George Russell topped the timesheets in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing exactly four-tenths of a second clear of his nearest challenger, as RaceFans reports. That blistering benchmark, achieved with the help of a significant slipstream from a rival car, masked what could have been a disastrous morning. Russell nearly binned his machine when he abandoned an attempt on turn three, violently swerving into the run-off area and narrowly avoiding the barrier.
While Russell commanded the top spot, his garage was dealt a heavy blow on the other side of the pit wall. Andrea Kimi Antonelli was forced to park his Mercedes after completing just nine laps due to a hydraulic problem. Despite that premature stoppage, the world championship leader managed to salvage the fifth-fastest time of the session.
Max Verstappen seized the early initiative for Red Bull, setting the pace over the opening 10 minutes on hard tyres before Antonelli briefly displaced him. Verstappen ultimately settled for second-fastest, sitting fractions ahead of the two Ferrari drivers, with Charles Leclerc slotting in just behind the Red Bull. Liam Lawson, returning to Racing Bulls following a brief stint at Red Bull's senior squad, kicked off his weekend with the sixth-fastest time.
It was a chaotic morning for reliability up and down the pit lane. Isack Hadjar, stepping back into the car Lawson drove for the previous three races, managed only eight laps before a technical problem prompted Red Bull to pull the plug on his run. Over at Audi, Nico Hulkenberg wrestled his heavily updated machine to the seventh-fastest time, surviving a brief stoppage near the end of the session to resume running.
McLaren's program was similarly interrupted when the team spotted a potential issue on Oscar Piastri's team mate's car and ordered a precautionary halt. Piastri managed to recover and punch in the eighth-fastest time on his final lap with the updated McLaren MCL40. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10, though Ocon's session ended with a fault that left him stranded near the pit lane exit.
Williams also endured a fiery start to the weekend. Carlos Sainz Jnr proved to be the quicker of the two Williams drivers in their newly updated car, but his running was interrupted early on by a fire on his right-rear brake. That alarming issue may be linked to the new duct furniture introduced as part of an extensive reworking of the Williams FW48.
