as potential front‑runners for Friday’s qualifying and the race on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull arrived in Baku with a suite of new aerodynamic components, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods and fresh mirrors.
Verstappen looked particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting the team’s upgrades are paying off. If you strip away Russell’s slipstream advantage on his fastest lap, the picture that emerges is a tightly contested battle among Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari for the top step of the grid. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were placed sixth and fourteenth respectively, each more than a second off Russell’s benchmark despite having received recent aerodynamic upgrades. Those upgrades are primarily designed to maximise performance on high‑speed, non‑street circuits, meaning the team still has ample opportunity to extract further pace in the remaining practice sessions.
At one stage, Piastri believed his car had sustained damage, but the team could find no evidence of a problem. Norris, on the other hand, has yet to reveal his true speed, leaving his weekend outlook uncertain. Red Bull’s rookie Isack Hadjar, who has been confirmed to remain with the team through 2027, returned to action for the first time since July after missing three race weekends due to a wrist injury. Unfortunately, he also suffered an engine issue that cost him roughly 30 minutes of track time.
This development opened the door for Liam Lawson, who stepped into the Racing Bulls lineup and quickly climbed to seventh place, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth. Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks doubtful as the team is expected to release him for 2027, managed to finish ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured tenth.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident had little impact on his overall running, especially as the team introduced a significant upgrade package for the weekend. The schedule for the weekend is packed: Thursday, 24 September, features F2 qualifying at 10:55 a.m., a team‑bosses press conference at noon, and the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 1 p.m., followed by The F1 Show at 2:15 p.m.
Friday, 25 September, includes 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 qualifying itself taking place at 1 p.m. Saturday, 26 September, sees the second F2 feature race at 7:55 a.m., the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the race itself at noon, followed by the chequered‑flag reaction at 2 p.m. and Ted’s Notebook at 3 p.m.
All of these events are broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event, with the Formula 1 action also available via the NOW streaming service, which offers a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime option. As the 2026 season progresses, the Baku race will be a critical test of both speed and reliability for the championship contenders, and the outcomes of the practice sessions hint at an exciting weekend ahead for fans and teams alike.