Russell sweeps Baku practice as Mercedes flex muscle before F1 heads to Sepang

George Russell set the pace on the first day of running at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Thursday (24 September), topping both practice sessions at the Baku City Circuit. Mercedes looked the team to beat going into qualifying tonight.

The Baku weekend is the first of three races in a row, followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang (2–4 October) and Singapore. That makes the form on show in Azerbaijan especially interesting for Malaysian fans.

FP2: Mercedes one-two, everyone else over a second back

Russell's best lap in the second session was 1m 43.347s on soft tyres. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was 0.552s slower in the second Mercedes. Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, 0.827s off the pace.

The gap behind them was large. RacingNews365 noted that every other driver was more than a second behind Russell. Motorsport Week's classification shows the top ten as:

1. George Russell (Mercedes), 1:43.347
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), +0.552s
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), +0.827s
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), +1.126s
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), +1.318s
6. Lando Norris (McLaren), +1.484s
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), +1.496s
8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), +1.510s
9. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), +1.521s
10. Esteban Ocon (Haas), +1.943s

Russell's time was only about three-tenths slower than Leclerc's 2019 lap record of 1m 43.009s.

Red flag for Lindblad, engine failure for Bearman

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad brought out a red flag about 20 minutes into FP2 when he hit the wall at Turn 8/9, the narrowest part of the track at just 7.6m wide. "I think I literally clipped it by like a millimetre," the Briton said, according to Formula1.com. His car had heavy damage to its right side, and he finished 18th.

Haas driver Ollie Bearman stopped on an escape road with an engine problem. "My engine switched off and just… broke," he reported. At McLaren, Formula1.com said Oscar Piastri kept running with a quick repair to his floor, held together with cable ties, after problems in the first session.

FP1: Antonelli's hydraulic scare

Russell had already topped FP1 with a 1:45.387, 0.4s ahead of Verstappen, with Leclerc and Hamilton third and fourth. Antonelli parked at Turn 7 after 25 minutes with a hydraulic problem, which brought out a Virtual Safety Car, but his early lap was still good for fifth. Carlos Sainz's Williams returned to the pits with its rear brakes on fire. Lando Norris missed much of the session with a car problem and finished 14th, according to The Race.

What it means

Antonelli arrived in Baku leading Russell by 81 points, according to Formula1.com. Practice results do not score points, but Mercedes' margin will worry their rivals ahead of two very different tracks at Sepang and Singapore. Russell needs big results quickly to close the gap to his team-mate.

For Malaysian fans, qualifying starts at 8pm tonight (Friday). The race is on Saturday, 26 September at 7pm. The race moved to Saturday because Sunday, 27 September is Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day. Final practice is at 4.30pm today.

Key takeaways

• George Russell topped both Baku practice sessions, with a best of 1:43.347 in FP2.
• Mercedes finished one-two in FP2, with Antonelli 0.552s behind and Verstappen third.
• Lindblad crashed at Turn 8/9 and caused a red flag. Bearman stopped with an engine failure.
• Antonelli had a hydraulic problem in FP1 but still finished fifth.
• Qualifying is at 8pm tonight Malaysian time, and the race is at 7pm on Saturday.

FAQ

Why is the Azerbaijan GP on a Saturday? The promoter and government asked for the change because Sunday, 27 September is Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day. The whole schedule moved forward by one day.

Who leads the F1 championship? Kimi Antonelli arrived in Baku 81 points ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

When is the next race after Baku? The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit, 2–4 October.

Sources: Formula1.com, RacingNews365, Motorsport Week, The Race, Speedcafe