George Russell showed Mercedes has got serious pace in Baku by taking the fastest time in first practice on Friday, clocking a time four-tenths clear of Max Verstappen. But the session was an absolute nightmare for reliability across the grid, with multiple teams suffering mechanical issues that left drivers spending more time in the garage than on track.

More F1 news: Russell Fastest in Baku FP1 as Antonelli's Championship Lead Takes a Hit

It was particularly rough for the leading championship contenders. Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes session ended early with a hydraulic problem that had his engine smoking after just nine laps, which is far from ideal when he's got so much to prove. Over at Red Bull, Isack Hadjar had an even tougher time returning from injury, managing only nine laps himself before a gearbox failure forced him to stop. The Frenchman had been missing the last three races and clearly wanted a better comeback at Baku.

More F1 news: Russell Leads Chaotic Azerbaijan FP1 as McLaren and Red Bull Battle Gremlins

McLaren also had a frustrating day with Oscar Piastri dealing with brake and wing issues, while Lando Norris could only complete eleven laps before his session went pear-shaped. Things got worse as the session went on, with Arvid Lindblad and Nico Hülkenberg both stopping on track with technical failures. Even Esteban Ocon had drama, bringing his Haas to a halt at the pit lane exit before eventually rejoining the action.

More F1 news: Russell Dominates Baku FP1 as Ferrari and Mercedes Lock Out Top Four

Despite all the chaos, the final results showed an interesting picture with Charles Leclerc taking third place ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Oscar Piastri recovered to sixth. Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten in seventh for Racing Bulls, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Hülkenberg following behind. Pierre Gasly's Alpine ended up down in 16th place, a whole 1.6 seconds slower than Russell's benchmark. Only Ferrari managed to get through without major reliability concerns, completing 50 laps without drama while everyone else was pulling their hair out.

Shop the collection: Max Verstappen merch  •  Lando Norris merch  •  Oscar Piastri merch  •  Charles Leclerc merch  •  Lewis Hamilton merch  •  George Russell merch  •  Kimi Antonelli merch  •  McLaren merch  •  Scuderia Ferrari merch  •  Red Bull Racing merch  •  Mercedes-AMG merch  •  Haas merch  •  VCARB merch