George Russell topped an Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP1 that was extra a reliability take a look at than a observe session: a brake hearth, a lifeless Purple Bull, a smoking Mercedes, two digital security vehicles and a McLaren held along with a cable tie.
Baku gave no person a straightforward begin. With the observe at 50.2ºC, Isack Hadjar and Oscar Piastri have been each on the radio about brake issues inside the opening laps, and the circumstances punished anybody who pushed. Max Verstappen locked up his fronts, and George Russell solely simply made the nook on the finish of the straight, operating into the run-off and lacking the limitations by inches. Clear push laps have been onerous to search out.
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Fireplace within the Williams pitlane
Carlos Sainz’s session went up in smoke lower than 20 minutes in. His Williams got here into the pitlane with the rear brakes on hearth. The crew put it out and turned straight to the brake ducts and rear suspension to search for harm. The timing hurts: Williams introduced upgrades to Baku, and each lap misplaced is knowledge they gained’t have on the brand new components going into qualifying.
Hadjar’s Purple Bull offers up
Hadjar’s brake criticism turned out to be the smaller drawback. “Was the engine, I believe. One thing’s actually improper,” he reported. He was informed to remain in second gear and coast again to the pits, and he did, clearly sad together with his opening laps. The Purple Bull didn’t appear to be it could return out earlier than the top of FP1.
VSC one: Antonelli’s hydraulics
The primary digital security automobile got here out when Kimi Antonelli misplaced hydraulics at Flip 7. He climbed out of a smoking Mercedes, and marshals emptied extinguishers into it as a precaution, regardless that there have been no seen flames.
McLaren’s afternoon unravels
Lando Norris had been on a lap that regarded fast sufficient to go high, however he deserted it and pitted earlier than setting a time. It quickly turned clear one thing was improper at McLaren. With 20 minutes left, each vehicles have been within the storage. Norris’s automobile was broken, with mechanics swarming over it, and Piastri’s had been switched off. Norris went again out with seven minutes remaining, with a part of the automobile held on by a cable tie.
Audi discover the tow
Audi spent a part of the session practising the transfer that issues most in Baku. On a straight this lengthy, a tow is price actual lap time. Gabriel Bortoleto towed Nico Hülkenberg throughout the road, and the German jumped to sixth. However Hülkenberg has completed the session in eleventh.
VSC two: a messy end
The session didn’t finish cleanly both. Arvid Lindblad stopped within the run-off late on, bringing out a second VSC, earlier than he received his automobile going once more. Hülkenberg was much less lucky: he stopped too and climbed out whereas marshals pushed his Audi clear. Esteban Ocon then stalled on the pit exit earlier than ultimately getting away.
Few groups received by means of the hour with out drama.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – FP1 Outcomes
