Azerbaijan GP 2026: Russell early, Verstappen in FP3

George Russell led the first two Baku practice sessions before Max Verstappen went quickest in FP3, while Kimi Antonelli and Arvid Lindblad hit trouble.

George Russell set the pace in the opening two Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice sessions in Baku, as reported by Formula1.com, Autosport, Motorsport.com and RaceFans. Those reports said Kimi Antonelli lost running in the first session with a problem before ending FP2 second to his Mercedes team-mate. Mercedes has 138 wins and eight titles in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen then went fastest in FP3, according to Autosport, Motorsport.com and RaceFans, with Russell next and Lewis Hamilton third in the final session before qualifying. Formula1.com also reported that Arvid Lindblad’s FP2 ended early after contact with the barriers, bringing out red flags, while Liam Lawson returned for Racing Bulls.

Away from the headline times, Motorsport.com reported that Hamilton received a reprimand from the stewards after second practice for allegedly impeding Lawson. BBC Sport also reported that McLaren lacked pace on the opening day in Baku.