Russell tops Baku FP1.

Mercedes’ George Russell led first practice for the Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Thursday, 24 September, at the Baku City Circuit in 1:45.387, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1:45.787) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1:45.791); Lewis Hamilton was fourth (1:45.824) (BBC Sport / Andrew Benson). Championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was fifth (1:46.265) after stopping with a hydraulic leak and completing only nine laps without a fast qualifying-style lap (BBC Sport). Practice times are not race results.

Isack Hadjar, returning from a wrist injury that kept him out of the Dutch, Italian and Spanish rounds, finished 20th in 1:47.873 on eight laps (BBC Sport). The Frenchman rejoined Oracle Red Bull Racing beside Verstappen for Baku after a three-race absence and a Wednesday contract extension that keeps him at the team for 2027 — background only on this page, which is locked to Thursday’s FP1 sheet (BBC Sport; Formula1.com timetable frame). FP2 was due 13:00 BST Thursday; FP3 and qualifying fall Friday; the Grand Prix runs Saturday, 26 September for Azerbaijan Remembrance Day, the first Saturday date for this event since it joined the calendar (Formula1.com schedule; BBC Sport).

Named actors and checkable milestones locked to BBC Sport’s FP1 report and Formula1.com’s Azerbaijan timetable: Russell (1:45.387, session leader); Verstappen (1:45.787, +0.400s); Leclerc (1:45.791); Hamilton (1:45.824); Antonelli (1:46.265, five places and 0.878s off Russell after the hydraulic stop and nine laps); Hadjar (1:47.873, P20, eight laps, wrist-injury return); FP2 13:00 BST Thursday; FP3 and qualifying Friday; race Saturday, 26 September. The full FP1 order on the BBC classification also carried Oscar Piastri sixth, Liam Lawson seventh and Arvid Lindblad eighth among the top ten before the midfield sheet — those lines are classification colour only and do not change the named lead (BBC Sport). The desk does not invent FP2, qualifying or race results, championship projections beyond Antonelli’s published lead into the weekend, or support-series outcomes.

Baku’s 6.003-kilometre street circuit mixes a long Caspian shoreline straight with the narrow old-town section, a layout that historically rewards precision and punishes small mistakes (Formula1.com circuit notes). The 2026 weekend is compressed onto Thursday–Saturday so the race avoids Sunday’s Remembrance Day national mourning; lights-out for the 51-lap Grand Prix is Saturday afternoon local time (Formula1.com; BBC Sport). Antonelli arrived in Azerbaijan with a large championship cushion — 81 points clear of Russell on the published standings sheet used in Thursday’s BBC build-up — which makes any curtailed Thursday running for the leader a story beat even when the session order still shows Mercedes at the front (BBC Sport / Crash.net standing frame folded into the FP1 report). Russell’s FP1 marker is a practice time, not a points result; the same caveat applies to Verstappen, the Ferrari pair, and everyone else on the sheet.

The checkable record is Russell’s 1:45.387 atop Thursday FP1 at Baku, Verstappen 1:45.787, Leclerc 1:45.791, Hamilton 1:45.824, Antonelli fifth in 1:46.265 after a hydraulic leak limited him to nine laps without a qualifying-style flyer, Hadjar’s 1:47.873 in 20th on eight laps on his wrist-injury return, FP2 due 13:00 BST the same afternoon, and a Saturday race on 26 September (BBC Sport; Formula1.com).

What comes next is checkable: Thursday’s FP2 classification on Formula1.com and BBC Sport once that session is complete; Friday’s FP3 and qualifying results; Saturday’s race classification after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix; any team statement on Antonelli’s hydraulic repair before FP2.

Floor: Russell tops Baku FP1 in 1:45.387 ahead of Verstappen 1:45.787, Leclerc 1:45.791, Hamilton 1:45.824; Antonelli fifth 1:46.265 after hydraulic leak (nine laps, no qualifying-style flyer); Hadjar 20th 1:47.873 (eight laps) on wrist return; FP2 due 13:00 BST Thu; FP3/quali Fri; race Sat 26 Sep for Remembrance Day — practice times are not race results (BBC Sport; Formula1.com).