Russell beats Verstappen in Baku FP1 as teammates suffer setbacks

George Russell used a tow from Fernando Alonso to top FP1 in Baku, setting a 1:45.387 to beat Max Verstappen by 0.4s. Charles Leclerc was third, but the session was marked by drama behind them.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli's running ended early with a hydraulic failure, while Isack Hadjar's return from injury was limited to eight laps by an engine problem.

Why it matters:

FP1 on a street circuit rarely tells the full story, but reliability issues for Antonelli and Hadjar are early concerns for Mercedes and Red Bull.

The details:

• Russell's lap on softs came after a slipstream from Alonso, with Leclerc just 0.404s off the pace in third.
• Antonelli had gone fastest on hards (1:46.265) before stopping at Turn 7 with smoke from his brakes.
• Hadjar, back after three races out with a wrist injury, complained of "crazy pulling on the brakes" before his engine gave up.
• Carlos Sainz's rear brakes caught fire, while Oscar Piastri described his brake vibration as "twice as bad" as anything he'd felt.
• Lando Norris required a floorboard stay fix but returned to the track later in the session.
• Verstappen reported a pull to the right, and several drivers ran wide at Turn 1 as track limits were tested.

What's next:

The true pecking order will emerge in qualifying on Saturday, with teams likely to spend Friday evening resolving the issues that disrupted their programmes.