George Russell topped both practice sessions in Baku: 1:45.387 in FP1, with a tow from Fernando Alonso, then 1:43.347 on softs in FP2 — 0.552s clear of Kimi Antonelli and 0.827s ahead of Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth, both more than a second back.

Antonelli pulled off at Turn 7 twenty-five minutes into FP1 with a hydraulic problem, then came back to take second in FP2. Verstappen was quick but not comfortable: “I’m constantly counter-steering because my rear axle is coming off the ground.”

FP2 was red-flagged when Arvid Lindblad clipped the wall at the castle section, and Ollie Bearman’s Haas engine failed after the restart. Isack Hadjar’s comeback lasted eight laps in FP1 before an engine problem, and McLaren patched a damaged new floor with cable ties. Antonelli leads the championship by 81; qualifying is Friday, the race — a day early — on Saturday.

Pedro Acosta won the Austrian Grand Prix by a second from Jorge Martín, a day after crashing out of the sprint. It is his first MotoGP win and KTM's first since 2022; Marco Bezzecchi made it two Aprilias on the podium.

Martín arrived level with Marc Márquez, won Saturday's sprint, then took second while the reigning champion ran wide at Turn 1 and recovered only to fifth. Martín now leads 306 to 294 with seven rounds left, starting at Motegi on October 4.

The front

Mercedes (P1, P2) — Russell 1:43.347; Antonelli +0.552s after a power-unit change following his FP1 hydraulic stop.

Verstappen (P3) — +0.827s, the only non-Mercedes within a second, fighting a rear that kept lifting.

Ferrari (P4, P5) — Leclerc +1.126s, Hamilton +1.318s and summoned for impeding. “For some reason we’re just lacking speed.”

McLaren (P6, P8) — About 1.5s off with a damaged upgrade patched by cable ties. Norris: “We’re just… miles off the pace.”

The midfield

Gasly (P7) — Best of the rest for Alpine, 0.012s behind Norris and splitting the McLarens.

Hadjar (P9), Ocon (P10) — Hadjar recovered from an eight-lap FP1; Ocon says the Haas is “much better than last year.”

Pérez (P13) — Cadillac ahead of both Aston Martins, eyeing a first Q2.

Audi (P14, P15), Williams (P16, P17) — Two upgrades, little to show. Vowles: “A step in the right direction, but not enough.”

WRC — Rally Saudi Arabia is cancelled, so the last-ever Rally Italia Sardegna (1–4 October) decides the title. Elfyn Evans leads on 230, Sami Pajari is 17 back and Chile winner Oliver Solberg 21.

NASCAR — Joey Logano stole the Bristol Night Race on lap 494; Carson Hocevar's wreck of Ryan Blaney ended in punches on pit road. Kyle Larson leads the Chase by a single point from Denny Hamlin.

IndyCar — Alex Palou wrapped up his fifth title at Milwaukee; Scott McLaughlin won the Laguna Seca finale, his first win since 2024.

WEC — Toyota take a nine-point lead over BMW to their home 6 Hours of Fuji, with Ferrari closing after their first 2026 win at COTA.