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 car on the circuit due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, needs to begin closing the gap to his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep the title fight alive and avoid an early conclusion to the season. His strong start in Baku suggests he may be able to mount a serious challenge.
The Mercedes racer benefited from a powerful slipstream generated 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 displayed impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running in the upper tier of the timing sheets.
Antonelli, meanwhile, lost approximately 35 minutes of valuable track time after his car suffered a hydraulic malfunction that forced him to stop on the racing line. The setback will leave him on the back foot heading into the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 13:00, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. The Italian driver has won the previous two Grand Prix, but Baku’s street circuit is notorious for its demanding layout and the propensity for unexpected incidents.
Consequently, Antonelli is aware that his comfortable 81‑point lead over Russell—and a margin of more than 100 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris—could be eroded quickly if he cannot recover lost time. "Regarding Kimi’s performance, FP1 is generally the least representative of a weekend’s true pace, so that works in his favour," explained Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "The bigger issue is the cause of the hydraulic problem. We’ve heard reliability concerns being raised about Mercedes earlier in the day, but the team has seemed to improve on that front over the last few races.
Understanding what went wrong will be crucial moving forward." In the midfield, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating that they will be aiming to fight for pole position in Friday’s qualifying and to contend for victory on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, on the other hand, introduced several new components for the Baku weekend, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods and redesigned mirrors.
Verstappen looked particularly quick on the hard tyre at the start of the session, suggesting that the aerodynamic upgrades are already paying dividends. If you remove the advantage Russell gained from Alonso’s slipstream, the data still shows Red Bull as a genuine front‑running contender alongside Mercedes and Ferrari. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, both more than a second off Russell’s best time despite having received aerodynamic upgrades aimed at improving high‑speed performance. Their developments are expected to be more effective on circuits with long straights rather than the tight, twisty nature of Baku, giving them ample opportunity to refine the package over the remaining practice sessions.
Piastri at one point believed his car had sustained damage, but the team’s engineers reported no visible issues after a thorough inspection. Norris, meanwhile, has yet to unleash his full pace, and his qualifying position reflects the need for further setup work. Isack Hadjar, who has been confirmed to remain with Red Bull through the 2027 season, returned to the track for the first time since July after missing the previous three race weekends due to a wrist injury. Unfortunately, his run was cut short by 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 following in eighth. Further down the order, Esteban Ocon—who is expected to lose his Haas seat next year as the team looks to restructure—finished ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured tenth place.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session; however, the incident caused only a brief interruption and did not significantly affect his overall running time. The team has introduced a substantial upgrade package for the weekend, which could prove pivotal in the later sessions.
The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed with action: Thursday, 24 September, features an F2 qualifying at 10:55, the Team Bosses’ Press Conference at 12:00, the second Azerbaijan GP practice session at 13:00, and the F1 Show at 14:15. Friday, 25 September, includes the F2 Sprint at 05:10, the third practice session at 09:30, the F2 Feature Race 1 at 11:10, and the build‑up to the Grand Prix qualifying at 12:30, with the qualifying itself slated for 13:00, followed by Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 15:00. Saturday, 26 September, sees the second F2 Feature Race at 07:55, the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix start at 12:00, the chequered flag ceremony at 14:00, and Ted’s Notebook at 15:00.
All events will also be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event. Overall, the first practice session highlighted both the strengths and challenges facing the leading teams. Russell’s ability to extract speed with the aid of a slipstream, Red Bull’s promising new parts, and the reliability concerns that surfaced for Mercedes all set the stage for an intriguing weekend in Baku.
With the championship points gap narrowing and the unique demands of the street circuit, drivers will need to balance outright speed with precision and durability to succeed. The race, broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and available via NOW streaming without a long‑term contract, promises to deliver high‑octane drama as the 2026 Formula 1 season reaches its next pivotal chapter.