George Russell set the pace in a disrupted opening practice session for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, putting Mercedes at the top of the timesheets ahead of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli endured a difficult start to the Baku weekend after a hydraulic problem brought his Mercedes to a halt at Turn 7.
P2: Max Verstappen — +0.400s
P3: Charles Leclerc — +0.404s
P4: Lewis Hamilton — +0.437s
P5: Kimi Antonelli — +0.878s
Russell Sets the Pace in a Chaotic Opening Session
Formula 1 returned to the streets of Baku for the opening practice session of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the Baku City Circuit wasted little time reminding everyone why it is one of the most unpredictable venues on the calendar.
A dusty and slippery track greeted the drivers when the session began, forcing teams to carefully build confidence around the narrow street circuit. The combination of long high-speed sections, heavy braking zones and unforgiving walls once again created a demanding technical challenge.
By the chequered flag, George Russell had emerged fastest with a 1:45.387, finishing four-tenths of a second ahead of Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc placed third for Ferrari, followed by team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The biggest disruption came from championship leader Kimi Antonelli, whose Mercedes suffered a hydraulic problem that ended his running after just nine laps. The incident brought out a Virtual Safety Car while marshals recovered the car. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Antonelli's Mercedes Stops With Hydraulic Failure
Antonelli initially looked comfortable around Baku and briefly moved to the top of the timing sheets during the early stages of the session. He had set a 1:46.265 on the hard Pirelli tyre before Mercedes switched him towards a different programme.
However, his session ended abruptly when he stopped at Turn 7 while on an out-lap after fitting soft tyres.
The problem forced Antonelli to park his Mercedes while the team investigated the failure. Despite completing only nine laps, he retained fifth place in the final FP1 classification.
Losing valuable track time is particularly significant at a street circuit like Baku. Drivers need every available lap to understand braking references, tyre behaviour, kerb usage and the changing grip level of the track.
Russell Responds With the Fastest Lap
While his team-mate's session was cut short, George Russell delivered Mercedes' strongest result of the opening hour.
Russell recorded a 1:45.387 to take first place, finishing 0.400 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
His fastest lap was helped by a tow down Baku's long main straight, an important factor at a circuit where aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line speed can have a major influence on lap time.
Fastest lap: 1:45.387
Advantage over Verstappen: 0.400 seconds
Verstappen Settles for Second
Max Verstappen finished second after gradually building confidence with his Red Bull.
The four-time World Champion had an early moment at Turn 1 when he locked up and ran deep into the escape area. He was able to continue without significant consequences.
Verstappen later became the first driver to break below the 1:46 barrier, setting a 1:45.787 on the soft tyre before Russell improved further.
The narrow four-tenths gap between the Mercedes and Red Bull provided an early indication of competitive pace, although FP1 programmes vary considerably between teams and the session alone cannot establish the qualifying order.
Ferrari Starts the Weekend Strongly
Ferrari also enjoyed a productive opening session, with Charles Leclerc finishing third and Lewis Hamilton fourth.
The Ferrari pair were particularly interesting because their fastest laps came on the medium compound rather than the soft tyre used by Russell and Verstappen for their quickest efforts.
Leclerc had a moment at Turn 1 after locking up under braking, but the extensive run-off area allowed him to escape without damage.
Hamilton, meanwhile, entered the Azerbaijan weekend following his retirement at the previous round and remains focused on Ferrari's Constructors' Championship campaign.
McLaren Loses Valuable Running
McLaren experienced a more complicated opening session.
Oscar Piastri reported significant vibration from the brakes during the early running, describing the sensation as unusually severe. The team subsequently worked on the car, limiting some of his track time.
Piastri still managed to finish sixth, while Lando Norris was only 14th after missing a large portion of the session because McLaren needed to carry out repairs.
Losing practice mileage is particularly costly at Baku because teams have to gather data across several different demands within a single lap — from the extremely fast sections to the tight corners around the old-city portion of the circuit.
Formula 1's official report confirmed that both Piastri and Norris lost track time during the disrupted session. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Hadjar's Return Interrupted by Power Unit Trouble
Isack Hadjar returned to Formula 1 action with Red Bull after missing the previous three rounds because of a wrist injury.
His comeback session was far from straightforward. Hadjar reported that the car was pulling heavily under braking before a power-unit issue further restricted his running.
He completed only eight laps and finished 20th in the session. Despite the difficult return on track, Hadjar has secured his place with Red Bull for 2027, according to the information referenced in the supplied session video.
Sainz's Williams Suffers Brake Fire
Carlos Sainz was another driver affected by a mechanical problem.
The Williams driver was forced to return to the pits after experiencing a brake issue, with the rear brakes subsequently catching fire.
