Russell leads dominant Mercedes 1-2 in Baku FP2 as Antonelli trails by half a second

George Russell led a dominant Mercedes 1-2 in second practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, outpacing championship leader Kimi Antonelli by more than half a second around the Baku City Circuit.

Why it matters:

Mercedes' one-two in Baku signals the reigning champions have carried their momentum into the Azerbaijan weekend. With Antonelli leading the drivers' standings, a strong qualifying display on Friday could set the stage for Mercedes to extend their grip on the 2026 title fight.

The details:

• Russell topped FP2 by over 0.5s from teammate Antonelli, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull.
• Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five for Ferrari, while Lando Norris led McLaren's charge in sixth as the team worked through a sizeable upgrade package on Thursday.
• The opening day wasn't straightforward for everyone:
  • Arvid Lindblad crashed at the narrow castle section, triggering red flags.
  • Oliver Bearman reported a power unit failure shortly after the restart.
  • Fernando Alonso managed just nine laps before a suspected oil leak sidelined his Aston Martin.

What's next:

Friday brings final practice at 12:30pm local time followed by qualifying at 4:00pm AZT. Conditions will be cooler and significantly windier, with gusts potentially reaching 75km/h — a major challenge for drivers on Baku's exposed straights and unforgiving braking zones.

Light showers are possible, though only small amounts of rain are expected. Saturday's race should see clearer skies and temperatures around 25C.