George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap despite the early stoppage of championship leader Kimi Antonelli due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, must begin to close the gap to his teammate if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive, and his strong showing in Baku suggests he is keen to do just that.
The Mercedes driver 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 decisive lap, Russell had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running near the front of the field. Antonelli’s day was marred by a hydraulic issue that forced him to abandon the car after about 35 minutes of running, leaving him at a disadvantage heading into the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 13:00 GMT, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
The Italian, who has claimed victory in the last two races, faces a challenging circuit in Baku – a track notorious for its high speeds, tight sections, and frequent incidents. With an 81‑point lead over Russell and a margin of more than 100 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, Antonelli knows that any reliability hiccup could quickly erode his advantage. "Regarding Kimi’s performance, the first free‑practice session is the least indicative of true pace, so that works in his favour," commented Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "The bigger question is the cause of the hydraulic problem.
We’ve heard reliability concerns about Mercedes earlier in the weekend, but the team seemed to have sorted those issues in recent races. Understanding why this failure occurred will be crucial." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their quickest times on the medium‑compound tyres, positioning themselves as potential front‑runners for Friday’s qualifying and the race on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, meanwhile, introduced a suite of new components for the Baku weekend, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods, and modified mirrors. Verstappen appeared particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, hinting that the team could be a serious contender for the top step of the podium.
If you strip away the benefit Russell received from Alonso’s slipstream on his fastest lap, the overall picture suggests a tight battle among Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari for the lead. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, more than a second off Russell’s pace despite having received aerodynamic upgrades. These upgrades are expected to shine on high‑speed circuits, and the team still has ample time to refine their setup over the remaining practice sessions. At one stage, Piastri believed his car had sustained damage, but the engineers reported no visible issues.
Norris, on the other hand, has yet to display his full speed potential, leaving both drivers eager to extract more performance as the weekend progresses. 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 races because of a wrist injury. Unfortunately, he also lost around 30 minutes of running due to an engine problem.
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 occupying eighth. Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him after this season, managed to finish ninth in the session.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto placed tenth, rounding out the top ten drivers. Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident cost him very little track time.
The team has introduced a significant upgrade package for the weekend, which could prove beneficial as the race approaches. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed: Thursday, 24 September, features F2 qualifying at 10:55, a team bosses’ press conference at 12:00, the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 13:00, and the F1 Show at 14:15. Friday, 25 September, includes the F2 sprint at 5:10, the third practice session at 9:30, the F2 feature race at 11:10, the build‑up to qualifying at 12:30, and the qualifying itself at 13:00, followed by Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 15:00.
Saturday, 26 September, sees the second F2 feature race at 7:55, the GP build‑up at 10:30, the Grand Prix start at 12:00, the chequered flag ceremony at 14:00, and Ted’s post‑race notebook at 15:00. All events will also be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races, with the Baku event taking place on Saturday at midday. Fans can stream the action via Sky Sports with NOW – no contract required and the option to cancel at any time.