Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell's bid for a flawless practice performance, injecting fresh momentum into Red Bull's renewed assault on the Mercedes pair as the teams prepared for qualifying later on Friday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The final practice session in Baku was marked by increasingly gusty, unpredictable winds that swept across the street circuit, turning the already demanding layout into a true test of driver skill and car stability. The erratic breezes caused several competitors to lose traction and run off the track at various points throughout the hour‑long session, underscoring how quickly conditions can shift on the narrow, wall‑lined streets of the capital.
On Thursday, when the weather was calmer, Mercedes had established a clear advantage, with Russell and his teammate Lewis Hamilton consistently topping the time sheets. That dominance appeared set to continue into the final practice, but Verstappen demonstrated a rapid improvement on the soft tyre compound, gradually shaving seconds off his lap times.
By the end of the session, the Dutch driver had posted a best lap of 1:43.922, enough to displace Russell from the top spot and claim the fastest time overall. Russell, who had flirted with disaster at Turn Seven after careening straight into the barriers, managed to recover and finish just 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen in second place.
His near‑miss highlighted the treacherous nature of the circuit under windy conditions, where even a small miscalculation can send a car into the concrete confines that line the track. Ferrari, which had been trailing the leaders for most of the session, saw a late surge from Lewis Hamilton. On his final lap, Hamilton benefited from a powerful tow generated by the pack of cars ahead of him on Baku's long pit straight, allowing him to gain extra straight‑line speed.
He crossed the line with a time only 0.111 seconds slower than Verstappen, securing third place on the board and demonstrating that the British driver could still extract performance when the situation demanded it. Both the aerodynamic tow and the persistent wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying battle. The session is slated to begin at 1 p.m., with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event.
Sky Sports F1 analyst David Croft remarked, "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." Kimi Antonelli, who 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 moments where they left the racing line, illustrating how the wind was affecting even the most experienced competitors.
Three weeks after his sensational pole position at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated the competitiveness of his Alpine by clocking the sixth‑fastest lap, outpacing the McLaren duo. Despite McLaren introducing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku weekend, Lando Norris had already indicated after Thursday's runs that the reigning world champions were unlikely to fight for pole, a prediction that seemed validated as the British team lagged by roughly 0.8 seconds. Oscar Piastri claimed seventh place, with Norris following in eighth. Both drivers were ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who appears to be regaining form 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 improvement in the Friday morning session as the team aims to climb into the congested upper‑midfield. Lance Stroll's session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, completing only nine laps before stopping in the runoff area. His incident further underscored the challenges posed by the windy environment and the unforgiving nature of Baku's street layout.
The weekend schedule continues with a packed lineup of supporting events. 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., and the qualifying session itself at 1 p.m. Sky Sports will also broadcast a special "Ted's Qualifying Notebook" at 3 p.m. Saturday features the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the main race at noon, and post‑race analysis throughout the afternoon.
All of these sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with the option to watch via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract, allowing fans to cancel at any time. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver high‑octane action, and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises to be a highlight, especially given the dramatic practice session that set the stage for a potentially thrilling qualifying showdown under challenging wind conditions.