George Russell took the honours in Friday's opening practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting a best lap of one minute and 45.387 seconds to lead the field ahead of a tight midfield battle. The Mercedes driver edged out Max Verstappen of Red Bull by just four tenths of a second, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top four within half a second of Russell's benchmark. The Baku street circuit saw teams working through significant upgrades, making the opening session particularly telling for who's got the genuine pace heading into the weekend.

More F1 news: Hadjar's Big Baku Comeback, Saturday Racing, and Experts Pick the Winner

Ferrari and Mercedes carved out a stranglehold on the podium positions, with Leclerc's third place effort coming on medium compound tyres as the Scuderia evaluated their setup options for the challenging Baku layout. Lewis Hamilton slotted in fourth, just a hair behind his teammate, suggesting the two title contenders have brought meaningful gains to Azerbaijan. Behind them, Kimi Antonelli showed promise for Mercedes with a solid fifth place finish, whilst Oscar Piastri's McLaren sits in sixth, nearly a second back from the front-runner.

More F1 news: Liam Lawson's Red Bull Cameo Ends as Isack Hadjar Returns in Baku

The midfield showed its usual variety, with Liam Lawson grabbing seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad in eighth. Haas and Audi were next in line through Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto respectively, whilst Williams managed fourteenth place through Lando Norris despite Carlos Sainz's twelfth place showing for the team. The disrupted nature of the session meant Friday's times were merely a snapshot, but Russell's dominance suggests Mercedes have hit the ground running with their upgrade package.

More F1 news: Nine F1 Drivers Still Hunting Seats for 2027, Including Ocon's Uncertain Future

Sergio Perez's Cadillac outfit continues to struggle, finishing seventeenth, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll's Aston Martin pair filling the final spots. The weekend's Saturday race format means teams have precious little time to dial in their machines before lights out, making practice sessions like FP1 absolutely crucial for gathering data and narrowing down setup directions ahead of qualifying.

Shop the collection: Max Verstappen merch  •  Lando Norris merch  •  Oscar Piastri merch  •  Charles Leclerc merch  •  Lewis Hamilton merch  •  George Russell merch  •  Kimi Antonelli merch  •  Fernando Alonso merch  •  Lance Stroll merch  •  Carlos Sainz merch  •  Sergio Perez merch  •  McLaren merch  •  Scuderia Ferrari merch  •  Red Bull Racing merch  •  Mercedes-AMG merch  •  Aston Martin merch  •  Williams Racing merch  •  Haas merch  •  VCARB merch  •  Audi merch  •  Cadillac merch