George Russell fastest in Baku practice as Kimi Antonelli hits trouble

George Russell set the pace in the opening practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, navigating the demanding Baku street circuit to finish ahead of his rivals on Thursday, 24 September 2026. The Mercedes driver claimed the fastest time of the hour-long session, utilizing a crucial slipstream to outpace the field while his championship-leading teammate faced unexpected mechanical trouble.

Russell enters the weekend trailing Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship standings, making every session vital as he looks to narrow the gap before the season concludes (Sky Sports). According to NewsCord, Russell posted a 1m45.387s lap. 3FM Isle of Man reported that the British driver benefited from a significant slipstream off Fernando Alonso on his fastest tour, though he also exhibited strong pace earlier in the running.

Media additions

While Russell enjoyed a productive morning, Antonelli encountered severe reliability woes. The Italian rookie stopped at Turn One on his first flying lap using soft-compound tyres, with smoke visible from his engine cover's cooling vents (Streamlinefeed). Marshals cleared the smoking Mercedes W17 without necessitating a red flag (NewsCord). The hydraulic issue — which governs critical vehicle functions like gear shifting and drag reduction system deployment — cost Antonelli 35 minutes of track time and left him without a representative soft-tyre qualifying simulation, ultimately ending his session in fifth place (Sky Sports, Streamlinefeed).

Sky Sports F1 pundit Jamie Chadwick addressed the setback on air, noting that while first practice is typically the least representative session, the underlying mechanical failure remains a worry (Sky Sports). The bigger concern is why they had the issue, Chadwick said, highlighting that Mercedes had made strides in reliability over recent rounds.

Behind the leading Mercedes, Max Verstappen placed second for Red Bull, finishing four tenths behind Russell despite reporting that his brakes were pulling (NewsCord, Streamlinefeed). Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton also lingered within four-tenths of the benchmark, though both set their fastest times on medium compound tyres rather than softs (Sky Sports, Streamlinefeed). Red Bull introduced a revised floor, sidepods, and mirrors for the weekend, while McLaren trialled new aerodynamic sidepods and floor edges that left Oscar Piastri sixth and Lando Norris down in 14th after a messy session (Sky Sports, NewsCord).

Other teams experienced early mechanical hurdles. Williams driver Carlos Sainz suffered a minor rear-brake fire that forced him back to the pit lane after 15 minutes (NewsCord). Isack Hadjar, returning to the Red Bull setup after missing three race weekends due to a wrist injury, lost 30 minutes of running to an engine problem (Sky Sports). Liam Lawson filled in at Racing Bulls alongside Arvid Lindblad, taking seventh and eighth respectively (Sky Sports).

What to Watch Next

• Second Practice: Teams return to the track later on Thursday, 24 September 2026, at 1pm local time for FP2, providing Antonelli a chance to recover lost data (Sky Sports).
• Qualifying: Low-fuel single-lap qualifying is scheduled for Friday, 25 September 2026, at 1pm (Sky Sports).
• Grand Prix: Uniquely scheduled for a Saturday, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix race takes place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at midday as part of a demanding triple-header (Sky Sports, NewsCord).