George Russell topped the first free practice at the Azerbaijan GP, recording a 1:45.387 lap that left the session clear of any rivals.
Fastest lap sets the pace for Baku weekend
Only 20 minutes before the end of the hour‑long rehearsal, Russell hit the soft‑tyre benchmark comfortably ahead of Max Verstappen, who finished one tenth faster in his second attempt, and Charles Leclerc, who edged out Lewis Hamilton by four thousandths of a second. With the Baku street track used only annually, the street slicks proved dust‑laden at the start, forcing drivers to adopt a cautious approach. During the first 15 minutes, championship leader Kimi Antonelli produced a respectable 1:46.265 but his hydro problem forced a virtual safety car, clearing the track for fresh tires in the later segment.
Antonelli’s brief mountain‑top run was interrupted before the midpoint when he suffered a hydraulic fault, blowing a Mercedes W17 into a smoking wreck. The marshal crew cleared the car swiftly, sparing the interval from a red flag and allowing the field to reform under softer compound tires.
Technical glitches and virtual safety car periods stall progress
Verstappen lapped a 1:34.787 on the final lap, shaving off four‑tenths compared with Russell’s best. He narrowly missed the wall through Turn 3, while Russell’s final attempt saw him tighten four tenths on the two‑time world champion. The session stalled again when Arvid Lindblad faltered in Turn 7, followed by Nico Hulkenberg’s power‑unit hiccup early in Turn 4, triggering a second virtual safety car.
Updates, mixed fortunes and late improvements
McLaren experimented with new sidepods, a floor edge, and diffuser changes during FP1, but Lando Norris remained steeped in 14th after a hard‑tyre lap was scrubbed for damage. Oscar Piastri, who encountered a similar mess, pushed his way into sixth with a late lap. In the midfield, Liam Lawson recovered to seventh, and Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto filled out the top‑ten finishing order.
Williams presented a new floor and lighter chassis, yet brake overheating at low speed robbed Sainz and Albon of top 10, while the Audis’ upgraded power units kept them marginally ahead of the German order.
With the pit‑lane heats poised for the final Saturday race, teams now refine evolution packages in pursuit of the next lap‑time breakthrough that will define the Azerbaijani sprint.
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