GEORGE RUSSELL LEADS MERCEDES ONE-TWO IN AZERBAIJAN GP FP2 - Motorsportsclicks

George Russell continued Mercedes’ strong start to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by topping the second free practice session in Baku. The British driver set a 1:43.347 on the Soft tyres to finish ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, giving Mercedes a one-two after also leading FP1 earlier in the day. Antonelli finished 0.552 seconds behind Russell despite missing a large part of the session because of the hydraulic problem that stopped his car in FP1.

The session began with Antonelli still in the Mercedes garage while his team worked on his car. Russell, meanwhile, was immediately among the fastest drivers on track. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen exchanged the top position during the opening minutes, with the times quickly dropping into the 1:45 range on the Medium tyres.

The first major incident came around 20 minutes into the session when Arvid Lindblad crashed in the narrow Castle section of the Baku City Circuit. The Racing Bulls driver hit the barriers and damaged the left side of his car, bringing out the first red flag of the weekend and stopping the session.

When the session restarted, Oliver Bearman also caused a brief yellow flag after stopping at Turn 2 with a problem. The Haas driver reported an engine issue, limiting his running during FP2. Antonelli finally returned to the track and quickly showed that the earlier hydraulic problem had not affected Mercedes’ qualifying pace.

The Soft-tyre qualifying runs then changed the order. Russell produced a 1:43.347 to take first place, while Antonelli immediately moved into second with a 1:43.899. Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, 0.827 seconds behind Russell, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton placed the two Ferraris fourth and fifth. Lando Norris was sixth, followed by Pierre Gasly, Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar.

Mercedes’ advantage was less clear during the final race simulations. With the red flag reducing the available running time, teams had only around 10 minutes to collect long-run data. Verstappen and Norris initially recorded laps around the 1:48 mark, while Russell eventually reached a 1:47.7. Piastri also showed good pace with a 1:48.0, while Ferrari improved towards the end with Leclerc at 1:47.9 and Hamilton at 1:48.1.

Antonelli also ended the session strongly, matching Russell’s 1:47.7 on his long run. His limited track time makes his race pace harder to judge, but his recovery to second place in the qualifying simulations gave Mercedes another strong result after Russell had already topped FP1.

Baku presents a particular challenge because the 6.003-kilometre circuit combines long full-throttle sections with a very narrow and technical section around the Old City. The track is only 7.6 metres wide at its narrowest point, while the main straight creates major opportunities for slipstreaming and overtaking. Teams therefore have to find a compromise between low drag for the straights and enough downforce for the slower corners.

The result is also important for the championship. Antonelli arrived in Baku leading Russell by 81 points after winning the previous race in Madrid, while Russell is looking to reduce that gap during the final part of the season. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is Round 15 of the 2026 championship, with FP3 and qualifying scheduled for Friday before the race takes place on Saturday.

Mercedes therefore ends Thursday with Russell fastest in both practice sessions and Antonelli second in FP2 despite his difficult start to the day. Red Bull remains the closest challenger over one lap, while Ferrari and McLaren are still within the leading group but will need to improve their overall pace before qualifying.