Verstappen tops final practice in Baku on a double tow as Stroll hits the wall
Verstappen, Russell and Hamilton covered by just over a tenth going into qualifying
Max Verstappen set the fastest time in final practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a 1:43.922 that put his Red Bull 0.099 seconds ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton was third for Ferrari, only 0.111 seconds off, so the top three were covered by just over a tenth going into qualifying this afternoon.
It is the first time this season that Verstappen has topped a third practice session. On Thursday Russell had been fastest in first practice and Mercedes had locked out the top two in second practice, with Verstappen eight tenths back.
A tow on the long straight did part of the work
Baku rewards a slipstream more than almost any other circuit, and PlanetF1 reported that Verstappen used a double tow on his fastest lap. That does not make the lap meaningless, but it does mean the gap to Russell says less than it seems. Kimi Antonelli was fourth in the second Mercedes and Charles Leclerc fifth, 0.622 seconds down.
The wind was stronger than on Thursday and several drivers went off, among them Verstappen at Turn 15, Antonelli at Turn 1 and Arvid Lindblad at Turn 16. Isack Hadjar, back in the second Red Bull after three races out, was ninth, 1.254 seconds behind his team-mate.
Stroll stopped after hitting the wall
Lance Stroll clipped the wall at Turn 4 and was told to stop the car, which brought a brief Virtual Safety Car while the debris was cleared. He ended the session last. It adds to a difficult weekend for Aston Martin: both Stroll and Fernando Alonso already take grid penalties in Baku for Honda power unit changes, and Alonso was 20th here, 2.590 seconds off the pace.
Final practice results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Best lap | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:43.922 | – |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:44.021 | +0.099 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:44.033 | +0.111 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:44.273 | +0.351 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:44.544 | +0.622 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:44.637 | +0.715 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:44.746 | +0.824 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:44.899 | +0.977 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:45.176 | +1.254 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:45.592 | +1.670 |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:45.605 | +1.683 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:45.692 | +1.770 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:45.854 | +1.932 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:45.918 | +1.996 |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:45.998 | +2.076 |
| 16 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:46.004 | +2.082 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:46.076 | +2.154 |
| 18 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:46.222 | +2.300 |
| 19 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:46.271 | +2.349 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:46.512 | +2.590 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:48.587 | +4.665 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:49.279 | +5.357 |
Classification compiled from PlanetF1, Scuderiafans and Total Motorsport. Lap counts were not published.
Our bet for qualifying: Mercedes, unless the tow falls right
Over two days Mercedes has been the more consistent car. It topped both sessions on Thursday, Russell led the early part of this session on medium tyres, and Verstappen’s best lap came with help from the cars ahead. We would still make Russell the favourite for pole, with Verstappen the driver most likely to beat him if Red Bull gets the timing of his final run right.
What to watch in qualifying
Qualifying starts at 14:00 Dutch time, 13:00 in the UK. The Grand Prix follows on Saturday at 13:00 Dutch time, a day earlier than usual. Our full Baku timetable has every session.
