George Russell leads the way in Azerbaijan's FP1 while Kimi Antonelli faces challenges with Mercedes.

Max Verstappen established an early benchmark with a lap of 1m46.635s on hard tires, followed by a 1m46.512s time, even while reporting brake issues with his RB22. Teammate Isack Hadjar faced similar struggles upon his return to the Red Bull after missing three weekends due to a wrist injury, suffering a power unit problem that cost him valuable track time.

After 15 minutes, championship leader Antonelli climbed to the top of the time sheets with a lap of 1m46.265s, but he soon ran into trouble before the session's halfway mark. Antonelli's Mercedes W17 came to a halt at Turn 7, emitting smoke and citing a hydraulic failure, leading to a virtual safety car deployment.

The 20-year-old's vehicle was promptly cleared by marshals without the need for a red flag, allowing other drivers to switch to soft tires for the session's latter half. After experiencing a lock-up at Turn 1 and having to veer off into the escape road, Verstappen's second attempt secured him the top position with a lap of 1m34.787s, four tenths quicker than Russell's best effort, with the Briton narrowly missing the wall at Turn 3.

Russell's subsequent lap was significantly improved, shaving off four tenths from the four-time world champion’s time to establish a benchmark of 1m45.387s. Leclerc came remarkably close, finishing just 0.004s behind Verstappen to claim fourth place ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, while Antonelli settled in fifth.

Attempts to climb the leaderboard in the final moments were interrupted when Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad lost control at Turn 7, followed by Audi's Nico Hulkenberg encountering a problem at Turn 4, resulting in a second virtual safety car in the closing minutes.

Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

However, Oscar Piastri managed to achieve a late improvement to secure sixth place after what had been a challenging session for both him and teammate Lando Norris, who found himself in 14th without a competitive soft-tire lap, necessitating checks for damage on both cars. In an effort to address the team's struggles at lower speeds, McLaren evaluated new sidepods, a redesigned floor edge, and an updated diffuser in FP1, among several teams introducing significant upgrades.

Upon returning to his familiar Racing Bulls seat, Liam Lawson finished seventh ahead of Lindblad, while Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten.

The upgraded Audis kept Williams drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon out of the top ten as Williams also introduced its eagerly awaited upgrade package. This update features a revamped floor and a lighter chassis, though the team faced brake overheating issues during FP1, which limited Sainz's time on track.