Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell’s attempt to claim a flawless set 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 swept across the street circuit, turning the already demanding layout into a true test of driver skill and car stability. The shifting breezes caused several competitors to lose grip and run off the track at various points throughout the hour-long session. On Thursday, when the weather was calmer, Mercedes had appeared to dominate, posting the quickest sector times and comfortably leading the standings.
However, as the wind picked up on Friday, Verstappen began to extract more performance from his Red Bull on the soft compound tyres. He steadily improved his lap times, eventually posting a best lap of 1:43.922, which placed him at the top of the timesheet and displaced Russell from the leading spot.
Russell, who had come close to clipping the barriers at Turn Seven after a straight‑line excursion, finished just 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen in second place. His near‑miss underscored how unforgiving the Baku circuit can be when the wind pushes the car toward the walls. Despite the error, Russell’s overall pace remained strong enough to keep him within a tenth of a second of the Dutch driver. Ferrari, which had been trailing the leaders for most of the session, managed to claw back a few positions thanks to a late‑race surge from Lewis Hamilton.
The former Mercedes champion set a final‑lap time that placed him third, only 0.111 seconds shy of Verstappen’s benchmark. Hamilton’s improvement was aided by a slipstream effect – a powerful tow from the pack of cars ahead on Baku’s long pit straight – which gave his car an extra burst of straight‑line speed at a crucial moment.
Both the aerodynamic tow and the variable wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft highlighted the potential for a dramatic showdown, noting, "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." Young Italian driver Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads Russell by 81 points in the championship standings, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who occupied fifth.
Both drivers experienced brief off‑track moments, a reminder that even the most experienced pilots can be caught out by Baku’s unpredictable gusts. Three weeks after his sensational pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated that his Alpine still possesses outright speed by securing sixth place, ahead of the McLaren pair. Despite McLaren introducing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku race, Lando Norris had already signalled after Thursday’s runs that the reigning world champions were unlikely to fight for pole, a prediction that proved accurate as the team’s lap times lagged by roughly 0.8 seconds.
Oscar Piastri, the Australian rookie, claimed seventh on the board, with Norris slotting in eighth. Both drivers out‑performed Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who is still regaining full fitness after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Franco Colapinto recorded the tenth‑fastest time in the second Alpine, just ahead of Carlos Sainz, who piloted a heavily revised Williams that showed promising improvements compared with the previous weekend. Lance Stroll’s session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, resulting in a brief excursion into the run‑off area.
He completed only nine laps before the team called him back to the garage for inspection. The weekend schedule continues to be packed. On Friday, the day begins with the F2 Feature Race 1 at 11:10 a.m., followed by the build‑up to Azerbaijan GP qualifying at 12:30 p.m., and the qualifying session itself at 1 p.m.
Later, at 3 p.m., fans can tune in to Ted’s Qualifying Notebook for analysis. Saturday’s agenda includes the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., a pre‑race build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the Grand Prix start at noon, the chequered flag ceremony at 2 p.m., and another edition of Ted’s Notebook at 3 p.m., all broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season remains in full swing, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marking the start of a triple‑header weekend.
The race will take place on Saturday at midday, and viewers can stream the action via NOW, which offers a flexible, contract‑free subscription that can be cancelled at any time. As the wind continues to swirl around Baku’s tight corners and long straights, teams will need to balance aerodynamic efficiency with stability, making the upcoming qualifying and race a compelling showcase of driver talent and engineering ingenuity.