George Russell said he is ready to capitalise on Kimi Antonelli’s shock qualifying crash by winning from pole position in Azerbaijan on Saturday and ignite his world title comeback.
Antonelli, who has reigned supreme so far this season – winning eight of the 14 F1 rounds staged to secure an 81-point lead – displayed the first dent in his championship armour when he misjudged the opening corner and hit the wall in Baku.
The Q1 accident meant Antonelli could play no further part to leave him 16th on the grid.
Russell had all but written off his championship chances but Antonelli’s demise, coupled with his impressive pole lap – the British driver was nearly nine tenths quicker than anyone else – will provide him with a glimmer of hope that the fight remains on.
Follow live updates from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Read MoreWhere has it all gone so wrong for Formula 1 pre-season favourite George Russell?
Lewis Hamilton details new Ferrari F1 goal and rejects ‘doom and gloom’ season
Why is F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking place on Saturday?
F1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Round 15 of the 2026 F1 season takes place in Baku - the race starts at 2pm (BST)
- George Russell takes pole; Leclerc 2nd; Piastri 3rd
- Kimi Antonelli crashed out in Q1 in a rare mistake
- Antonelli has an 81-point lead in the world championship
- COMMENT: Where has it gone so wrong for George Russell?
What time is the race on Saturday?
Friday 25 September 2026 14:36 , Kieran JacksonThe Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts at 12pm (BST) on Saturday.
QUALIFYING REPORT: Russell takes pole after Antonelli error
03:00 , Kieran JacksonGeorge Russell said he is ready to capitalise on Kimi Antonelli’s shock qualifying crash by winning from pole position in Azerbaijan on Saturday and ignite his world title comeback.
Antonelli, who has reigned supreme so far this season – winning eight of the 14 F1 rounds staged to secure an 81-point lead – displayed the first dent in his championship armour when he misjudged the opening corner and hit the wall in Baku.
The Q1 accident meant Antonelli could play no further part to leave him 16th on the grid.
Full report below:
Russell capitalises on rare Antonelli ‘mistake’ to take pole at Azerbaijan GP
Lewis Hamilton details new Ferrari F1 goal and rejects ‘doom and gloom’ season
01:00 , Kieran JacksonLewis Hamilton insists finishing in the top three of the F1 world championship would still rank as a “huge achievement” for Ferrari despite Kimi Antonelli running away with the individual title.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton looked right in contention a few months back after claiming his first grand prix victory for Ferrari in Barcelona in June. However, in the months since, Antonelli has increased his lead in the championship and is now 81 points clear of Mercedes teammate George Russell and 101 ahead of Hamilton, with nine rounds remaining.
The 41-year-old endured his first retirement of the season after a brake issue at the last race in Madrid and is without a podium finish since Silverstone, six races ago.
Full piece below:
Lewis Hamilton details new Ferrari F1 goal and rejects ‘doom and gloom’ season
Fernando Alonso after qualifying:
Friday 25 September 2026 23:59 , Kieran Jackson“It was tricky with the windy conditions today, but this is typical here in Baku and it was the same for everyone. I was happy with my performance and with the overall balance of the car today compared to yesterday.
“We are losing a lot of lap time on the straights and so I think it will make the race difficult for us. We will try to keep on improving and learn as much as we can about the car in the race tomorrow.”
Kimi Antonelli after his Q1 crash:
Friday 25 September 2026 23:00 , Kieran Jackson”It's obviously frustrating because the car felt good from FP3 onwards and the pace was there. We had a stronger headwind into Turn One than on the previous lap and the grip level had changed quite a lot, so the car had more grip than I expected.
“It's a shame because I felt we had enough pace to get through comfortably and fight further up the order. I tried my best to bring the car back to the pits, but unfortunately the damage was too much. The team made the right call to stop the car and protect it. The positive is that we've shown strong pace all weekend and the car has felt good.
“Starting further back will make things difficult at a track where overtaking isn't easy, but I've shown before that I can bounce back from setbacks and my focus is already on tomorrow. We'll do everything we can to move forward, score good points and maximise the result for the team.”
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur:
Friday 25 September 2026 21:00 , Kieran Jackson“I’m very pleased with the job the team did between yesterday and qualifying, because we struggled quite a lot on Thursday. We made some significant changes to the set-up and to our approach, and they paid off today. George (Russell) has been very strong since the first lap of FP1, but Charles did a good job to put the car on the front row.
