Russell leads Azerbaijan GP FP1 as Antonelli’s session ends early

George Russell finished fastest in Free Practice 1 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, leading Max Verstappen in the opening one-hour session. Russell posted a best lap of 1m 45.387s to go four tenths clear of Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc completing the top three in Ferrari’s first session of the weekend.

Cars went onto the track as the pit lane opened at 12:30 local time, and drivers were quickly met by a dusty and slippery surface on Baku’s streets. Isack Hadjar, returning after missing the previous three rounds due to a wrist injury, reported brake problems as his Red Bull pulled to one side, while Oscar Piastri said he was experiencing vibrations early on in his McLaren.

Further issues appeared during the session. Carlos Sainz encountered a brake problem in his Williams, which had been heavily updated for the weekend, and returned to the pit lane with rear brakes “on fire” after just 15 minutes. As track conditions improved and confidence grew, times dropped, and Antonelli briefly went fastest near the 25-minute mark on the hard Pirelli tyre with a 1m 46.265s.

Antonelli’s run ended shortly after when he reported a hydraulic issue over the radio and pulled his car off at Turn 7. His car was retrieved under a Virtual Safety Car. Yellow flags also appeared again when Verstappen went into the run-off area at Turn 1 and Russell did likewise at Turn 3, before both rejoined and continued.

Russell remained fastest to the end, with Verstappen finishing just ahead of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as the Ferrari drivers set their times on the medium tyre. Antonelli took fifth despite missing the second half of the session. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Arvid Lindblad, Esteban Ocon (Haas) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) completed the top 10, while Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) was 11th. Sainz and Alex Albon were both in the points-paying midfield, with Lando Norris finishing 14th after missing most of FP1 due to an issue, and Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso among the drivers behind them. Hadjar finished 20th after a power unit issue restricted his running, with Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas completing the order.

Written by Vancouver Television Sports Desk