Max Verstappen took advantage of Red Bull's final major upgrade package of the season to top the timing boards in FP3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday.
High winds whipping through the streets of Baku made things tricky for the drivers after a fairly still Thursday, with Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen and both Mercedes drivers all locking up and heading into the track's considerable runoff areas as teams dialled into their qualifying setups.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton sat a tenth back in second and third in the session - the latter benefiting from an absolutely gargantuan three-car tow down the final straight - with championship leader Kimi Antonelli a further quarter of a second back.
Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five a full half-second back from his team-mate, with Pierre Gasly slotted into sixth ahead of the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Lance Stroll is no stranger to having a session end early this season, but opted for a bit of variety, clipping the wall and damaging his car, forcing him to stop on track as opposed to being undone by another Aston Martin technical failure.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP3 times
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:43.922 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.099 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.111 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.351 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.622 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.715 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.824 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.977 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.254 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.670 |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.683 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.770 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.932 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.996 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +2.076 |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +2.082 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2.154 |
| 18 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +2.300 |
| 19 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +2.349 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.590 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +4.665 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +5.357 |
Is there F1 today?
Qualifying is next up on Friday, September 25 at 16:00 (local time) and 13:00 (BST). ">To read the complete breakdown of the times and how to watch in select locations click here.
READ MORE: Azerbaijan GP track safety fears delays qualifying session
PRACTICE RESULTS: Azerbaijan GP times and positions


