George Russell claimed the fastest lap in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli was forced to pull off the track after encountering a hydraulic failure. The British driver’s strong performance in Baku comes at a crucial juncture in the title fight, as he trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship and must begin closing the gap to keep his title hopes alive. Russell’s pace was significantly boosted by a powerful slipstream from Fernando Alonso on his best lap, allowing him to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferraris by roughly four-tenths of a second. Even before the slipstream advantage, Russell had demonstrated impressive speed earlier in the session, signalling that Mercedes may have found a competitive edge on the high‑speed street circuit.
Antonelli’s day was dramatically interrupted when a hydraulic issue forced him to stop, costing him about 35 minutes of valuable track time. The setback means the Italian will start the second practice session on the back foot, having lost a substantial window to fine‑tune his setup. Despite the problem, Antonelli remains confident; he has won the last two races and, although Baku is notorious for its demanding layout and frequent surprises, he is aware that his 81‑point lead over Russell—and a more than 100‑point advantage over Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris—could shrink quickly if reliability continues to be an issue.
"FP1 is the least representative session for Kimi, which is a bit of a blessing," commented Jamie Chadwick of Sky Sports F1. "The bigger worry is the cause of the hydraulic problem.
We heard reliability was a hot topic for Mercedes earlier, but they seemed to have sorted it in recent outings. Still, this will be a major concern moving forward." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating they will be in the mix for pole position on Friday and will be eyeing the race win on Saturday. Red Bull, meanwhile, introduced several new components for the Baku weekend, including a revised floor, updated sidepods, and redesigned mirrors. Verstappen looked exceptionally quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting that the team’s aerodynamic upgrades are paying off.
If you strip away the slipstream boost that helped Russell set his quickest lap, the overall picture shows a tight battle at the front of the grid, with Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari all capable of challenging for the top spot. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris found themselves in sixth and 14th places respectively, more than a second off Russell’s pace despite having introduced their own aerodynamic upgrades aimed at improving performance on high‑speed circuits.
Piastri at one point suspected he had sustained damage to his car, but the team reported no visible issues, while Norris has yet to unleash his full speed. Isack Hadjar, who has been confirmed to remain with Red Bull through 2027, returned to the track for the first time since July after missing three race weekends due to a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, he also lost around 30 minutes of running after an engine problem surfaced. This development paved the way for Liam Lawson to re‑join the Racing Bulls line‑up, where he launched from seventh on the grid, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth.
Further down the order, Esteban Ocon—who is expected to lose his seat at Haas for the 2027 season—finished ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto took tenth. Williams driver Carlos Sainz suffered a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident cost him little track time, and the team has introduced a significant upgrade package that could prove decisive later in the weekend.
The schedule for the remainder of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is packed with action. On Thursday, September 24, the day begins with an F2 qualifying session at 10:55 am, followed by the Team Bosses’ press conference at noon. Practice Two for the Grand Prix starts at 1 pm, and the F1 Show airs at 2:15 pm. Friday, September 25, features an F2 sprint at 5:10 am, the third practice session for the GP at 9:15 am, the F2 feature race at 11:10 am, and the build‑up to qualifying at 12:30 pm, with the actual qualifying session kicking off at 1 pm.
The day concludes with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 3 pm. Saturday, September 26, includes the second F2 feature race at 7:55 am, the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, and the main event—the Azerbaijan Grand Prix—starting at noon. The race will finish with the chequered flag at 2 pm, followed by a reaction segment at 3 pm and another notebook from Ted.
All of these sessions are also broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marking the start of a triple‑header of races. Viewers can watch the action via the NOW streaming service, which offers a contract‑free subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
The combination of a challenging street circuit, unpredictable weather, and the high stakes of the championship battle ensures that Baku will provide plenty of drama for fans and a critical test of both speed and reliability for all teams involved.