George Russell claimed the fastest time in the opening practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, capitalizing on a favorable opportunity while championship leader Kimi Antonelli suffered a setback. The Mercedes driver looked sharp in Baku, outpacing Max Verstappen and the Ferrari pair by four-tenths of a second. Russell’s quickest lap benefited from a significant slipstream provided by Fernando Alonso.
The result provides a boost for Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers’ Championship. With the title race potentially nearing its conclusion, the British driver is keen to close the gap on his teammate early. Antonelli, meanwhile, was forced to stop on track due to a hydraulics leak, costing him 35 minutes of valuable running.
The Italian champion has won his last two races but remains aware that Baku’s turbulent nature could quickly erode his 100-plus-point lead over Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris. Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick noted that while the first practice session is often unrepresentative, reliability concerns remain a priority for Mercedes after a period of improved consistency in recent races.
Red Bull arrived in Baku with updated components, including a revised floor and sidepods. Verstappen demonstrated strong pace on the hard tires early in the session, suggesting the team will be competitive when Russell’s slipstream advantage is removed. Charles Leclerc and Hamilton set their best times on the medium compound, positioning them well for Friday’s qualifying.
McLaren faced some uncertainty, with both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris struggling to match the front runners. Piastri qualified sixth and Norris 14th, more than a second adrift of Russell. Although the team brought aerodynamic upgrades, these are expected to yield greater benefits on high-speed circuits rather than the street circuit. Piastri briefly feared damage to his car, but officials found no issues, while Norris has yet to reveal his true pace.
In other news, Isack Hadjar returned to action for Red Bull after missing the previous three races due to a wrist injury, though an engine problem limited his running by 30 minutes. He was replaced by Liam Lawson, who started quickly to place seventh. Williams’ Carlos Sainz dealt with a minor brake fire early in the session but was able to continue with minimal time lost despite bringing a major upgrade package.
The top ten finished with Esteban Ocon in ninth for Haas and Gabriel Bortoleto tenth for Audi. Practice two is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 1pm, live on Sky Sports F1.
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