“On Lewis’ side, it was difficult to get a tow because the different run plans made it complicated to synchronise with the other cars. He also brushed the wall on his first lap in Q3, which compromised that attempt, but he recovered well to finish sixth despite not having a tow on his final lap. Tomorrow, tyre degradation is expected to be very low, which could make track position particularly important. We are in a position to score good points with both cars, even if Baku is always unpredictable.
“We will focus on ourselves, execute the race as well as we can and see what opportunities come our way.”
Jacques Villeneuve on Antonelli crash:
Friday 25 September 2026 15:52 , Kieran Jackson“Incredible mistake - and on a weekend where his teammate is in a league of his own.
“Not the best time for that but the current rules facilitate getting through the field.”
What is the starting grid?
Friday 25 September 2026 15:19 , Kieran Jackson1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
9. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
10. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
11. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
13. Alex Albon (Williams)
14. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
15. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
16. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
17. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
18. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
George Russell after claiming pole:
Friday 25 September 2026 14:25 , Kieran Jackson“It’s been a while - definitely feels good, probably the best margin in my career including F2 and F3. On a track like this, when you can hook it up like that, it looks pretty amazing.
“I was feeling good, Max has been very fast, maybe the yellow flag? Perfect lap at the end, nice gap to Hadjar which gave me a nice slipstream.
On race: “Feeling good, in a great place to go for the win, but this is Baku, anything can happen! Whatever happens I feel confident.”
Top-10 in Q3
Friday 25 September 2026 14:17 , Kieran Jackson1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
9. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
10. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
George Russell on team radio
Friday 25 September 2026 14:11 , Kieran JacksonRussell: “Great job, pretty decent lap, how much was it?”
Engineer: “Just over eight-tenths to Leclerc.”
Russell: “Woah.”
George Russell on pole position
Friday 25 September 2026 14:06 , Kieran JacksonRussell did go again - and went even quicker by half-a-second! He takes pole with a 1:42:526 - his 12th pole in Formula 1.
Charles Leclerc is second, eight-tenths off, with Oscar Piastri in third. Max Verstappen down in eighth, with his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar in fourth!
4-10: Hadjar, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Sainz, Colapinto
George Russell takes P1
Friday 25 September 2026 14:01 , Kieran JacksonRussell, with four minutes left, goes top by 0.534 secs to Piastri!
Will he be able to set another lap? McLarens are coming back out now...
Hamilton moves up to P5, with Leclerc now P2...
Oscar Piastri takes provisional pole
Friday 25 September 2026 13:58 , Kieran JacksonWow!
Piastri P1 with a 1:43:571 - 0.101 secs ahead of Norris in second! Where’s that McLaren pace come from?
Russell only third... Verstappen fourth.
Q3 underway
Friday 25 September 2026 13:53 , Kieran JacksonHere we go then in the fight for pole in Baku!
10 drivers involved: Russell, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Hadjar, Sainz, Gasly, Colapinto
Out in Q2
Friday 25 September 2026 13:48 , Kieran Jackson11. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
13. Alex Albon (Williams)
14. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
15. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
16. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Arvid Lindblad out
Friday 25 September 2026 13:47 , Kieran JacksonThe Racing Bull nowhere in that session... he’s out in P15.
Bottom-six (11-16)and out in Q2: Bearman, Lawson, Albon, Ocon, Lindblad, Antonelli
George Russell is again the quickest. And Carlos Sainz gets Williams their first Q3 appearance of the season!
Arvid Lindblad in the danger-zone
Friday 25 September 2026 13:42 , Kieran JacksonLindblad, who has regularly made Q3 recently, currently in P15 ahead of the final runs in Q2.
Current bottom-six (11-16): Colapinto, Ocon, Albon, Lawson, Lindblad, Antonelli (no time)
A reminder: Antonelli will not take part in Q2 after crashing in Q1.
2:00 to go in Q2...
George Russell fastest early in Q2
Friday 25 September 2026 13:37 , Kieran JacksonTrack is ramping up though, with Ferrari’s Leclerc only 0.149 secs off the pace in second - and Norris and Piastri now in the mix in P3 and P4.
Both Alpine cars are yet to set a time.
7:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 underway
Friday 25 September 2026 13:32 , Kieran JacksonAn early mishap for Arvid Lindblad just as he gets going on his out-lap at the start of Q2.
He reverses back on track all OK.
PHOTO: Antonelli hits the wall
Friday 25 September 2026 13:27 , Kieran JacksonA rare own-goal from the Italian.
Nico Hulkenberg out
Friday 25 September 2026 13:24 , Kieran JacksonNorris fine in the end in P7, but both Audis are out in Q1 in what marks a surprise for Hulkenberg and Bortoleto.
