Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell's bid for a flawless run of fastest practice times as Red Bull reignited its challenge to the Mercedes duo ahead of Friday's qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The final practice session in Baku was marked by increasingly gusty winds that turned the already demanding street circuit into a true test of driver skill and car stability. Throughout the hour, several competitors lost control and briefly left the racing line, underscoring how the unpredictable weather added a new layer of difficulty. On Thursday, when the winds were calmer, Mercedes had appeared to dominate the early part of the weekend.
That momentum seemed set to continue into the final practice, but Verstappen found extra grip on the soft compound tyres and gradually trimmed the gap to the leading time. By the end of the session, he had posted a best lap of 1:43.922, nudging ahead of Russell and claiming the top spot on the timesheet. Russell, who had come close to clipping the barriers at Turn Seven after a straight‑line excursion, finished just 0.099 seconds slower, securing second place. His near‑miss highlighted how thin the margin for error can be on Baku's narrow, wall‑flanked straights.
Behind them, Ferrari struggled to keep pace for most of the hour, but Lewis Hamilton managed to climb into third with a late‑session lap that was only 0.111 seconds off Verstappen's time. Hamilton’s final lap benefited from a powerful tow down the massive pit straight, a phenomenon that gave him a noticeable boost in straight‑line speed.
Both the aerodynamic tow and the shifting wind conditions are expected to play pivotal 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. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft described the situation, saying, "The weather has given us the possibility of an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying to come.
These are not easy conditions out there by any stretch of the imagination." 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 moments where they briefly left the track, a reminder that even the front‑runners were battling the same slippery conditions. Three weeks after delivering a stunning pole position at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated that his Alpine could still compete at the front by setting the sixth‑quickest lap, outpacing the McLaren pair.
Despite McLaren bringing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade to Baku, Lando Norris had already signaled after Thursday's runs that the reigning champions were unlikely to fight for pole, a prediction that proved accurate as the team was roughly 0.8 seconds off the leading pace. Oscar Piastri slotted into seventh place, with Norris following in eighth, showing that the Australian could extract good performance from the McLaren despite its overall deficit.
Both were ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who appears to still be finding his rhythm after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Franco Colapinto, driving the second Alpine, recorded the tenth‑fastest time, narrowly ahead of Carlos Sainz in a heavily revised Williams chassis. The updated Williams showed signs of improvement on Friday morning, hinting that the team could become a more competitive presence in the tightly packed upper‑midfield battle.
Lance Stroll's session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, completing only nine laps before stopping in the run‑off area. His incident underscored how unforgiving the Baku circuit can be, especially when the wind gusts push cars off their intended line.
The weekend schedule continues with a packed program: on Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 will kick off at 11:10 a.m., followed by the Azerbaijan GP qualifying build‑up at 12:30 p.m., and the main qualifying session at 1 p.m. Later, at 3 p.m., Ted’s Qualifying Notebook will provide analysis.
Saturday will see the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself at noon, and post‑race coverage including the chequered‑flag reaction at 2 p.m. and another notebook at 3 p.m., all streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marking the start of a triple‑header weekend. Fans can stream the action via NOW, which offers a contract‑free subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
The combination of windy conditions, a demanding street layout, and a field of drivers eager to extract every ounce of performance promises an exciting qualifying session and a race that could reshape the early‑season championship standings.