Russell Sweeps Baku Practice While the Leader Loses His Morning
George Russell topped both practice sessions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, first with a 1:45.387 in FP1 — helped by a tow from Fernando Alonso down the main straight — and then with a 1:43.347 on softs in FP2, 0.552s clear of team-mate Kimi Antonelli and 0.827s ahead of Max Verstappen. Only Antonelli, in Austria, had swept a weekend's opening sessions before him this season. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth, both more than a second back.
Antonelli's day started badly. Twenty-five minutes into FP1 he pulled off at Turn 7 on an out-lap reporting a hydraulic problem, and the car was recovered under a virtual safety car. He was back for FP2 and second, which is the reassuring part for a driver who can afford a quiet weekend and not a mechanical one. Verstappen was quick but not comfortable: "I'm constantly counter-steering because my rear axle is coming off the ground."
FP2 was stopped when Arvid Lindblad clipped the wall at the castle section four laps in and broke his Racing Bulls' right-front suspension — "I think I literally clipped it by like a millimetre" — and Ollie Bearman's Haas stopped after the restart: "My engine switched off and just… broke." Isack Hadjar's comeback lasted eight laps in FP1 before he reported "something really wrong with the engine," and McLaren, whose upgraded floor was damaged in the morning, held it together for the afternoon with cable ties. FP3 is Friday at 12:30 local, qualifying at 16:00, and the race — a day early, for Remembrance Day on the 27th — on Saturday.
Acosta Finally Wins, and Martín Takes the Lead Back From Márquez
Pedro Acosta won the Austrian Grand Prix by a second from Jorge Martín, a day after crashing out of the sprint and hours after falling again in warm-up. It is his first MotoGP win and KTM's first since 2022. Marco Bezzecchi made it two Aprilias on the podium, Ai Ogura brought a third home fourth.
The weekend belonged to Martín in the table. He arrived level with Marc Márquez, won Saturday's sprint, then took second while the reigning champion ran wide at Turn 1 on lap 10 and recovered only to fifth — "we saved the day," as Márquez put it. Martín now leads 306 to 294 with seven rounds left, starting at Motegi on October 4.
Practice Form Guide • Baku FP2
Russell 1:43.347, Antonelli half a second back after a new power unit
Mercedes swept both sessions and looked the most balanced car through all three sectors. Antonelli’s P2 came after the team changed his power unit following the FP1 hydraulic stop. “George was pretty sick here last year and finished P2,” said deputy team principal Bradley Lord.
Verstappen is the only non-Mercedes within a second
+0.827s, and not comfortable doing it: the rear was lifting over the bumps and he spent the session counter-steering. If anyone splits the silver cars in qualifying, the timesheet says it is him.
Leclerc and Hamilton more than a second off, and Hamilton off to the stewards
Leclerc +1.126s, Hamilton +1.318s and summoned for impeding. “For some reason we’re just lacking speed,” Hamilton said. Both had looked closer in FP1, on mediums.
A big upgrade, a damaged floor and 1.5 seconds
Norris (+1.484s) and Piastri (+1.510s) finished either side of an Alpine after the new bodywork was damaged in FP1 and patched with cable ties. Norris’ verdict: “We’re just… miles off the pace.”
Gasly is the best of the rest, splitting the McLarens
Just 0.012s behind Norris. “I’m very pleased. What I’ve felt gives me some good confidence,” Gasly said — on a track whose 2.2km flat-out final sector flatters a slippery car.
Hadjar recovers from an eight-lap morning; Ocon puts Haas in the top ten
Hadjar, back from his wrist injury, lost most of FP1 to an engine problem and still went ninth. Ocon, with his Haas seat changing hands for 2027, said the car “seems to be healthy for the moment… much better than last year.”
Pérez ahead of both Aston Martins and eyeing a first Q2
The Ferrari-powered Cadillac is quick on the straights, and Pérez briefly ran 11th with a tow. He finished the session ahead of both Aston Martins.
Two upgrades, not much to show for them
Audi’s new package left Bortoleto “lacking grip” in 14th and 15th. Williams’ lighter chassis went 12th and 13th in FP1 but 16th and 17th in FP2: “A step in the right direction, but not enough,” said James Vowles. Sainz: “If we want bigger steps, we’ll have to wait for next year.”
Around the Paddock
Saudi Arabia cancelled, so the last-ever Rally Italia Sardegna decides the title
With the Jeddah finale scrapped, October 1-4 is now the whole argument: Elfyn Evans leads on 230, Sami Pajari is 17 back and Oliver Solberg, who won Chile, 21. Toyota already have their tenth manufacturers' crown.
Logano steals the Night Race on lap 494 as Blaney and Hocevar trade punches
Joey Logano's 40th Cup win came from a late run up the bottom past Ty Gibbs; Hocevar's lap-458 wreck of Blaney ended in a fistfight on pit road. Kyle Larson leads the Chase by one point from Denny Hamlin heading to Kansas.
Palou's fifth crown settled early; McLaughlin wins the finale
Alex Palou wrapped up the title at Milwaukee, then fought from the back to eighth at Laguna Seca. Scott McLaughlin took his first win since 2024 and Kyle Kirkwood's second place secured runner-up in the standings.
Antonelli brings an 81-point lead and two straight wins to the streets
Monza and the Madring, where Norris lost a pole-position start to a slow stop under the VSC, have him on 292 to Russell's 211. Hamilton retired from Madrid with brake trouble after seven laps.
Toyota take a nine-point lead home, with Ferrari suddenly in the picture
BMW trail by nine in the Hypercar manufacturers' table and Ferrari closed in with their first 2026 win at COTA. The 6 Hours of Fuji starts Sunday at 11:00 local.