In the final practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen managed to edge out George Russell, preventing the Mercedes driver from achieving a flawless run of fastest times and signalling a renewed threat from Red Bull as qualifying approached later on Friday. The session was marked by increasingly gusty conditions on Baku's street circuit, which added a layer of difficulty to an already demanding track bordered by walls.
These windy conditions caused several drivers to lose control and run off the racing line at various points throughout the hour-long session. Mercedes had appeared to retain its Thursday advantage when the weather was calmer, but as the wind picked up Verstappen began to find more grip on the soft tyre compound. He steadily improved his lap times and eventually posted a best lap of 1:43.922, snatching the top spot on the timesheet from Russell.
Russell, who had a close call with the barriers at Turn Seven after briefly running straight on, finished just 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen in second place. Ferrari, which had been trailing the leaders for most of the session, managed to climb back into contention thanks to a late effort from Lewis Hamilton. On his final lap Hamilton recorded a time that placed him third overall, only 0.111 seconds off Verstappen's best. His performance was aided by a slipstream effect—commonly known as a tow—from cars ahead on Baku's long pit straight, which gave him a brief boost of straight‑line speed.
Both the tow and the persistent wind are expected to play crucial roles in the upcoming qualifying battle, which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event.
"The weather has given us the chance for an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying session," said David Croft of Sky Sports F1. "These are not easy conditions out there by any stretch of the imagination." Young Italian talent Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads Russell by 81 points in the drivers' championship, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who occupied fifth. Both drivers experienced brief off‑track excursions during the session.
Three weeks after his sensational pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated Alpine's progress by securing sixth place, outpacing the McLaren duo. McLaren had introduced a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku weekend, yet Lando Norris had already dismissed the reigning world champions as serious pole contenders after Thursday's runs. The Thursday data suggested a gap of roughly 0.8 seconds between McLaren and the front‑runners, a disparity that appeared to hold true in the final practice, where Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri both finished outside the top five. Piastri managed seventh, while Norris was eighth, both ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who is still regaining form after missing three races due to a wrist injury.
Franco Colapinto delivered a solid performance in the second Alpine, taking tenth place, just ahead of Carlos Sainz in the heavily updated Williams. The Williams car, featuring a revised chassis and power unit mapping, showed promising signs of competitiveness in Friday's morning session, hinting that the team could become a more significant player in the tightly contested upper‑midfield battle.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll had a brief and disappointing outing, completing only nine laps before colliding with the inside wall at Turn One and retiring to the run‑off area. His incident underscored how unforgiving the Baku circuit can be, especially when wind gusts destabilise the cars at high speed.
The weekend schedule continues with a packed lineup: on Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 kicks off at 11:10 a.m., followed by the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying build‑up at 12:30 p.m., and the main qualifying session at 1 p.m., with Ted's Qualifying Notebook airing at 3 p.m. Saturday features the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the race itself at noon, and post‑race analysis later in the afternoon. All sessions will also be available on Sky Sports Main Event.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver excitement, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix acting as the centerpiece of a triple‑header weekend. Fans can stream the action live via Sky Sports F1 on NOW, enjoying the flexibility of a no‑contract subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
The combination of unpredictable weather, a challenging street layout, and a field of drivers eager to capitalize on any advantage promises a thrilling qualifying and race weekend in Baku.