Bottom-six and out in Q1 (17-22): Bortoleto, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Perez, Bottas, Stroll
Antonelli sneaks through in P15 - but he won’t take part in Q2! It’ll be P16 for the championship leader...
Norris in trouble
Friday 25 September 2026 13:19 , Kieran JacksonThe McLaren is not happy with the car and he’s only P13.
Current bottom-six (17-22): Bearman, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Perez, Bottas, Stroll
3:00 to go in Q1.
Antonelli in P7
Friday 25 September 2026 13:17 , Kieran JacksonThe championship leader will probably still sneak into Q2, but won’t be any higher.
And it was a big hit at turn 1 on his front-left tyre!
Antonelli: “Why can’t we fix it?”
Engineer: “Looks like something to the trackrod, that’s a big job.”
Antonelli: “I’m sorry guys.”
Kimi Antonelli hits the wall
Friday 25 September 2026 13:15 , Kieran JacksonWell, well, well...
Antonelli has hit the wall and has smashed his tyre.
And he’s stopped on track!
Engineer: “We can’t fix that mate.”
Q1 underway
Friday 25 September 2026 13:07 , Kieran JacksonPierre Gasly the first car out on track as Q1 begins on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
18 minutes where we’ll lose the slowest six drivers from the rest of qualifying...
Q1 underway at 1:04pm (BST)
Friday 25 September 2026 13:02 , Kieran JacksonAnd we already have a queue at the end of the pit-lane, with just under three minutes until Q1 gets underway.
Qualifying delayed
Friday 25 September 2026 12:59 , Kieran JacksonWith some debris and litter on the track, the marshals are just working to clean the 3.7-mile circuit.
Hopefully won’t be too long...
FIA statement
Friday 25 September 2026 12:58 , Kieran Jackson“Start of qualifying will be delayed.”
No further info given from the FIA. Hhhmmm...
Russell favourite?
Friday 25 September 2026 12:50 , Kieran JacksonRussell was quickest in Thursday practice, but fell a smidge short of a perfect weekend as Max Verstappen pipped him in FP3.
Kimi Antonelli has been on the back-foot but can he put it together for qualifying? And what about Ferrari and McLaren? They’ve looked short of table-topping pace so far but Baku can often spring a surprise... don’t count them out!
Ten minutes until qualifying!
Red Bull's Isack Hadjar after his injury lay-off:
Friday 25 September 2026 12:44 , Kieran Jackson“I have a lot of energy to give, nine races in 11 weeks has been a lot but for me it’s been a while.
“I was watching like a fan, some good time off.
On new contract: “I always manage to get through, my whole career, you do the talking on the track than the rest comes to you very easily, never in doubt.”
Oscar Piastri after practice:
Friday 25 September 2026 12:38 , Kieran Jackson“An interesting but productive day. There’s lots to learn here with the new cars, and on a personal level it felt pretty positive overall. FP1 was a little disrupted with the reliability issue which meant we lost a bit of running, which is never ideal.
“But we’ve made some good steps in FP2, and we have some decent long run pace. The plan for tomorrow is to keep making steady improvements, unlock some more performance so that we can make up some of the gap to the Mercedes, and see what we can do in Qualifying.”
George Russell after going quickest in both Friday practice sessions:
Friday 25 September 2026 12:25 , Kieran Jackson“It's been a positive first day here in Baku. The car felt competitive over a single lap, and our race pace looks closely matched with McLaren and Red Bull. I'm sure those gaps will tighten even further when we get to qualifying tomorrow, so there's still plenty of work to do overnight.
“Overall, though, it's been an encouraging start to the weekend and a strong opening day for the team.”
Lando Norris: 'McLaren pace pretty pants'
Friday 25 September 2026 12:16 , Kieran JacksonNorris was speaking after an underwhelming Friday practice:
"We're up there," Norris said. "Relatively, we're in the position we expect to be in, but I'm 1.5secs off the pace, so pretty pants.
"We'll see what work we can do tonight but it's a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are."
McLaren’s chief technical officer Rob Marshall said: "We've introduced a significant upgrade this weekend and the initial data suggests the car is behaving as our simulations predicted, which is a positive starting point. However, it's clear we haven't yet unlocked its full potential."
Top-10 - driver standings
Friday 25 September 2026 11:59 , Kieran JacksonAntonelli has a 81-point lead in the world championship heading into Baku.
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 292 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 211 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 191 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 186 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 167 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 145 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 120 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 71 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 59 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
Constructor standings ahead of Azerbaijan GP
Friday 25 September 2026 11:06 , Kieran Jackson1. Mercedes - 503 points
2. Ferrari - 358 points
3. McLaren - 306 points
4. Red Bull - 230 points
5. Racing Bulls - 77 points
6. Alpine - 68 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Audi - 17 points
9. Williams - 11 points
10. Aston Martin - 3 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
Top-10 in FP3
Friday 25 September 2026 10:52 , Kieran Jackson1. Max Verstappen
2. George Russell
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Kimi Antonelli
5. Charles Leclerc
6. Pierre Gasly
7. Oscar Piastri
8. Lando Norris
9. Isack Hadjar
10. Franco Colapinto
What time is qualifying?
Friday 25 September 2026 10:44 , Kieran JacksonQualifying in Baku will be at 1pm (BST) on Friday.
Max Verstappen fastest in FP3
Friday 25 September 2026 10:37 , Kieran JacksonDespite ending his final push lap by going into the turn 15 run-off area, Verstappen keeps top spot in the final stages.
George Russell just misses out on three practice session P1s, with Lewis Hamilton sneaking in in third - a tenth off Verstappen.
4-10: Antonelli, Leclerc, Gasly, Piastri, Norris, Hadjar, Colapinto
Max Verstappen goes quickest
Friday 25 September 2026 10:29 , Kieran JacksonBit of a statement from the Red Bull driver!
He goes fastest by 0.099 secs to Russell - and three-tenths clear of Antonelli.
Verstappen up to P2
Friday 25 September 2026 10:25 , Kieran JacksonThe Dutchman now just a tenth off Russell, fastest with a 1:44:021 as the soft-tyre runs come in now.
3-10: Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Hadjar, Bortoleto, Ocon
Final five minutes of practice!
George Russell quickest
Friday 25 September 2026 10:09 , Kieran JacksonIt’s been mainly race runs so far, with Russell quickest by 0.162 secs over Leclerc.
Antonelli in third, with top-five filled by Hamilton and Verstappen.
Expect the qualifying simulation laps to come in now though...
Max Verstappen goes off
Friday 25 September 2026 10:06 , Kieran JacksonThe Red Bull driver leaves the track at turn 15: “If for once this f***ing car wouldn’t jump like a kangaroo, my god!”
Lewis Hamilton also locked up at turn 1, while replays show that Stroll touched the wall at turn 1 and that ruined the steering in his Aston Martin car.
Lance Stroll stops
Friday 25 September 2026 10:01 , Kieran JacksonOn the outside of turn 4, Stroll has stopped his Aston Martin car.
And he’s getting out of the car. That may well be his session done...
Pierre Gasly quickest early on
Friday 25 September 2026 09:48 , Kieran JacksonOnly half of the grid out on track in the first 15 minutes, with Alpine’s Gasly on top - six-tenths clear of Liam Lawson and nine-tenths ahead of Alex Albon.
More times to come in now though...
Start times this weekend:
Friday 25 September 2026 09:37 , Kieran JacksonFriday 25 September
- Qualifying: 1pm
Saturday 26 September
- Race: 12pm
FP3 underway
Friday 25 September 2026 09:35 , Kieran JacksonThe third and final hour of practice has just got underway in Baku.
And if Thursday was all about sun, Friday is all about wind... it’s pretty noticeable down on track!
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Friday 25 September 2026 09:32 , Kieran JacksonF1 returns to the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend and round 15 of the 2026 season.
Kimi Antonelli continued his brilliant form at the Spanish Grand Prix last time out, winning the first event held on the new Madrid street track after benefiting from a well-timed safety car period early on. Antonelli now leads the world championship by 81 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Max Verstappen finished second in Madrid with pole-sitter Lando Norris having to settle for third. Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire after a brake issue in his Ferrari car and the Briton now trails Antonelli by a mammoth 101 points with nine rounds remaining.
This year’s race in Baku will take place on a Saturday because Sunday, 27 September marks Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day, with the whole schedule shifting forward by one day to avoid a clash with a national day of mourning.
Pierre Gasly hits out at ‘disturbing’ abuse of girlfriend from Franco Colapinto fans
Friday 25 September 2026 17:53 , Kieran JacksonPierre Gasly has hit out at the “disturbing” abuse of his family and girlfriend from Franco Colapinto fans after the last F1 race in Madrid.
Gasly, who is teammates with Colapinto at Alpine, held up the Argentine driver late in the Spanish Grand Prix. Colapinto did not lose a position, finishing seventh, but complained about the situation over team radio – while Gasly finished 12th.
Yet, not for the first time involving supporters of 23-year-old Colapinto, threats on social media were made to the Frenchman and his loved ones.
Pierre Gasly hits out at ‘disturbing’ abuse of girlfriend from Franco Colapinto fans
