George Russell delivered a commanding performance in the second free‑practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap and leaving his title‑leading teammate Kimi Antonelli trailing by more than half a second. The Mercedes driver built on his earlier dominance in the opening practice, confirming his pace on Baku's demanding street circuit and reinforcing his position as the team's top performer for the weekend. Russell's lap time was roughly 0.5 seconds quicker than Antonelli's, a substantial margin on a track where fractions of a second can mean the difference between a podium and the midfield. The Italian, who currently sits 81 points ahead of Russell in the 2026 Drivers' Championship, faced a difficult Thursday after a hydraulic leak forced his car to stop mid‑session during the first practice period.
The issue curtailed his running, and he lost valuable track time that could have helped him fine‑tune the car's setup for the narrow, high‑speed sections of Baku. After the team replaced the faulty component and swapped the engine, Antonelli returned to the track with just over half an hour left in the second practice.
Despite the limited window, he managed to climb back up the order, ultimately finishing second overall, 0.552 seconds behind Russell. "We lost quite a few laps in FP1 and missing half of FP2 is never ideal, especially on a street circuit," Antonelli admitted. "Overall, I feel like it was a good recovery.
I feel quite good in the car. A few things to work on but looking forward to tomorrow." Max Verstappen, driving the upgraded Red Bull, secured third place, but he remained nearly 0.8 seconds off the leading Mercedes duo.
The rest of the field struggled to match the pace at the front, with every other driver posting times more than a second slower. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and former champion Lewis Hamilton occupied fourth and fifth places respectively, while McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top eight, finishing sixth and eighth. Norris was blunt about his team's performance, describing the gap to the leaders as "pretty pants." Alpine's Pierre Gasly claimed seventh, and Red Bull's returning driver Isack Hadjar took ninth. Haas driver Esteban Ocon, whose future with the team looks uncertain for the 2027 season, rounded out the top ten.
The session was briefly halted when Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad crashed in the tight castle section of the circuit, prompting the only red flag of the day. Russell reflected on his championship prospects after falling further behind Antonelli in Madrid, where he trailed by more than three race wins.
He acknowledged that, despite being the nearest challenger to his teammate in the points tally, a realistic title fight remains out of reach at this stage. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence in his form, noting that he has not won a race since the Austrian Grand Prix in June and that his recent podium finishes in Baku over the past four years suggest he is on the right track. Sky Sports F1 analyst Jacques Villeneuve praised Russell after the session, saying, "He's driving well.
Where he makes the difference is in all the narrow bits where the car needs to be precise. Antonelli drives with more understeer, so pays a bit of a price there. It seems like a straight fight between the two Mercedes teammates." The weekend schedule is packed with action. On Friday, September 25, the day begins with the F2 Sprint at 5:10 am, followed by the Azerbaijan GP Practice Three at 9:15 am (the session itself starts at 9:30 am).
Later, the F2 Feature Race kicks off at 11:10 am, and the Grand Prix qualifying build‑up starts at 12:30 pm, leading into the official qualifying session at 1:00 pm. The day concludes with Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 3:00 pm, all of which are also broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event. Saturday, September 26, continues the excitement with the F2 Feature Race 2 at 7:55 am, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am. The main event, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, begins at noon, with the chequered flag and post‑race reaction slated for 2:00 pm.
Ted's Notebook wraps up the day's coverage at 3:00 pm. Fans can stream the entire weekend live on Sky Sports F1 via the NOW platform, which offers a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time. The 2026 Formula 1 season remains a thrilling narrative, and the Azerbaijan round promises to add another chapter to the evolving championship battle, especially as the Mercedes pair continue to push each other and challenge Red Bull's dominance on the streets of Baku.