George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap despite the fact that championship leader Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire early due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, knows he must start narrowing the gap to his teammate if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive.
A strong showing in Baku could be the catalyst he needs to reverse the current standings. The Mercedes pilot benefitted 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 demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running in the upper echelons of the timing sheets. His performance highlighted the potential of the new Mercedes package on the high‑speed, low‑downforce layout of the Baku street circuit. Antonelli’s day was dramatically curtailed when a hydraulic issue forced him to stop after just 35 minutes of track time.
The Italian, who has claimed victory in the previous two races, now faces a significant disadvantage heading into the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 13:00 GMT, broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Baku is notorious for its demanding combination of long straights and tight corners, often producing unexpected drama. Antonelli is therefore cautious about how his 81‑point lead over Russell – and his more than 100‑point cushion ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris – could be eroded if reliability problems persist. "Regarding Kimi’s session, FP1 is the least representative of a weekend’s true pace, so that works in his favour," said Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick.
"The bigger worry is the underlying cause of the failure. We knew reliability was a hot topic for Mercedes earlier in the day; they’ve seemed to improve over the last few races, but this incident will be the main focus moving forward." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc managed to set their quickest times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating they will be eager to fight for pole position in Friday’s qualifying and to contend for victory on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, meanwhile, introduced a suite of new components for the Baku weekend, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods and fresh mirror designs. Verstappen appeared particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting the team’s aerodynamic revisions are already paying dividends.
If you strip away the benefit of Russell’s slipstream on his fastest lap, the picture that emerges is a tightly contested front‑row battle among Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris found themselves in sixth and fourteenth place respectively, more than a second off Russell’s time despite having received recent aerodynamic upgrades.
These upgrades are expected to deliver greater advantages on high‑speed circuits rather than the twisty, street‑circuit nature of Baku, giving McLaren ample time to refine their package over the remaining practice sessions. At one stage Piastri suspected he had sustained damage to his car, but the team reported no visible issues after inspection. Norris, on the other hand, has yet to reveal his true speed, leaving both drivers and their engineers eager to extract more performance before qualifying. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who has secured a contract extension through 2027, returned to the garage for the first time since July after missing three consecutive race weekends due to a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, his comeback was hampered by an engine problem that cost him roughly 30 minutes of running time. This setback paved the way for Liam Lawson to step back into the Racing Bulls line‑up, where he launched from the start grid in seventh place, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth.
Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to part ways with him after the season, recorded a ninth‑place best time. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten in tenth position. Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session; however, the incident caused only a brief interruption and did not significantly impact his running, especially given the team’s introduction of a substantial upgrade package for the weekend. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed with action.
On Thursday, September 24, the day begins with the F2 qualifying session at 10:55, followed by the Team Bosses' press conference at 12:00, and the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP starting at 13:00. The F1 Show airs at 14:15. Friday, September 25, features the F2 sprint at 05:10, the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 09:15 (officially beginning at 09:30), the F2 Feature Race 1 at 11:10, and a build‑up to the main qualifying at 12:30, with the qualifying itself kicking off at 13:00. The day concludes with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 15:00.
Saturday, September 26, sees the second F2 Feature Race at 07:55, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself starts at 12:00, with the chequered flag waving at 14:00, and post‑race analysis in Ted’s Notebook at 15:00. All sessions, including the F2 events, will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold on Sky Sports F1 this week, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serving as the centerpiece of a triple‑header weekend. The race is slated for Saturday midday, and fans can stream the coverage via NOW, enjoying a contract‑free, cancellable subscription. The combination of high‑speed straights, tight corners, and the ever‑present risk of technical gremlins makes Baku a pivotal round where championship narratives can shift dramatically.
Russell’s early pace, Antonelli’s reliability concerns, and the ongoing development race among the top teams set the stage for an exciting showdown both on Saturday and in the championship battle that follows.