George Russell made a stunning statement by topping both practice sessions for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit on Thursday. The Mercedes driver was nearly a second clear of his closest rival, Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who trailed by 0.827 seconds. This dominance raised eyebrows, especially since Mercedes has yet to introduce its latest upgrade package for the W17.
Red Bull, which is bringing its final major upgrade for the RB22 this weekend, admitted Mercedes' pace was unexpected. Technical director Pierre Wache said, “I didn't expect this big gap, mainly on the straights. We have to analyse if it's coming from a tow or something else. But yes, we have work to do to achieve what they have achieved.”
Isack Hadjar, who felt fine on his return, also fears Mercedes is out of reach. “A bit, why they are so far away. I think that's very impressive. We have a good car and have been in the mix with McLaren and Ferrari, but Mercedes, they are out of touch.”
However, Mercedes themselves are not convinced they are a class above. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord, standing in for Toto Wolff, stressed that the gap is not representative. “I don't think it's a representative gap, honestly. We ran more timed laps on the soft tyre in FP2. Max only had one go, so did the McLarens. Probably don't read too much into it.”
Russell looked commanding throughout the day. In Madrid, he admitted he is no longer in the title fight, but the start of the Baku weekend has been promising. “George was pretty sick here last year and still finished P2. So it's a circuit where traditionally he's had some really strong results,” Lord added.
The battle in Baku is far from over. Mercedes may have an edge, but with strategy and changing track conditions, rivals like Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren will not give up easily. Qualifying and the race will be the true test.
Baca Juga
Red Bull konfirmasi upgrade F1 2026 terakhir di Azerbaijan, alihkan fokus ke mobil 2027. Mekies dan Wache beri komentar.
Mercedes tampil dominan di sesi latihan F1 Baku, tetapi rival meragukan keunggulan tersebut. Simak analisis lengkapnya di Sportrik.
F1 2026 masih menanti kepastian balapan di Qatar dan Abu Dhabi. Imola disiapkan sebagai opsi cadangan jika konflik Timur Tengah berlanjut.
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