F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Russell fastest again in Baku, Verstappen third

George Russell also topped the second free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli made it a Mercedes one-two; Max Verstappen finished third.

GPBeat · Newsroom24 Sept 2026, 15:12 · 1 min

Russell finished 0.552 seconds ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the second session, RacingNews365 reports. Max Verstappen finished third, 0.827 seconds behind the fastest Mercedes. That put Mercedes in the top two positions in Baku.

Russell had also set the fastest time in the first free practice session. Verstappen was his closest challenger then, 0.400 seconds behind. The gap between the two therefore grew in the second session, with Antonelli slotting in between them.

The practice results do not yet provide a conclusive picture of relative race performance. Data on fuel loads and practice programmes are missing, so the gaps between the drivers cannot be fully interpreted.

Sources 01

SOURCE2026 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku Free Practice 2 resultsRacingNews365 English · Source date as found: 2026-09-24

Source context

This report is based on a single report from RacingNews365. The full results table is not available; absolute lap times and positions from fourth place onwards cannot be checked.

Claims and supporting evidence 4

According to Jake Nichol's report for RacingNews365, George Russell was fastest in the second free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. His Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli followed, 0.552 seconds behind.

This finding from the source must be read within the stated scope and source context. Fastest two drivers in the second free practice session. Second free practice session, 2026 Azerbaijan GP. The positions and time gap are given in the article text; the accompanying results table is not visible in the supplied document.

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According to RacingNews365, Max Verstappen finished third, 0.827 seconds behind Russell.

This finding from the source must be read within the stated scope and source context. Third place in the second free practice session. Second free practice session, 2026 Azerbaijan GP. This is a practice result. The source provides no information about fuel loads or programmes that would allow the drivers' relative race performance to be determined.

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Russell had also topped the first free practice session, with a 0.400-second lead over Verstappen. He was therefore fastest in both opening practice sessions.

This finding from the source must be read within the stated scope and source context. Russell's result across the first two practice sessions. First and second free practice sessions, 2026 Azerbaijan GP. The result of the first session is mentioned retrospectively in the same report; separate results for that session have not been supplied.

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According to RacingNews365, this was the second time in 2026 that a driver had topped both the first and second free practice sessions. The outlet names Antonelli in Austria as the previous instance.

This finding from the source must be read within the stated scope and source context. Season statistic cited by RacingNews365. The 2026 season up to and including the second free practice session in Baku. This season statistic is attributed to RacingNews365. The supplied document contains no overview of earlier practice results against which the count can be checked separately.

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This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.