Phoenix 24
Mercedes arrives with speed when the title fight matters most.
Baku
George Russell dominated the opening day of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing fastest in both practice sessions and giving Mercedes an immediate advantage on the streets of Baku. The British driver closed the second session with a 1:43.347 lap, more than half a second ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli. Max Verstappen followed in third, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five. The early picture suggests Mercedes has arrived with one of the strongest packages of the weekend.
Russell’s performance was particularly significant because Mercedes is already controlling much of the 2026 season. The team has won 10 of the first 14 races, while Antonelli leads the drivers’ championship with eight victories and an 81 point advantage over Russell. Yet Baku offered a reminder that the internal balance remains open on pure pace. Russell was faster from the first session and maintained that advantage when the track evolved later in the day.
Antonelli’s recovery strengthened Mercedes’ position despite a difficult start. A hydraulic problem ended his first practice early, and an engine change delayed his return during the second session. Even with that disruption, the Italian climbed to second place, only 0.552 seconds behind Russell. For a team already leading both championships, placing two cars at the top after an interrupted day sends a clear competitive signal.
The gap to Verstappen was also notable. The Red Bull driver finished 0.827 seconds behind Russell in the second session, while Ferrari and McLaren were unable to match Mercedes consistently across the day. Baku remains a circuit where long straights, heavy braking zones and narrow technical sections can rapidly change the competitive order, but Mercedes appears to have found an effective balance between straight line efficiency and confidence under braking.
The context makes Russell’s form especially relevant. He arrived in Azerbaijan insisting that he would continue fighting Antonelli until the championship became mathematically unreachable. His deficit remains substantial, but Formula 1 championships are rarely shaped by declarations alone. They are shaped by weekends in which opportunities are converted without error.
Baku has only just begun, and practice does not decide the race. But after two sessions, one message is already clear: Mercedes remains the benchmark, and Russell is refusing to disappear quietly from the internal fight.
Información que anticipa futuros. / Information that anticipates futures.