George Russell gave Mercedes the fastest lap in both practice sessions Thursday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but teammate Kimi Antonelli's recovery from an early mechanical problem made the team's opening day more than a straightforward sweep of the timing sheets.
Russell finished Free Practice 2 with a 1:43.347 around the Baku City Circuit, putting him 0.552 seconds ahead of Antonelli as Mercedes secured the top two positions. Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, followed by Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. The result came after Russell had also led the opening session, giving Mercedes an encouraging start to a weekend in which the championship leader had already lost valuable track time.
Antonelli's Thursday began with a hydraulic problem that curtailed his FP1 running and required an engine change before the afternoon session. His return to second place in FP2 limited the competitive impact of that disruption, although the lost laps left him with less preparation time than his teammate on a circuit where confidence, braking precision and a clean qualifying lap can be particularly important.
Russell Takes Control in Baku
Russell's opening-session benchmark of 1:45.387 put him 0.400 seconds ahead of Verstappen, with Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth. Antonelli finished fifth despite completing only part of the session, having initially shown competitive pace on the hard compound before stopping at Turn 7 with a hydraulic problem. His stranded Mercedes prompted a Virtual Safety Car and left the team facing a substantial repair job before FP2.
Russell's FP1 lap benefited from a tow along Baku's lengthy main straight, but his advantage was not limited to a single run. He returned in FP2 and progressively lowered his time on soft tires, eventually reaching 1:43.347. Antonelli improved to 1:43.899 late in the session, completing the Mercedes 1-2 despite a delayed start while his mechanics finished work on the car.
The gap between the Mercedes drivers is notable, particularly given Antonelli's position at the top of the championship. The Italian arrived in Azerbaijan with an 81-point advantage over Russell after winning eight of the first 14 Grands Prix, including the previous round in Madrid. Russell's Thursday performance does not change that championship picture, but it gives him a strong starting point as he attempts to challenge his teammate this weekend.
Verstappen Chases, Ferrari Has Work to Do
Verstappen emerged as Mercedes' closest challenger in FP2, finishing third with a 1:44.174, 0.827 seconds behind Russell. His position on the timing sheet was encouraging for Red Bull, although the four-time World Champion was unhappy with his car's behavior during the session, reporting difficulties with the rear of the car and the way it was riding over the circuit.
Baku's combination of slow corners, narrow streets and long full-throttle sections makes finding the right setup a compromise. Teams need enough stability and mechanical grip through the old city's tight corners without sacrificing too much straight-line performance. Verstappen's complaints suggest Red Bull still has work to do, even if his final position kept him ahead of Ferrari and McLaren.
Leclerc finished fourth in FP2, 1.126 seconds behind Russell, while Hamilton was fifth at 1.318 seconds off the pace. Both Ferrari drivers had been closer to the front in FP1, finishing third and fourth on medium tires, but the afternoon's soft-tire runs left a larger gap to Mercedes. That difference gives Ferrari a clear area to investigate overnight, although fuel loads, tire preparation and traffic mean Friday's qualifying session will provide a more reliable comparison of outright pace.
McLaren also faces questions after a disrupted day. Lando Norris finished sixth in FP2, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri in eighth, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly splitting the two cars. McLaren had encountered floor-related issues earlier in the day, and Norris abandoned a potentially competitive lap during the second session after recording the fastest opening sector. The final classification therefore offers an incomplete picture of the team's qualifying potential.
A Different Schedule
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is following an unusual Thursday-to-Saturday timetable this year, with the race moved forward because Sunday, September 27, is Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day. That leaves teams with Friday's final practice session to complete their preparations before qualifying, followed by the 51-lap Grand Prix on Saturday.
For Antonelli, the immediate priority will be recovering the information lost to Thursday's hydraulic failure and subsequent engine change. His second-place finish showed that Mercedes restored his car to competitive running order, but Russell completed the day with the faster lap and a more straightforward preparation program. Both drivers will now work through their long-run data, tire performance and setup options before returning to the circuit.
Mercedes leaves Thursday with the strongest single-lap results, having topped both sessions and secured a 1-2 in FP2. Yet Baku has a history of producing races in which track position, tire management, mechanical reliability and incidents can change the outcome quickly. Russell has established the early benchmark, but the work completed overnight and the laps that follow will determine whether Mercedes can convert its practice advantage into a front-row start.
The final practice session begins Friday, September 25, at 12:30 p.m. local time (4:30 a.m. Eastern), followed by qualifying at 4 p.m. local time (8 a.m. Eastern). The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. Eastern), with drivers completing 51 laps of the 6.003-kilometer Baku City Circuit.