George Russell swept Thursday practice for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 24, setting the fastest lap in both sessions before leading a Mercedes one-two in FP2.
Russell backed up his opening-hour 1:45.387 with a 1:43.347 in the second session at the Baku City Circuit. Kimi Antonelli recovered from a hydraulic problem in FP1 to finish second, 0.552 seconds behind his teammate, while Max Verstappen took third for Red Bull at 0.827 seconds.
Russell sets Thursday's benchmark
Russell's best FP2 lap was 2.040 seconds faster than his leading FP1 effort as the track surface improved and drivers switched to qualifying simulations on the soft tire. He initially moved ahead with a 1:43.759, then cut the benchmark to 1:43.347 on another run.
Antonelli posted a 1:43.899 to give Mercedes the top two positions. Verstappen's 1:44.174 put him ahead of Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth and fifth.
Based strictly on Thursday's one-lap times, the FP2 order puts Russell in the strongest confirmed form heading into qualifying. Mercedes finished with both cars in the top two, and Russell led every completed session.
Verstappen and Ferrari follow Mercedes
Verstappen came closest to Russell in FP1. His 1:45.787 was 0.400 seconds slower than the Mercedes, with Leclerc another 0.004 seconds behind in third.
Hamilton finished the opening session fourth, 0.437 seconds off Russell. Antonelli's 1:46.265 still secured fifth despite his early exit, while Oscar Piastri took sixth for McLaren, 1.011 seconds away from the leading time.
Ferrari recorded its best FP1 laps on the medium tire, while Russell ran the soft and gained from a tow along Baku's main straight. During the soft-tire runs in FP2, Leclerc and Hamilton slipped behind both Mercedes cars and Verstappen.
Antonelli recovers from hydraulic failure
Antonelli's Thursday shifted sharply between sessions.
The championship leader briefly went fastest in FP1 with a 1:46.265 on the hard tire. After changing to softs, he stopped at Turn 7 on his out-lap and reported a hydraulic issue. A Virtual Safety Car covered the recovery, bringing his session to an end after 25 minutes.
Antonelli returned for FP2 and rose from outside the leading group to second with his final major improvement. The lap put him 0.275 seconds ahead of Verstappen, though Russell kept an advantage of more than half a second at the front.
Red flag disrupts qualifying runs
Arvid Lindblad triggered the main FP2 stoppage when he struck the wall in the Turn 8 and Turn 9 castle section shortly before the 20-minute mark. His Racing Bulls suffered significant right-side damage.
“I think I literally clipped it by like a millimetre,” Lindblad said over the radio.
The session restarted at 1629 local time, giving the field an opportunity to begin its soft-tire simulations. Ollie Bearman later stopped his Haas at the end of an escape road after reporting an engine failure.
McLaren had a disrupted day as well. Piastri reported vibrations early in FP1, and Lando Norris lost most of the session. Both cars used a makeshift repair involving plastic cable ties in FP2 after floorboard issues, while Norris abandoned a lap that had the potential to improve his sixth-place position.
Russell leads the qualifying picture
Russell is the evidence-based favorite for qualifying after leading both Thursday sessions, with Antonelli and Verstappen his nearest challengers on the final FP2 timesheet. Ferrari's FP1 pace keeps Leclerc and Hamilton in the leading group, but Russell's 0.552-second FP2 advantage was the largest relevant gap of the day.
The final hour of practice begins at 1230 local time on Friday, giving Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari another opportunity to refine their cars before qualifying.
