Russell on top in Baku practice after problems for Antonelli, Norris

Mercedes driver George Russell topped the times during Thursday's opening practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, clocking a best lap of one minute and 45.387 seconds. This was 0.400 seconds ahead of Red Bull's four-time champion Max Verstappen. In the second Mercedes, British world championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fifth-quickest but pulled up during the session due to a hydraulics failure.

Russell's time outpaced Charles Leclerc by 0.004 seconds, who was on his way to a fifth pole position in Baku and his first win. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton secured fourth place, while Oscar Piastri from McLaren was sixth. Lando Norris had a challenging session in the second McLaren, ultimately finishing 14th after running only 14 laps, compared to the 25 laps completed by both Ferraris.

Antonelli only managed nine laps and Isack Hadjar, who returned to action with Red Bull after breaking his wrist, finished 20th due to brake and engine problems. Leclerc initially led the times, but the lead quickly changed as Verstappen and Antonelli traded best laps on hard tires. After 20 minutes, Antonelli took command at 1:46.265.

The Italian then stopped at Turn Seven due to lost hydraulics, and as he exited the car, a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed. As the track rubbered in and incidents occurred, Verstappen locked up at Turn One, allowing Russell to avoid a crash at Turn Three with a spectacular reflex save. Verstappen, aiming for his third win on the fast Baku street circuit, took the lead again before being overtaken by the British driver with assistance from two-time champion Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin.