Azerbaijan GP practice analysis: Ferrari third force but SF-26 lacks speed in key areas

Mercedes has set an imposing early benchmark at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with George Russell leading the way in Baku while Ferrari emerged as the third-fastest team behind Mercedes and Red Bull. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ended the session fourth and fifth, both more than a second away from the fastest time, as the SF-26 struggled for speed both on the straights and through the more technical sections of the circuit.

Kimi Antonelli’s day was compromised by mistakes and time lost in the garage, leaving Max Verstappen as Mercedes’ closest challenger despite Red Bull appearing short of electrical energy on the long straights. McLaren endured an even more difficult start, despite arriving in Azerbaijan with a substantial package of updates. The full Azerbaijan GP FP2 classification ultimately placed George Russell first, Kimi Antonelli second and Max Verstappen third, followed by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes dominates Azerbaijan GP practice in Baku

The Azerbaijani capital welcomed Formula 1 with a dirty track surface that evolved rapidly as running increased, making Baku’s numerous heavy braking zones even more treacherous. Several drivers made mistakes under braking, with the circuit’s final straight of more than two kilometres cooling the brake discs before the cars reach the next major braking zone.

In those conditions Mercedes immediately stood out, with its advantage even greater than anticipated before the weekend. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, the closest rival, finished eight tenths behind, while the rest of the field was more than a second away from the benchmark.

The Silver Arrows displayed many of the same strengths already evident at Monza. The aerodynamic efficiency of the low-downforce configuration, combined with the power of the internal combustion engine, allowed the W17 to excel on Baku’s long straights. The car’s performance continues the strong form that has made the Mercedes W17 one of the defining cars of the 2026 season.

Mercedes also appeared to have more energy available to power the electrical side of the power unit. That suggests an effective energy-management strategy, but also a strong approach to the beginning of the lap, where avoiding excessive battery consumption on the relatively short acceleration towards Turn 1 can provide an important advantage later around the lap.

The championship leaders were not making the difference purely in a straight line. The leading Mercedes gained more than three tenths over the entire field in the middle sector, another reminder of how effective the W17 has traditionally been under traction and through slow corners.

That characteristic may also partly explain Mercedes’ apparent energy advantage. A balanced car that can carry speed efficiently through corners can reduce unnecessary energy losses and improve the overall deployment picture across the lap.

Much of the credit also belongs to George Russell, who showed excellent form and was able to establish a significant advantage over his team-mate. Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, had to contend with the hour of running lost because of hydraulic problems, along with an imprecise passage through Turns 5 and 6 and a slightly different battery-deployment strategy.

Max Verstappen leads the pursuit as Red Bull searches for more energy

The hope for the spectacle is that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli can converge as the weekend progresses and create an internal Mercedes battle. The driver most likely to intervene, or to benefit from any unexpected problems for the leaders, currently appears to be Max Verstappen.

Red Bull has once again shown that it is comfortable at high-speed venues, while the RB22 is also benefiting in Baku from new bodywork and floor updates. At present, its biggest limitation appears to be the amount of energy available to keep the electric motor contributing for longer periods on the straights.

Max Verstappen had already discussed energy-management software problems in Madrid, but Red Bull still has time to study the data and develop a more effective strategy for the decisive sessions in Baku.

Ferrari third force but SF-26 lacks speed in key areas

Ferrari ended the session in fourth and fifth with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, more than one second away from the fastest time. The SF-26 clearly lacks speed on the straights, an area that was already expected to represent an important test given Baku’s demanding energy-deployment and straight-mode zones.

However, Ferrari’s problem cannot be reduced solely to power-unit performance. The Scuderia also lost significant ground to Mercedes in the second sector, underlining the need to find a better set-up compromise, particularly on the mechanical side of the car.

The gaps therefore reflect a combination of issues rather than one isolated weakness. Charles Leclerc’s deficit of more than one second to George Russell also highlighted the scale of the work still facing Ferrari after Thursday’s running, reinforcing the concerns surrounding the SF-26’s difficult Baku outlook.

There is at least an additional strategic element to consider. Ferrari chose to save a set of soft tyres during the opening practice sessions, a set that is likely to be used during Friday’s running. That decision means the picture could still evolve as the team continues refining the car ahead of qualifying.

McLaren struggles despite major Baku upgrade package

McLaren arrived in Azerbaijan with a substantial bodywork upgrade package, but that has not changed the fact that Baku remains one of the least favourable circuits for the MCL40. Energy management and straight-line speed represent the main problems for the reigning world champions, who lost more than seven tenths to George Russell’s Mercedes along the final flat-out section alone.

McLaren’s programme was also affected by technical problems. However, it would not be the first time that the Woking team has started a Grand Prix weekend slowly before making significant overnight progress, meaning its current position should not necessarily be considered definitive.

Azerbaijan GP race simulations point to Mercedes advantage

The red flag triggered by Arvid Lindblad’s accident restricted the race-pace simulations to only a handful of laps. Even so, the limited running produced some useful indications about tyre behaviour and the relative performance of the leading teams.

Despite Pirelli bringing the softer end of its tyre range, degradation appears decidedly limited. Baku’s slow corners place relatively little energy through the tyres, while the long straights offer opportunities for the compounds to cool. Several teams have also already used a set of hard tyres, suggesting that soft and medium compounds could become the primary race tyres.

The shortened stints are shown below. As always with practice running, differences in compounds, tyre age, fuel levels and traffic make direct comparisons imperfect. The broader trends can also be explored through the ScuderiaFans F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis.

Mercedes remained the reference point over the longer runs as well, despite using medium tyres while most of its rivals were on softs. George Russell appeared to have a little more pace than Kimi Antonelli, although Kimi Antonelli moved progressively closer to his team-mate as the stint developed.

Over the longer distance, McLaren appeared closer to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, while Red Bull once again emerged as the leading challenger to Mercedes. Ferrari did not show the same level of race pace, although Charles Leclerc managed to dip below the 1:48 barrier on his final lap.

There is still plenty that can change before qualifying as the teams analyse their data and refine their set-ups. For Ferrari, the challenge is clear: improve the mechanical balance while addressing the straight-line and energy deficit without compromising the SF-26 elsewhere around the lap. Based on the running completed so far, however, challenging Mercedes’ current superiority in Baku appears extremely difficult.