Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell’s attempt to claim a flawless set of fastest times in the final practice session, as Red Bull reignited a fresh challenge to the Mercedes pair ahead of Friday’s qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The closing hour of practice was marked by increasingly gusty conditions on Baku’s narrow, wall‑lined streets, turning the circuit into a true test of car control and driver composure. Several competitors lost grip and briefly left the tarmac, underscoring how the wind was reshaping the rhythm of the day. On Thursday, when the wind was milder, Mercedes had appeared to dominate, posting the quickest sector times and leading the timing sheets.
However, as the day progressed and the breeze picked up, Verstappen began to extract more performance from his Red Bull on the soft compound tyres. By the final laps he had edged past Russell, posting a best lap of 1:43.922, enough to claim the top spot on the practice leaderboard. Russell, who had a close call with the barriers at Turn Seven after a straight‑line excursion, finished a mere 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen in second place.
His near‑miss highlighted how the wind was not only a factor for outright speed but also a hazard that could push drivers into the unforgiving concrete walls that line the Baku street circuit. Ferrari, which had largely trailed the front‑runners for most of the session, managed to insert Lewis Hamilton into third place on his final lap. Hamilton’s time was only 0.111 seconds shy of Verstappen’s benchmark.
Like his Red Bull counterpart earlier in the session, Hamilton benefited from a powerful tow on the long pit straight, where the slipstream of following cars can add a few valuable tenths of a second to a lap time. This aerodynamic boost, combined with the gusty conditions, meant that straight‑line speed would be a decisive element when the drivers line up for the qualifying shoot‑out at 1 p.m., a session that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. "The weather has given us the prospect of an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying to come," noted David Croft of Sky Sports F1. "These are not easy conditions out there by any stretch of the imagination." His comments capture the consensus among teams and pundits that the wind will continue to play a pivotal role, influencing tyre temperatures, brake cooling, and the delicate balance of down‑force required for the tight corners of Baku.
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 brief off‑track excursions, reminding everyone that even the most experienced pilots can be caught out by the fickle breeze. Three weeks after his stunning pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly delivered a strong performance for Alpine, securing sixth place and outpacing the McLaren duo. Despite McLaren’s introduction of a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku weekend, Lando Norris had already signalled on Thursday that the reigning world champions were unlikely to fight for pole, a prediction that seemed to hold true as the team’s lap times were roughly 0.8 seconds slower than the leading pack.
Oscar Piastri claimed seventh place, with Norris slotting in eighth, both ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who appears to be still regaining full fitness after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Hadjar’s return to form will be a storyline to watch, as his pace could improve once he settles back into the rhythm of a full race weekend.
Franco Colapinto delivered the best time for the second Alpine, landing in tenth, just ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising signs of progress on Friday morning. The Williams team has been working hard to climb out of the lower midfield and challenge the congested upper‑midfield pack, and Sainz’s performance suggests that the car’s recent aerodynamic and mechanical updates are beginning to bear fruit.
Lance Stroll’s session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, completing only nine laps before being forced to stop in the runoff area. His incident underlines how unforgiving the Baku circuit can be, especially when the wind gusts alter the car’s trajectory at high speed. The weekend’s schedule continues with a packed programme of support races and qualifying sessions.
On Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 will kick off at 11:10 a.m., followed by the build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying at 12:30 p.m., with the main qualifying session commencing at 1 p.m. Later, at 3 p.m., Ted’s Qualifying Notebook will provide analysis and insights. 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 itself at noon, and post‑race coverage, including a reaction segment at 2 p.m. and another notebook at 3 p.m., all broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event.
For fans wishing to follow the action, Sky Sports F1 recommends using the Chrome browser for the most accessible video player experience. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver excitement, and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks the start of a triple‑header of races, with the Baku event scheduled for Saturday at midday.
Viewers can stream the coverage via NOW, with the flexibility of no long‑term contract and the ability to cancel at any time. Overall, the final practice session highlighted the unpredictable nature of the Baku street circuit, where wind, wall proximity, and aerodynamic nuances combine to produce a highly variable environment.
Verstappen’s ability to adapt his pace and capitalize on the tow, Russell’s resilience after a near‑wall incident, and Hamilton’s strategic use of slipstream all set the stage for a thrilling qualifying showdown, where the fastest driver will need to master both the car and the ever‑changing elements to claim pole position.