Russell Tops Opening Azerbaijan Practice, Car Trouble Sidelines Antonelli
- On Thursday, Mercedes driver George Russell topped the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a 1:45.387 lap time, finishing 0.400 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen on the Baku City Circuit.
- Championship leader Kimi Antonelli's practice ended prematurely after a hydraulics failure caused his Mercedes to stop at Turn 7, limiting the Italian to nine laps during the session.
- Returning from a wrist injury, Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar struggled in his comeback, completing only eight laps because of brake and engine problems that forced extended garage time.
- Drivers navigated the dusty, slippery Baku street track as multiple teams faced mechanical hurdles; Carlos Sainz's upgraded Williams suffered a rear brake fire while Lando Norris contended with damage checks.
- With second practice scheduled for 16:00 local time, mechanics face a tight turnaround to repair damaged vehicles and finalize setups for the weekend's competitive sessions ahead.
143 Articles
143 Articles
George Russell starts the Baku weekend with two best times. At the same time, breakdowns and fires provide a turbulent training start.
Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell continued the Silver Arrows' dominance on the first day in Baku. Russell was fastest in Thursday's free practice, leaving Max Verstappen behind in the first practice session, and teammate Antonelli behind in the second, who retired in the first free practice session before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In the first practice in Baku, George Russell of Mercedes showed a better time than the Red Bull driver Max Ferstappen for 0.4 seconds, and in the second, both the fastest racers were from the Mercedes team.
The British dominated the first two weekend test sessions in front of his garage neighbor, Kimi Antonelli. Max Verstappen completes the top three.
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