Russell tops opening Azerbaijan practice, car trouble sidelines Antonelli

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept 24 - George Russell set the pace for Mercedes in Thursday’s opening Formula One practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as teammate and runaway championship leader Kimi Antonelli parked up with car trouble.

The Briton lapped the 6km Baku street track in one minute, 45.387 seconds, 0.400 quicker than four-times world champion Max Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was hot on the Red Bull’s heels in third.

Antonelli, who leads the championship by 81 points from Russell after 14 rounds, pulled over with a hydraulics issue just under half an hour into the session.

The 20-year-old Italian was leading the timesheets when he stopped, with the time he set still good enough to place him fifth behind Ferrari’s seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton at the end of the session.

Australian Oscar Piastri ended the session sixth for McLaren.

New Zealander Liam Lawson, standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar alongside Verstappen at Red Bull in the last three races, was seventh on his Racing Bulls return.

His rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad was eighth, with Esteban Ocon, facing an uncertain future, ninth for American outfit Haas.

Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top 10 for Audi.

Hadjar, making his racing return alongside Verstappen this weekend, was only 20th.

The Frenchman, handed a contract extension by Red Bull for next year, struggled with brake issues and spent much of the session in the garage, completing only eight laps.

McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris also spent a considerable amount of time in the garage. He was 14th.

The Baku circuit, a mix of flat-out blasts and tight corners, has a reputation for unpredictable races with safety cars a regular feature at the track.

Drivers took to the run-off as they tested the limits of the circuit but otherwise kept it clean with no major incidents.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the first of a "triple header" of races on consecutive weekends, is being run on Saturday this year with the country marking its Remembrance Day on Sunday. REUTERS