George Russell was fastest in first practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, helped by a slipstream from Fernando Alonso to outpace Red Bull's Max Verstappen and both Ferraris by four tenths. Russell trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship and needs to gain ground quickly to keep the title race alive.

Antonelli lost 35 minutes of track time after a hydraulics issue forced him to stop on track. The Italian has won the last two races but Baku is one of the toughest circuits and his lead could quickly be cut. Mercedes reliability concerns resurfaced despite recent improvements.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set their best times on medium tyres. Red Bull brought new parts including a revised floor, sidepod and mirrors. McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were sixth and 14th, over one second behind despite upgrades. Isack Hadjar returned after missing three race weekends with a wrist injury but lost 30 minutes to an engine problem.