The incident came as Williams introduced a significant upgrade package to the FW48, making the opening session particularly important for the team's data collection.
Sainz eventually returned to the track and finished 12th, while team-mate Alexander Albon placed 13th.
Williams Brings Major Weight-Reduction Package
Williams arrived in Baku with one of the more closely watched upgrade packages of the weekend.
The primary focus is weight reduction, with the FW48 having carried additional weight earlier in the season.
Reducing vehicle mass can provide benefits in acceleration, braking and cornering, although the real performance gain depends on exactly where weight is removed and how the revised car interacts with its aerodynamic package.
The team's new package therefore represents an important development to monitor throughout the remaining practice sessions.
Multiple Teams Introduce Baku Upgrades
Williams was not the only team bringing significant changes to Azerbaijan.
- McLaren: New aerodynamic and performance-related elements.
- Red Bull: Revised floor package.
- Racing Bulls: Changes to the front wing and suspension.
- Cadillac: Updates to the suspension and diffuser.
- Audi: Changes to the nose and front-wing endplates, alongside revised bodywork.
- Williams: A major package centred around weight reduction.
Baku Delivers More Late-Session Drama
The final stages of FP1 produced another sequence of incidents.
Arvid Lindblad briefly stopped at Turn 7 before managing to get the Racing Bulls car moving again.
Nico Hülkenberg was less fortunate. His Audi came to a halt at the exit of Turn 4 and had to be recovered by the marshals.
Esteban Ocon also experienced an interruption after bringing his Haas to a halt near the pit-lane exit before resetting the car and continuing.
These incidents reinforced the importance of reliability at Baku, where even a relatively small mechanical problem can bring a practice programme to a premature end.
2026 Azerbaijan GP FP1 Classification
George Russell led the opening practice session, followed by Verstappen and Leclerc. The official Formula 1 classification placed the top ten as follows. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 14 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 17 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
| 18 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 20 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
What FP1 Tells Us About the Azerbaijan GP
The first practice session provides useful clues, but it is too early to treat the FP1 order as a definitive representation of qualifying or race pace.
Mercedes Has Started Strongly
Russell's fastest lap puts Mercedes at the top of the opening timesheet, while Antonelli's disrupted session means the team still has more information to gather from its championship leader.
Ferrari Has Shown Encouraging Pace
Leclerc and Hamilton finished third and fourth despite setting their fastest times on medium tyres. That makes Ferrari's FP1 performance an interesting one to monitor as the weekend develops.
Red Bull Remains Close
Verstappen finished only four-tenths behind Russell and recovered from an early lock-up to set the second-fastest time.
McLaren Needs More Data
Piastri's sixth place is encouraging, but the team lost valuable running with both cars. Norris in particular had limited track time because of the work required on his McLaren.
Why Baku Makes F1 Car Setup So Difficult
Baku creates one of the most difficult aerodynamic compromises on the Formula 1 calendar.
The car needs sufficient downforce for the slow and technical corners, but excessive aerodynamic drag can cost substantial time along the circuit's long straights.
Engineers therefore have to find the right balance between downforce, drag, tyre performance and straight-line efficiency.
That compromise is particularly important in the 2026 regulations, where Active Aero has replaced the traditional DRS system and teams can adjust the aerodynamic behaviour of the car between different phases of the lap.
Read our detailed technical guide: Active Aero and What Replaced DRS in Formula 1 .
FP1 Takeaway: Russell Leads, But the Picture Is Still Developing
George Russell could not have asked for a better start to the Azerbaijan weekend from a timing-sheet perspective, but the FP1 results need to be viewed in context.
Different tyre compounds, fuel loads and run programmes mean that the opening practice classification does not necessarily reveal the true competitive order.
The bigger story from the session is the amount of information still to be gathered.
Mercedes will need to investigate Antonelli's hydraulic failure and maximise his remaining running. Red Bull will continue refining Verstappen's setup, Ferrari will assess its strong medium-tyre performance, while McLaren will need to recover some of the track time lost during the session.
George Russell leads the opening practice session in Baku, but the headline result is only the beginning. Antonelli's hydraulic failure, Ferrari's medium-tyre pace, McLaren's limited running and the numerous technical issues across the field have left plenty still to be discovered before qualifying.
What Comes Next at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
The teams now move deeper into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, with further practice running providing an opportunity to evaluate the upgrades, tyre behaviour and long-run performance.
The focus will also turn towards qualifying, where the narrow streets of Baku leave very little margin for error.
With championship leader Antonelli already losing valuable FP1 mileage and Russell opening the weekend at the top of the timing sheets, Mercedes will have plenty of attention on it as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix develops.
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Sources: FIA Formula One World Championship classification and official Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP1 report. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}