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 stop on track due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, needs to start closing the gap to his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive.
His strong performance in Baku could be an early sign that the Mercedes driver is beginning to mount a serious challenge. The Mercedes racer benefited from a powerful slipstream created by Fernando Alonso on his best lap, which allowed 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 already demonstrated impressive single‑lap pace, consistently running near the top of the timing sheets throughout the session.
Antonelli’s day was dramatically curtailed when a hydraulic issue forced him to pull off the circuit after roughly 35 minutes of running. The setback means the Italian will have to start the second practice session at a disadvantage, as he will have less data to work with and will need to rebuild his rhythm.
Antonelli has been dominant in the opening two races of the season, but Baku is notorious for its demanding layout and the propensity for unexpected incidents, so his sizeable 81‑point lead over Russell—and a more than 100‑point margin ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris—could be vulnerable if reliability problems persist. "Regarding Kimi’s performance, the first practice session is generally the least representative of race pace, which works in his favour," said Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick.
"The bigger worry is the cause of the hydraulic failure. We’ve heard reliability concerns being raised about Mercedes earlier in the weekend, but the team seemed to have improved on that front over the last few races.
This issue will certainly be a focal point for the team moving forward." In the midfield, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc managed to set their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating that both Mercedes and Ferrari will be aiming for a strong qualifying performance on Friday and will be eager to fight for the race win on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull introduced several new components for the Baku weekend, including a revised floor, updated side‑pods and redesigned mirrors. Verstappen appeared very quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting that the Austrian could be a key contender for the front of the grid despite the aerodynamic changes.
When Russell’s slipstream advantage is removed from his fastest lap, the timing sheets show that Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari are all bunched together at the front, highlighting a tightly contested battle for pole position. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, both more than a second off Russell’s best time, even though the team has introduced a number of upgrades. The majority of McLaren’s developments are aerodynamic in nature, which tend to deliver the greatest benefit on high‑speed circuits rather than the tight, street‑like sections of Baku. Consequently, the team still has ample opportunity to extract performance in the remaining practice sessions.
At one stage Piastri suspected that his car had suffered damage, but the engineers reported that no visible issues were present. Norris, meanwhile, has yet to reveal his full speed potential, and both drivers will be looking to improve their lap times as the weekend progresses. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who has been confirmed to remain with the team through 2027, returned to action for the first time since July after missing three race weekends with a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, he also lost around 30 minutes of track time due to an engine problem, limiting his ability to gather data. Liam Lawson, stepping in for the Racing Bulls, launched from the start line in seventh place, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth. Their strong initial positions demonstrate that the team’s new parts are already delivering competitive performance. Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him after the season, managed to finish ninth in the session, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured tenth.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident caused only a brief interruption and did not significantly affect his overall running. The team has introduced a substantial upgrade package for the weekend, which could prove decisive in the later sessions.
The schedule for the remainder of the weekend includes a packed programme of practice, qualifying and race events across both Formula 1 and Formula 2. On Thursday, the day will feature the F2 qualifying session at 10:55 am, a team‑bosses press conference at noon, the second F1 practice session beginning at 1 pm, and the F1 Show at 2:15 pm. Friday’s agenda includes the F2 sprint at 5:10 am, the third F1 practice session at 9:15 am, the F2 feature race at 11:10 am, a build‑up to the F1 qualifying at 12:30 pm, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying at 1 pm, and a post‑qualifying analysis segment at 3 pm. Saturday will host the second F2 feature race at 7:55 am, a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, the main race itself at noon, a chequered‑flag reaction segment at 2 pm, and a final notebook recap at 3 pm.
All events will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serving as the centerpiece of a triple‑header weekend.
Baku’s unique combination of long straights, tight corners and a waterfront setting creates a challenging environment that tests both driver skill and car reliability. As the championship battle tightens, the outcomes of the practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself will be crucial in shaping the narrative for the rest of the season. Teams are expected to fine‑tune their setups, manage tyre strategies and address any lingering reliability concerns, especially in light of Antonelli’s hydraulic issue and the broader discussions about Mercedes’ durability. Fans can look forward to an action‑packed weekend that could see significant shifts in the points standings and set the tone for the next series of races.