Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
George Russell Leads Azerbaijan GP First Practice as Kimi Antonelli Suffers Hydraulic Leak
George Russell fastest in FP1 at Baku with 1m45.387s. Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired with a hydraulic issue during FP1.
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Russell tops FP1 in Baku
George Russell set the pace in first practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting a 1m45.387s lap to lead Max Verstappen by four tenths and Charles Leclerc by just over 0.4 seconds. Kimi Antonelli stopped on track with a hydraulic leak, and the session continued after marshals cleared his smoking Mercedes W17 without requiring a red flag. The dusty, slippery Baku street circuit shaped early running as drivers took a cautious approach, with Verstappen reporting that the brakes on his RB22 were pulling.
Isack Hadjar suffered power unit problems after returning to the Red Bull cockpit following a wrist fracture, while Carlos Sainz returned his Williams to the pit lane with its rear brakes on fire after just 15 minutes. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finished seventh and eighth, with Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto rounding out the top 10 in the one-hour session.
Antonelli’s hydraulic leak
Antonelli’s hydraulic issue ended his soft-tyre run early, and he finished fifth fastest after stopping at Turn One with smoke seeping out of the cooling vents on his engine cover. Russell and Verstappen both made errors on the run, with Russell taking the Turn 3 exit and Verstappen going into the run-off area at Turn One before rejoining. A second VSC was deployed in the final five minutes after Nico Hulkenberg stopped on the exit of Turn 4, and Arvid Lindblad needed to reverse from the Turn 7 run-off area.
Oscar Piastri found a late improvement to go sixth after a messy session for both he and Lando Norris, with Norris stuck in 14th without a representative soft-tyre lap. McLaren trialled new sidepods, a new floor edge, and a revised diffuser in FP1, while Williams debuted its long-awaited upgrade package including a redesigned floor and a lighter chassis.
Colapinto finishes 18th
Franco Colapinto finished 18th in Free Practice 1 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and Pierre Gasly finished 16th for Alpine after both were below the team’s expectations. Colapinto’s best time was 1:47.523, and he lost positions after about 17 minutes remaining as the session progressed at the Baku street circuit. The session’s fastest driver was George Russell, and Max Verstappen finished second, four tenths behind Russell, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both also four tenths back.
Arvid Lindblad had a minor impact against the barriers, and Checo Pérez finished 17th, one position ahead of Colapinto. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix race was scheduled for Saturday, September 26, with the first practice sessions held on Thursday, September 24, and qualifying set for Friday, September 25.