George Russell claimed the quickest lap in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli was forced to bring his car to a halt after a hydraulic failure. Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points in the drivers' standings, needs to start narrowing the gap to his teammate if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive, and his strong showing in Baku could be an early sign of progress.
The Mercedes driver benefited from a substantial slipstream provided by Fernando Alonso on his fastest lap, allowing him to edge out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferraris by roughly four-tenths of a second. Even before that optimal lap, Russell demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, suggesting that the Mercedes package still possesses outright speed on the street circuit. Antonelli’s day was marred by a 35‑minute loss of track time when a hydraulic issue forced him to stop on the racing line.
The setback means the Italian will have to fight back in the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 13:00, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Despite winning the previous two rounds, Antonelli knows that Baku is one of the most demanding venues on the calendar, often producing unexpected drama.
His comfortable 81‑point advantage over Russell and a lead of more than 100 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could evaporate quickly if reliability problems persist. "Regarding Kimi’s performance, the first practice session is the least indicative of true pace, so that’s a bit of a relief," commented Jamie Chadwick of Sky Sports F1.
"The bigger question is why the reliability issue occurred. Earlier in the weekend, many were discussing Mercedes’ reliability, but the team seemed to have sorted it out over the last few races. This will be the main story to watch." Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating that they will be aiming for a strong qualifying performance on Friday and a potential race win on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull arrived in Baku with a suite of new components, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods and fresh mirror designs.
Verstappen looked particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, hinting that the team may be ready to challenge for the front of the grid. If you strip away the benefit of Russell’s slipstream on his fastest lap, the picture still shows Red Bull as a serious contender alongside Mercedes and Ferrari. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, more than a second off Russell’s pace despite having received aerodynamic upgrades. These upgrades are expected to pay off on high‑speed, non‑street circuits, giving McLaren ample time to refine the package over the remaining practice days.
At one stage Piastri believed his car had sustained damage, but the team reported no visible issues. Norris, meanwhile, has yet to reveal his full speed potential.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who has already secured a seat with the team for 2027, returned after missing the last three race weekends due to a wrist injury, only to lose 30 minutes of running because of an engine problem. Liam Lawson, back in a Red Bull‑liveried car, launched from the start line in seventh place, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth.
Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to part ways with him next season, managed ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten in tenth place. Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident cost him little running time, especially as the team introduced a significant upgrade package for the weekend.
The schedule for the remainder of the weekend includes: - Thursday 24 September: 10:55 am F2 Qualifying, 12:00 pm Team Bosses’ Press Conference, 12:30 pm Practice Two (starts 13:00), 14:15 pm The F1 Show. - Friday 25 September: 5:10 am F2 Sprint, 9:15 am Practice Three (starts 9:30), 11:10 am F2 Feature Race 1, 12:30 pm Qualifying build‑up, 13:00 pm Azerbaijan GP Qualifying, 15:00 pm Ted’s Qualifying Notebook. - Saturday 26 September: 7:55 am F2 Feature Race 2, 10:30 am Grand Prix build‑up, 12:00 pm Azerbaijan Grand Prix, 14:00 pm Chequered Flag reaction, 15:00 pm Ted’s Notebook. All events will also be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues its live coverage on Sky Sports F1 this week, with the Baku Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races. Viewers can stream via NOW without a contract and cancel at any time.