diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts
index d9f1c9da72602..b30b06cbc3f4d 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/chromium.ts
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export class Chromium extends BrowserType {
         noDefaults: options.noDefaults,
       };
       validateBrowserContextOptions(persistent, browserOptions);
-      const browser = await progress.race(CRBrowser.connect(this.attribution.playwright, transport, browserOptions));
+      const browser = await progress.race(CRBrowser.connect(this.attribution.playwright, transport, browserOptions, undefined, true /* connectToExistingBrowser */));
       if (!options.isLocal)
         browser._isBrowserCollocatedWithServer = false;
       browser.on(Browser.Events.Disconnected, doCleanup);
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crBrowser.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crBrowser.ts
index ec96fb94966da..3b0fa29be618e 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crBrowser.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crBrowser.ts
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export class CRBrowser extends Browser {
   private _tracingClient: CRSession | undefined;
   private _userAgent: string = '';
 
-  static async connect(parent: SdkObject, transport: ConnectionTransport, options: BrowserOptions, devtools?: CRDevTools): Promise<CRBrowser> {
+  static async connect(parent: SdkObject, transport: ConnectionTransport, options: BrowserOptions, devtools?: CRDevTools, connectToExistingBrowser?: boolean): Promise<CRBrowser> {
     // Make a copy in case we need to update `headful` property below.
     options = { ...options };
     const connection = new CRConnection(parent, transport, options.protocolLogger, options.browserLogsCollector);
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ export class CRBrowser extends Browser {
       }),
       browser._defaultContext.initialize(),
     ]);
-    await browser._waitForAllPagesToBeInitialized();
+    await browser._waitForAllPagesToBeInitialized(connectToExistingBrowser);
     return browser;
   }
 
@@ -157,8 +157,15 @@ export class CRBrowser extends Browser {
     return this.options.name === 'clank';
   }
 
-  async _waitForAllPagesToBeInitialized() {
-    await Promise.all([...this._crPages.values()].map(crPage => crPage._page.waitForInitializedOrError()));
+  async _waitForAllPagesToBeInitialized(connectToExistingBrowser?: boolean) {
+    await Promise.all([...this._crPages.values()].map(crPage => {
+      // When connecting to an existing browser, do not block on a page that is stuck on the initial
+      // empty document - its first navigation may never commit. Such a page is reported later, once
+      // it navigates. See https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/41093.
+      if (connectToExistingBrowser)
+        return Promise.race([crPage._page.waitForInitializedOrError(), crPage._initialEmptyPagePromise]);
+      return crPage._page.waitForInitializedOrError();
+    }));
   }
 
   _onAttachedToTarget({ targetInfo, sessionId, waitingForDebugger }: Protocol.Target.attachedToTargetPayload) {
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crPage.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crPage.ts
index 907f4a47907ca..884b07ae7729f 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crPage.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/chromium/crPage.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  */
 
 import { assert } from '@isomorphic/assert';
+import { ManualPromise } from '@isomorphic/manualPromise';
 import { rewriteErrorMessage } from '@isomorphic/stackTrace';
 import { eventsHelper } from '@utils/eventsHelper';
 import * as dialog from '../dialog';
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ export class CRPage implements PageDelegate {
   private readonly _pdf: CRPDF;
   private readonly _coverage: CRCoverage;
   readonly _browserContext: CRBrowserContext;
+  readonly _initialEmptyPagePromise = new ManualPromise<void>();
 
   // Holds window features for the next popup being opened via window.open,
   // until the popup target arrives. This could be racy if two oopifs
@@ -496,6 +498,8 @@ class FrameSession {
           lifecycleEventsEnabled.catch(e => {}).then(() => {
             this._eventListeners.push(eventsHelper.addEventListener(this._client, 'Page.lifecycleEvent', event => this._onLifecycleEvent(event)));
           });
+          if (!this._crPage._initialEmptyPagePromise.isDone())
+            this._crPage._initialEmptyPagePromise.resolve();
         } else {
           this._firstNonInitialNavigationCommittedFulfill();
           this._eventListeners.push(eventsHelper.addEventListener(this._client, 'Page.lifecycleEvent', event => this._onLifecycleEvent(event)));
diff --git a/tests/library/chromium/connect-over-cdp.spec.ts b/tests/library/chromium/connect-over-cdp.spec.ts
index 5ebca4c902078..91697c7d1abca 100644
--- a/tests/library/chromium/connect-over-cdp.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/library/chromium/connect-over-cdp.spec.ts
@@ -224,6 +224,53 @@ test('should connect to existing page with iframe and navigate', async ({ browse
   }
 });
 
+test('should connect to a browser with a page stuck loading its first navigation', {
+  annotation: {
+    type: 'issue',
+    description: 'https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/41093'
+  }
+}, async ({ browserType, server, childProcess, waitForPort, mode }, testInfo) => {
+  test.skip(mode !== 'default', 'Spawns the browser executable directly');
+
+  // Hold the response so the tab's first navigation never commits; release it later.
+  let releaseHang = () => {};
+  server.setRoute('/hang', (req, res) => {
+    releaseHang = () => {
+      res.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'text/html' });
+      res.end('<html></html>');
+    };
+  });
+
+  const port = 9339 + testInfo.workerIndex;
+  // Launch the browser directly (not via Playwright) so that we are the only CDP client.
+  childProcess({
+    command: [browserType.executablePath(),
+      `--remote-debugging-port=${port}`,
+      `--user-data-dir=${testInfo.outputPath('cdp-user-data-dir')}`,
+      '--headless=new',
+      '--no-first-run',
+      '--no-default-browser-check',
+      'about:blank',
+    ],
+  });
+  await waitForPort(port);
+
+  // Open a tab whose very first navigation never commits.
+  await Promise.all([
+    server.waitForRequest('/hang'),
+    fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/json/new?${server.PREFIX}/hang`, { method: 'PUT' }),
+  ]);
+
+  // connectOverCDP must not hang waiting for the stuck page to commit a navigation.
+  const cdpBrowser = await browserType.connectOverCDP(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/`);
+  const context = cdpBrowser.contexts()[0];
+  // The stuck tab has not committed a navigation yet, so it is not reported. Releasing the
+  // response lets it finish navigating to /hang and show up in the context.
+  releaseHang();
+  await expect.poll(() => context.pages().map(page => page.url())).toContain(server.PREFIX + '/hang');
+  await cdpBrowser.close();
+});
+
 test('should connect to existing service workers', async ({ browserType, mode, server }, testInfo) => {
   const port = 9339 + testInfo.workerIndex;
   const browserServer = await browserType.launch({