Baku FP1: Russell Fastest as McLaren Struggle

Formula 1 has hit the streets of Baku, and FP1 for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is officially DONE and straight away, we've got plenty to talk about. George Russell goes fastest for Mercedes. Max Verstappen takes P2. Ferrari put Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton into P3 and P4. Meanwhile, McLaren had a much more difficult start to the weekend, with Oscar Piastri P6 and Lando Norris all the way down in P14. Let's get into it!

Russell Starts Baku on Top

George Russell has started his Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend exactly where he wanted to. P1 — 1:45.387. Russell finished 0.400 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, immediately putting Mercedes at the top of the timing screens. George also had a tow down Baku's enormous main straight on his fastest lap, but it was still an impressive start.Mercedes looked quick from the beginning and after everything we've seen from them in 2026, that's hardly a surprise.

Max Verstappen — P2

Max Verstappen wasn't far behind. P2 — +0.400. Max had a little trip into the Turn 1 run-off during the session, but there was no major damage and he was able to continue. Baku has been a strong circuit for Max in the past, and this was another encouraging start. Russell may have taken P1 but Max is already right there.

Ferrari Look QUICK

Then we've got Ferrari. 

Charles Leclerc — P3

Lewis Hamilton — P4

This could be interesting. Charles finished just 0.004 seconds behind Max, while Lewis was only another 0.033 seconds back. Even more interestingly, both Ferrari drivers set their fastest laps on the medium tyre. If Ferrari can find even more pace as the weekend develops, they could become a serious threat.

Problems for Kimi Antonelli

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished P5, but his position doesn't tell the whole story. Kimi only completed nine laps. His Mercedes suffered a hydraulic problem, forcing him to stop at Turn 7 and bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. That's definitely not the way Antonelli would've wanted to start his Baku weekend but despite losing so much running…He still finished P5. That probably tells you something about the pace Mercedes have around here.

Oscar Piastri — P6

Now onto the Papaya Boys. Oscar Piastri finished: P6 — +1.011. Not terrible but definitely not spectacular. Oscar reported vibrations early in the session, and McLaren had to spend time working on his car. That limited his running to 17 laps. So while P6 doesn't jump off the timing screen, there's definitely more to understand before we judge McLaren's true pace.

Lando Norris — P14

Lando's session was much more difficult. P14 — +1.594. Lando completed only 14 laps after spending a significant amount of FP1 in the garage while McLaren worked on an issue with his car. That means we're probably not looking at a completely representative result. Still… P14 isn't where we want to see Lando. McLaren have plenty of work to do before FP2.

A Difficult Start for McLaren

This wasn't the smooth opening session McLaren would've wanted. Oscar lost running. Lando lost even more running and neither Papaya Boy finished particularly close to Russell's fastest time.

Oscar — +1.011

Lando — +1.594

 I'm not panicking yet. It's FP1. The Baku track was dusty and slippery at the beginning of the session. Both McLarens had issues that affected their running and we've already seen this season how quickly things can change between practice and qualifying. Remember Madrid? Exactly. 

 Plenty of Drama Elsewhere

McLaren weren't the only team having problems. Carlos Sainz had brake trouble early in the session, with his rear brakes catching fire. Isack Hadjar's return to the Red Bull also got off to a difficult start, with limited running. Antonelli stopped with his hydraulic problem. Max went into the Turn 1 escape road. Russell had his own moment at Turn 3. Arvid Lindblad had to reverse out of the Turn 7 run-off area and Nico Hülkenberg stopped his Audi late in the session. Typical Baku. We're one practice session into the weekend and things are already happening everywhere! 

 FP1 TOP 10

The top ten from FP1:

P1 — George Russell — 1:45.387

P2 — Max Verstappen — +0.400

P3 — Charles Leclerc — +0.404

 P4 — Lewis Hamilton — +0.437

P5 — Kimi Antonelli — +0.878

P6 — Oscar Piastri — +1.011

P7 — Liam Lawson — +1.053

P8 — Arvid Lindblad — +1.214

P9 — Esteban Ocon — +1.237

 P10 — Gabriel Bortoleto — +1.301

 Lando Norris finishes P14, 1.594 seconds away from Russell.

What I'm Watching in FP2

For me, there are three big questions heading into FP2. Can Russell stay on top? Mercedes have started quickly, but Max and both Ferraris are close enough to make things interesting. How much pace do Ferrari really have? Leclerc and Hamilton were right near the front despite setting their quickest laps on mediums and finally… Can McLaren recover?  That's the big one for us. Oscar needs a cleaner session. Lando desperately needs more track time and we need to see whether that gap to Russell is genuine or simply the result of a disrupted FP1.

Final Thoughts

So FP1 in Baku belongs to: GEORGE RUSSELL. Mercedes start on top. Max is right behind. Ferrari look dangerous. Antonelli's session was interrupted by a hydraulic problem and McLaren have work to do but this is only FP1. There's a long way to go and on the streets of Baku… Anything can happen. What did you think of FP1? Are Mercedes the team to beat? Could Ferrari surprise us ? Can Lando and Oscar fight back in FP2? Let me know!

On the Pitwall — Lights out. More to talk about.