Kimi Antonelli suffered the worst possible start to his Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend with an early smoky exit from first practice.
According to Racing News, with just 25 minutes of the session elapsed at the Baku City Circuit, and with Antonelli at the top of the timesheet with a lap of one minute 46.265s, the Mercedes driver was forced to pull off the track at Turn 7 with his W17 smoking at the rear.
Antonelli noted over the radio a hydraulics problem. After exiting his car, the 20-year-old Italian beckoned for a marshal to attend.
George Russell tops Baku practice
Meanwhile, Antonelli’s teammate George Russell headed Red Bull's Max Verstappen in first practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, BBC reported.
Championship leader Antonelli was fifth fastest, but did not get a lap on the fastest soft-compound tyres after stopping on track with a hydraulic leak.
Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points, was 0.4 seconds quicker than Verstappen.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were third and fourth, both just over 0.4secs off Russell's pace and right behind Verstappen.
But neither Italian car ran the soft tyre as the teams completed varied programmes to start off the weekend in Baku.
Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were seventh and eighth, ahead of Haas driver Esteban Ocon, who is fighting for his F1 career after admitting on Thursday that he is a free agent for 2027.
The Audis of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg, which both have a major upgrade, were ninth and 10th.
Russell and Verstappen were other drivers to make an error, both taking to the run-off area when they missed their braking points, the Mercedes driver at Turn Three and Verstappen at Turn One.
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix main race takes place on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 3:00 PM local time. The race was moved a day ahead as Sunday, September 27, marks Azerbaijan's annual Remembrance Day.
