Azerbaijan GP: George Russell Fastest, Kimi Antonelli Out with Hydraulic Leak

Russell Secures Top Spot as Antonelli Hits Trouble

George Russell kicked off the Baku weekend by topping the opening practice timesheets, finishing 0.4 seconds quicker than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Russell’s fastest effort was aided significantly by a big slipstream from Fernando Alonso, though the Mercedes driver showed solid pace earlier in the running as well. Meanwhile, teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli faced a major setback.

Championship leader Antonelli ended up fifth fastest overall, sitting 0.878 seconds off Russell’s pace. The Italian youngster had looked strong early on, setting the quickest time during the opening phase while running on the hard compound tyres. However, his session came to an abrupt halt at Turn One on his very first flying lap on the soft compound, with smoke visible seeping from the cooling vents on his engine cover.

Sky Sports F1’s Jamie Chadwick addressed the championship leader’s woes, noting In terms of Kimi’s session, FP1 is the least representative session, so that’s a blessing. Chadwick added regarding the mechanical failure: The bigger concern is why they had the issue. We knew reliability was a big talking point for Mercedes earlier in the session; it seems to have been in a much better place the last few races especially, but that’s going to be the biggest concern.

Because the hydraulic issue forced Antonelli to park his car on track, he missed 35 minutes of crucial track time, leaving him with plenty of catching up to do in the second practice session.

Ferrari and Red Bull Show Strong Pace in Baku

Behind Russell and Verstappen, Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished third and fourth respectively. Both Scuderia drivers wound up just over four tenths of a second off the leading Mercedes time. Crucially, neither Ferrari car utilized the soft-compound tyres during the session, as the team elected to split programmes and focus on alternative testing plans. Hamilton and Leclerc set their fastest times on the medium compound.

Red Bull arrived in Azerbaijan equipped with several car updates, featuring a revised floor, sidepod, and mirrors. Max Verstappen displayed menacing speed on the hard tyres during the early stages of practice. Without Russell’s slipstream advantage factored in, Red Bull appears locked in a tight battle at the front alongside Mercedes and Ferrari.

Midfield Battles and Technical Drama Down the Pit Lane

Further down the timing sheets, McLaren’s weekend started with mixed fortunes. Oscar Piastri took sixth place, while teammate Lando Norris languished down in 14th. Both McLaren drivers finished over a second behind Russell despite running new aerodynamic upgrades designed specifically for high-speed, non-street venues. During the session, Piastri radioed his team suspecting car damage, though team checks revealed no visible issues.

Elsewhere in the paddock, returning drivers and rookie hopefuls faced varied fortunes. Isack Hadjar returned to action for the first time since July, having missed three consecutive race weekends due to a wrist injury after securing his 2027 seat with Red Bull. Unfortunately, Hadjar lost 30 minutes of running due to an engine problem. Liam Lawson stepped back into the Racing Bulls cockpit and immediately impressed by finishing seventh, right ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad in eighth. Esteban Ocon, widely expected to leave Haas at the end of the year, secured ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten.

Williams endured an early scare when Carlos Sainz suffered a minor brake fire that forced him into the pits. Despite the drama on a weekend where Williams introduced a substantial upgrade package, the incident cost the Spanish driver minimal track time.