Baku opens the 15th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season with Andrea Kimi Antonelli arriving as the championship leader after his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix. Friday’s qualifying session on the Azerbaijani capital’s street circuit will set the grid for a weekend carrying growing weight in both title races.
Quick facts
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ standings on 292 points for Mercedes.
- Mercedes head the constructors’ table with 503 points, ahead of Ferrari on 358.
- Max Verstappen topped final practice in Baku with a 1:43.922 lap.
- George Russell was second, 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen, with Lewis Hamilton third.
- Qualifying is scheduled for 14:00 on Friday, September 25.
Verstappen gave Red Bull a timely indication of its one-lap pace in the third and final practice session. The Dutchman’s quickest effort put him narrowly ahead of Russell’s Mercedes, while Hamilton’s Ferrari finished only 0.111 seconds away from the fastest time.
Antonelli was fourth in the session, 0.351 seconds behind Verstappen. The Italian remains firmly in control of the championship picture, although Mercedes will have both cars near the front as qualifying begins.
Charles Leclerc placed fifth for Ferrari, 0.662 seconds off the pace. His result kept Ferrari in the leading group, with the Scuderia seeking to reduce a substantial deficit to Mercedes in the team standings.
Antonelli’s 292 points give him an 81-point margin over Russell, who is second on 211. Hamilton follows with 191, while McLaren’s Lando Norris is fourth on 186 and Leclerc holds fifth place on 167.
Further back, Verstappen has 145 points in sixth, ahead of Oscar Piastri on 120. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar is eighth with 71, Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson has 59, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completes the top 10 on 41.
Mercedes’ strength is equally clear in the constructors’ contest. Ferrari are second with 358 points, followed by McLaren on 306 and Red Bull on 230.
Racing Bulls stand fifth on 77 points, with Alpine close behind on 68. Haas have 21, Audi 17, Williams 11 and Aston Martin three, while Cadillac are still waiting for their first point of the season.
The Baku qualifying hour now offers a different kind of examination: a street-circuit lap where a small advantage can shape the whole weekend. Verstappen has set the practice benchmark, but Antonelli and Mercedes arrive with the season’s larger story still in their hands.
