Baku, September 24, AZERTACGeorge Russell comfortably set the pace during Thursday’s second practice session ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leading the way from Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, according to Formula 1 official website.Russell worked his way down to a time of 1m 43.347s with a series of runs on Pirelli’s soft compound tyre, putting him half a second up on championship leader Antonelli, and a further three tenths clear of Verstappen.Plenty of cars were quick to head out on track when the green light switched on at the end of the pit lane at 1600 local time – the sun gradually setting over the Baku City Circuit, but the air temperature still sitting at a toasty 30 degrees Celcius.Most drivers spent the early stages of the session running either medium or hard tyres, bringing an early benchmark of 1m 45.115s from Verstappen, who nonetheless promptly got on the radio to complain about a poor ride at the wheel of his Red Bull.“I’m constantly counter-steering because my rear axle is coming off the ground,” stressed the four-time World Champion a few minutes later, before improving to a 1m 44.492s on medium tyres – a few hundredths faster than Mercedes’ George Russell with the same compound.The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will conclude with the main race on September 26. XXX The second Formula 1 practice session for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix started in Baku.Drivers will complete laps along the 6-kilometer Baku City Circuit during the one-hour event.George Russell finished fastest in Free Practice 1 ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver leading Max Verstappen as Kimi Antonelli's session was cut short by a mechanical issue.