VERSTAPPEN TOPS FP3 IN BAKU AS HE IS ON THE LIMIT
Max Verstappen topped the third and final free practice session for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, beating Mercedes driver George Russell by just 0.099 seconds. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three, only 0.111s away from Verstappen, as the three drivers showed a very similar level of performance ahead of qualifying.
Mercedes once again looked very strong in Baku after George Russell topped both Thursday practice sessions. The Silver Arrows continued to show good pace throughout FP3, with Russell spending much of the session at the front and Kimi Antonelli also fighting for the top positions.
The session started with a relatively low level of grip, with wind blowing leaves onto the circuit. Pierre Gasly was the first driver to take to the track, using medium tyres, before several other drivers joined him. Ferrari waited more than ten minutes before sending Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton out on soft tyres.
After their first runs, Ferrari immediately showed an improvement compared with Thursday. Leclerc initially led Hamilton by six tenths, while the Mercedes drivers were running on the harder medium compound. Hamilton and Verstappen then improved their times, moving into first and second respectively, while Leclerc also moved closer to the front.
Antonelli briefly took the lead before Russell and Leclerc moved ahead. With 25 minutes remaining, Russell was first, almost two tenths ahead of Leclerc, while Antonelli and Hamilton were also within a few tenths. Lando Norris, meanwhile, had a difficult start to the session after a problem with his McLaren forced him back into the pits after his opening lap.
Norris eventually returned to the track on soft tyres and moved into eighth, but remained around 1.5 seconds away from Russell’s best time at that stage. McLaren therefore remained difficult to judge, with the team still working on the setup of the MCL40 in Baku.
With around 15 minutes remaining, Mercedes and Red Bull switched to new soft tyres for their final qualifying simulations. Russell stayed at the top after his first attempt, while Antonelli initially remained six tenths behind his team-mate. The Italian then improved considerably, reducing the gap to around two and a half tenths.
Verstappen soon moved between the two Mercedes cars, while Leclerc also improved but remained around five tenths away from Russell. Hamilton was delayed slightly after Mercedes made a setup change, meaning he completed his final run later than his team-mate.
Russell then had a moment at Turn 7 and went into the barriers, although he was able to reverse back onto the circuit and continue. Verstappen took advantage of his final attempt, producing a 1:43.922 to move to the top of the timesheets by 0.099s.
Hamilton also improved on his final lap to take third, leaving Mercedes with two cars inside the top three. The result also marked Verstappen’s first FP3 session topped in the 2026 season.
Ferrari’s pace was another positive sign compared with Thursday. Leclerc had remained fourth in FP2, while Hamilton was fifth, but both Ferrari drivers looked closer to Mercedes during the final practice session. The SF-26 still appeared to lack some grip compared with its main rivals, but the gap was reduced as the track evolved.
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