Mercedes ended Thursday practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli first and second, confirming the W17’s formidable speed around Baku while simultaneously reviving concerns over reliability. Antonelli lost much of FP1 to a hydraulic problem and then began FP2 late after the incident forced Mercedes to change his power unit, turning the opening day into a near-perfect reflection of the team’s 2026 season: immense performance accompanied by occasional fragility.
The W17 looked particularly strong both over a single lap and on longer runs, helped by the efficiency of the Mercedes power unit but not solely dependent on it. George Russell topped both sessions and finished the day ahead of the championship leader, underlining why the Mercedes W17 has become Formula 1’s benchmark in 2026. For Kimi Antonelli, however, the first day in Baku was far less straightforward.
Kimi Antonelli loses crucial Baku track time after hydraulic failure
For the World Championship leader, this was not the ideal start to the weekend. Kimi Antonelli lost valuable track time in FP1, depriving him of crucial laps needed to build confidence on one of Formula 1’s most demanding street circuits. The consequences of the hydraulic problem extended beyond the opening session.
The failure that forced Kimi Antonelli to stop triggered the beginning of a fire, requiring the use of extinguishers. Once the W17 had been recovered and returned to the Mercedes garage, the technicians discovered that parts of the electrical system had been affected, making a power unit change necessary before FP2.
Mercedes fitted the unit that had made its debut at Monza. That engine had not originally been scheduled for use in Baku, but the change could be made without triggering another grid penalty.
The situation nevertheless means Mercedes must revisit Kimi Antonelli’s power unit mileage calculations for the rest of the season. With the Italian holding an 81-point championship advantage over George Russell, avoiding an additional penalty before the end of the campaign could become increasingly important.
George Russell leads Mercedes 1-2 in Baku FP2
The stopwatch delivered much better news for Mercedes. George Russell ended the day fastest, with Kimi Antonelli immediately behind him despite losing a significant amount of running across the two sessions.
It was an impressive opening statement from the Constructors’ Championship leader and an important indication of the W17’s potential ahead of qualifying and the race. Baku rewards straight-line efficiency and strong braking stability, characteristics that appear to suit Mercedes particularly well.
Even so, there are two rivals the team does not intend to underestimate. Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord played down the scale of the advantage shown on the timing screens, pointing to differences in tyre programmes and the number of flying laps completed by the frontrunners.
“I don’t think the margin we saw today is representative at all,” Bradley Lord explained. “We completed more timed laps on the soft tyres during FP2. Max had only one attempt, and so did the McLarens, so you probably shouldn’t read too much into it because the times were improving with every timed lap.
“We did one more than the others and, as a consequence, we probably found a little more both from the track and from the tyres than they were able to.”
Mercedes plays down advantage over Max Verstappen and Lando Norris
In terms of lap count, Bradley Lord’s assessment is accurate: George Russell completed more running than Mercedes’ principal rivals during the relevant phase of FP2. There is, however, probably also an element of expectation management behind his comments, something that is becoming increasingly difficult given Mercedes’ level of performance this season.
Max Verstappen remains a genuine threat, while Lando Norris – as Madrid demonstrated – cannot be discounted when McLaren is able to put together a competitive weekend. The Dutchman remains one of the drivers most capable of exploiting an opportunity, with more coverage available in the Max Verstappen section.
Red Bull’s competitiveness in Baku is not particularly surprising. If the Milton Keynes team had been asked to choose a circuit capable of highlighting the strengths of an otherwise imperfect RB22 package, Baku would probably have been close to the top of the list. Its power unit is also well suited to the circuit’s long flat-out sections, as had already been evident at Monza.
McLaren encounters floor problem with heavily updated MCL40
McLaren’s situation is more complicated. The team has brought a heavily revised version of the MCL40 to Azerbaijan, but an unexpected weakness in some of the floor supports emerged during FP1.
The Woking team resorted to a temporary solution for the afternoon session and planned a more permanent intervention during the evening. The issue complicated an important day of data gathering for a package that features substantial aerodynamic changes as McLaren attempts to close the gap to Mercedes.
Lando Norris’s pace nevertheless looked encouraging, particularly considering that McLaren traditionally runs its power unit at relatively conservative settings during the opening day of a Grand Prix weekend. Despite the unusual circumstances, Norris appears to have the potential to challenge for a place on the front row if McLaren can unlock more performance before qualifying.
The British team’s progress has become increasingly relevant to Mercedes after Madrid, where the Virtual Safety Car played a decisive role in the fight between Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris. Baku will provide another indication of whether McLaren can consistently turn its recent improvement into a genuine challenge at the front.
Ferrari confirms Leclerc’s Monza power unit survived the crash
Ferrari faces a different situation. The positive news from Thursday concerned the power unit fitted to Charles Leclerc’s SF-26. The doubts held by Ferrari’s engine department were answered by two trouble-free sessions, confirming that the heavy impact against the barriers on the outside of the Parabolica at Monza had not damaged the unit.
Charles Leclerc ended the day fourth, with Lewis Hamilton two tenths further back. However, Charles Leclerc’s lap remained around nine tenths slower than George Russell’s benchmark, a deficit that, based on Thursday’s running, appears too large to suggest Ferrari will automatically be among the leading contenders this weekend.
The performance gap is particularly significant on a circuit where Ferrari’s straight-line efficiency and energy management were already expected to come under scrutiny. The Baku straight-mode zones provide a major test for the SF-26 because of the circuit’s extreme combination of long full-throttle sections and slow corners.
Ferrari weighs new Charles Leclerc power unit and possible grid penalty
There is still a major question surrounding Charles Leclerc: whether Ferrari will introduce an additional fresh power unit and accept the resulting grid penalty.
The team needs to add another engine to its pool before the end of the season, and Baku appears on paper to be the most suitable of the remaining circuits for attempting to recover positions after a penalty. Its exceptionally long straight and numerous overtaking opportunities make recovery more realistic than at many other venues.
There is logic to taking the penalty here, but the equation is complicated by Charles Leclerc’s history at the Baku City Circuit. The Monegasque has often found something extra around the Azerbaijan street track and could still harbour hopes of returning to the podium, a result Ferrari has now gone four consecutive race weekends without achieving.
“A possible grid penalty for Charles? I know exactly what I think, but I’ll keep it to myself,” Frederic Vasseur commented.
Ferrari is therefore likely to assess its realistic chances of fighting for the top three before making the final decision. The team’s difficult recent run has increased the importance of every opportunity, with the broader Ferrari outlook for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix already shaped by concerns over the SF-26’s competitiveness.
Baku pace makes Mercedes favourite, but the picture is not settled
Baku has a long history of producing unexpected results, incidents and unusual podiums, making it a dangerous place to draw definitive conclusions after practice alone. Mercedes has clearly begun the weekend with the strongest package, while Red Bull and McLaren remain potential challengers and Ferrari still has strategic decisions to make before qualifying.
For Mercedes in particular, Thursday encapsulated the central contradiction of its season. The W17 once again demonstrated extraordinary speed, but Kimi Antonelli’s hydraulic failure showed why reliability cannot be taken for granted during the championship run-in.
The team has already acknowledged that development of the car is not complete, with Toto Wolff pointing to further untapped potential in the W17. In Baku, however, outright performance does not appear to be the immediate concern. Ensuring that both cars can translate that pace into a clean qualifying session and race may be the more important challenge.
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