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 the circuit because of a hydraulic failure. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, needs to start narrowing the gap to his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive and avoid an early end to the season-long battle for the championship. His strong showing in Baku could be the first step in that direction. The Mercedes driver 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 had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running among the top times and showing that the Mercedes package still possesses the raw speed needed to challenge the front‑running teams. Antonelli’s day was dramatically interrupted when a hydraulic issue forced his car to come to a halt, costing him about 35 minutes of valuable track time. The setback means the Italian will head into the second practice session later on Thursday with a clear disadvantage, having missed out on crucial data gathering and tyre management. Although Antonelli has claimed victory in the two most recent races, Baku is notorious for its demanding layout and unpredictable incidents, so his sizable 81‑point lead over Russell – and the even larger margins he holds over Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, each sitting more than 100 points ahead – could be eroded quickly if reliability problems persist.
"When it comes to Kimi’s performance, the first practice session is the least representative of the weekend’s overall pace, so that works in his favour," said Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "The bigger story is why the problem occurred. We heard reliability was a hot topic for Mercedes earlier in the day; they’ve seemed to have ironed out many issues over the last few races, but this incident will certainly raise eyebrows." Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc posted their quickest times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating they will be aiming to fight for pole position in Friday’s qualifying and to contend for the race win 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 looked especially quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting the team’s aerodynamic upgrades are beginning to pay dividends. If you strip away the advantage Russell gained from Alonso’s slipstream on his fastest lap, the picture that emerges is a tightly contested front‑row battle between Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris occupied sixth and fourteenth places respectively, both more than a second off Russell’s pace despite having received aerodynamic upgrades aimed at improving high‑speed performance.
The upgrades are expected to be more beneficial on circuits with long straights and flowing corners, so McLaren still has ample time to refine their package during the remaining practice sessions. At one stage Piastri believed his car had sustained damage, but the team’s engineers found nothing obvious, leaving the young driver to continue searching for the ultimate lap. Norris, on the other hand, has yet to reveal the full extent of his speed, hinting that the British driver may still have untapped performance waiting to be unlocked. Red Bull’s reserve driver Isack Hadjar, who secured a contract extension through 2027, returned to the track for the first time since July after missing three consecutive race weekends due to a wrist injury.
Unfortunately for him, an engine issue cost him roughly 30 minutes of running time, limiting his ability to contribute meaningful data. This development opened the door for Liam Lawson to step into the Racing Bulls lineup, where he launched from seventh on the grid, with teammate Arvid Lindblad positioned in eighth. Further down the order, Esteban Ocon – whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him after the season – managed ninth place, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident caused only a brief interruption and did not significantly affect the team’s overall programme, especially as they have introduced a substantial upgrade package for the weekend. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed: Thursday sees the conclusion of practice two at 1 pm, followed by the F1 Show at 2:15 pm. Friday’s agenda includes the F2 Sprint, the final practice session at 9:30 am, the F2 Feature Race, and the build‑up to qualifying, which will kick off at 1 pm. Saturday will host the F2 Feature Race 2, the Grand Prix build‑up, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself at midday, and post‑race analysis.
Sunday’s programming will feature a recap of the race, a chequered‑flag reaction segment, and additional commentary. For fans eager to follow the action, the 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix forming the centerpiece of a triple‑header weekend. Viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract and cancel at any time, ensuring flexible access to all the on‑track drama, technical intrigue and championship implications that Baku invariably delivers.