George Russell continued his perfect start to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend by topping FP2 in Baku and completing a clean sweep of Thursday’s practice sessions, with Mercedes taking a convincing one two ahead of Max Verstappen.

Russell set the fastest lap of the session with a 1:43.347, finishing 0.552 seconds ahead of championship leader and teammate Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen was third, 0.827 seconds behind Russell, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top five.

The session began with Antonelli remaining in the garage as Mercedes worked on his car after the hydraulic problem that ended his FP1 session. The team also changed his engine before FP2, but the replacement came from his existing pool, meaning no penalty was required.

Antonelli eventually returned to the circuit and immediately showed strong pace despite his limited running. He completed only 15 laps, compared with Russell’s 23, but still managed to finish second and give Mercedes a second consecutive one two at the top of the timing sheets.

The session was interrupted by a red flag after Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad crashed at the narrow Turn 9 section. The incident brought out the stoppage after around 20 minutes and left debris around the track. Haas driver Oliver Bearman also suffered a power unit problem later in the session.

Verstappen had initially set the pace on medium tyres before the field switched to softer compounds. Leclerc then moved ahead before Russell delivered his first major improvement, setting a 1:43.759 before lowering the benchmark again to 1:43.347.

Ferrari ended the session fourth and fifth, with Leclerc ahead of Hamilton. Lando Norris was sixth, followed by Pierre Gasly, Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar.

There were also several close moments around the unforgiving Baku street circuit. Norris made light contact with the wall at Turn 16, while Esteban Ocon ran into the escape road at Turn 15.

Russell’s two session victories have given Mercedes an early advantage heading into Friday, but Antonelli’s limited running means the championship leader still has plenty of work to do. Verstappen and Ferrari remain within reach, while the teams now turn their attention to final practice and qualifying.

After a difficult FP1, Antonelli can take some confidence from recovering to second, but it is Russell who leaves Thursday as the clear benchmark in Baku.