George Russell topped the timesheets in a hectic opening practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting a best lap of 1:45.387 to lead Friday's action. The Mercedes driver benefitted from a slipstream and soft compound tyres to edge out a competitive midfield, but the session was anything but straightforward with technical issues plaguing multiple teams.

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It was a rough start for Isack Hadjar's return to Red Bull after missing three rounds with a wrist fracture. The 21-year-old reported severe brake pulling within minutes of FP1 and later complained of engine problems before his car was parked for investigation. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri had to manage brake vibrations in his McLaren, while teammate Lando Norris suffered a loose bargeboard that forced the team to pause both drivers' running with 20 minutes left on the clock. Williams' Carlos Sainz dealt with the session's most dramatic moment when his rear right brake caught fire, even triggering a virtual safety car.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli's afternoon ended early when his Mercedes suffered a suspected hydraulic failure at Turn 7, forcing him to park up and triggering a VSC. The championship leader had shown promise with a 1:46.265 before trouble struck. Max Verstappen reported strange pulling to the right while driving straight and ran deep at Turn 1, though he still managed competitive lap times including a 1:45.787. George Russell nearly needed the run-off himself at Turn 3 after leaving his braking impossibly late.

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The real battle at the top saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc lower Verstappen's early 1:49.202 benchmark with a 1:49.025, before lap times tumbled dramatically into the 1:45s. McLaren's focus seemed more on damage control than raw pace as they wrestled with their mechanical gremlins, with Piastri briefly sampling the soft C5 tyres but hardly threatening the frontrunners. The session was also bookended by minor incidents, with Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad brushing a wall late on.

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The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is running on an unusual Saturday schedule this weekend to accommodate national observances, meaning practice got shuffled to Thursday with qualifying following on Friday. Despite the chaos, Russell heads into the next session with momentum while McLaren faces a nervy evening troubleshooting their car and trying to salvage their championship push.

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