George Russell completed a strong opening day at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by setting the fastest time in second practice, leading Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in a comfortable one-two at the Baku City Circuit.

Russell followed his FP1 benchmark with another strong performance on Thursday afternoon, producing a 1m43.347s to finish around half a second clear of championship leader Antonelli.

Max Verstappen took third for Red Bull but ended the session more than eight tenths behind Russell, while Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five.

The session was interrupted by an early red flag following a crash for Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, while Oliver Bearman and Fernando Alonso also lost track time because of mechanical problems.

Mercedes Sets the Pace in Baku Practice

Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend started on Thursday this year because the race takes place on Saturday, with the schedule moved forward to accommodate a national holiday on Sunday.

Teams returned to the 6km Baku City Circuit for FP2 looking to build on their opening practice data, but the session was interrupted after only 10 minutes.

Lindblad hit the wall at Turn 9 in Baku’s narrow castle section. The Racing Bulls driver tagged the protruding barrier and brought out the red flag, leaving marshals with debris to clear before practice resumed.

The interruption took a significant amount of running away from the field, with the session only getting back underway around the halfway point.

Bearman Suffers Power Unit Problem

Oliver Bearman’s return to the circuit did not last long once the red flag period ended.

The Haas driver reported a power unit failure shortly after leaving the pits, bringing his FP2 programme to an early end and costing him valuable preparation time ahead of Friday’s final practice and qualifying sessions.

Most of the field initially focused on medium tyres, with Verstappen setting the early benchmark for Red Bull.

The times began to fall once teams moved onto soft tyres for their qualifying simulations.

Leclerc was the first driver to beat Verstappen’s medium-tyre effort, setting a 1m44.473s after approximately 25 minutes of running.

Russell then demonstrated Mercedes’ pace by going significantly quicker.

Russell Takes Control on Soft Tyres

After leading FP1 earlier on Thursday, Russell immediately looked competitive when Mercedes switched its attention towards qualifying-style runs.

His first major soft-tyre effort produced a 1m43.759s, placing him around seven tenths ahead of Leclerc.

Russell still had more time available.

The Mercedes driver improved again with a 1m43.347s, establishing a benchmark none of his rivals managed to challenge during the remainder of the session.

Antonelli moved into second place, finishing around half a second behind his team-mate.

The result represented an important recovery for the championship leader after his difficult FP1. Antonelli had stopped at Turn 7 during opening practice with smoke coming from his Mercedes W17 after reporting a hydraulic problem.

Mercedes repaired the car in time for FP2, allowing Antonelli to return to the circuit and complete considerably more running.

Mercedes Ends Thursday With Clear Advantage

Russell’s pace gave Mercedes a commanding position at the end of Thursday’s track action.

Verstappen improved enough to move ahead of Leclerc into third, but the Red Bull driver remained more than eight tenths behind Russell’s fastest lap.

Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, with Hamilton around two tenths further back in fifth.

Mercedes therefore ended the opening day with both cars ahead of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren, with Russell topping both Thursday practice sessions.

The W17’s performance around Baku was particularly notable because of the circuit’s long full-throttle sections. Strong straight-line performance is important around the power-sensitive street circuit, while drivers also need confidence under braking through its slower sections.

McLaren Still Working Through Major Upgrade

Lando Norris was the leading McLaren driver in sixth, although his final position did not provide a complete picture of the team’s potential.

McLaren has introduced a sizeable upgrade package in Azerbaijan as it looks to improve the MCL40’s performance through slower corners. The changes include revised sidepods, a new floor edge and an updated diffuser.

Norris finished approximately 1.5 seconds behind Russell but did not complete a representative qualifying simulation.

That leaves McLaren with further work ahead of FP3 as the team continues learning about its updated package.

Pierre Gasly put Alpine seventh and split the two McLarens, with Oscar Piastri finishing eighth.

Hadjar Back Inside Top 10

Isack Hadjar ended FP2 ninth on his first Formula 1 weekend since returning from his wrist injury.

The Red Bull driver missed the previous three Grands Prix at Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid, with Liam Lawson taking his place alongside Verstappen.

Hadjar’s opening practice had been disrupted by a suspected power unit problem, making his FP2 running particularly important as he works to regain familiarity with the RB22.

Esteban Ocon completed the top 10 for Haas.

Alonso Loses Running With Suspected Oil Leak

Aston Martin endured another difficult session as Fernando Alonso completed only nine laps before returning to the garage.

A suspected oil leak in the Honda power unit prevented Alonso from completing the planned FP2 programme, adding his name to the list of drivers who lost significant track time on Thursday.

With Lindblad crashing, Bearman suffering a power unit failure and Alonso encountering his suspected oil leak, several teams head into Friday with less data than planned.

Mercedes, in contrast, leaves Thursday in a strong position.

Russell Tops Both Thursday Sessions In Azerbaijan

Russell’s performance made him the clear benchmark from the opening day in Azerbaijan.

The Mercedes driver topped FP1 before repeating the result in FP2, with his 1m43.347s putting a sizeable gap between himself and the leading Red Bull and Ferrari drivers.

Antonelli’s recovery to second also gave Mercedes encouragement after his FP1 mechanical problem. The championship leader missed a significant portion of the opening session but returned to complete enough running in FP2 to move directly behind Russell.

Verstappen remains Mercedes’ closest rival based on the FP2 standings, while Leclerc and Hamilton keep Ferrari inside the leading group.

McLaren’s true position is less clear after Norris failed to complete a representative qualifying simulation as the team continued evaluating its new parts.

Teams now have one final practice session on Friday before qualifying later in the day, with Russell and Mercedes heading into the decisive part of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend after setting the pace throughout Thursday.