Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Russell dominates, Alpine struggles, and Albon shines
Third and final free practice session, here in Baku. Once again, the session was lively with several red flags and driving errors. This time, it's George Russell who leads the session, with the fastest lap time.
The drivers set off today at 10:30 am for the third and final free practice session before this afternoon’s qualifying.
The setbacks of Alpine
The session started calmly due to a slightly wet track, but quickly intensified with the appearance of yet another red flag, caused by an issue on Esteban Ocon’s Alpine, which had to stop on the track. A so far catastrophic weekend for the French driver who could only enjoy one practice session. As a reminder, he encountered an issue with the MGU-H in Free Practice 1, preventing him from completing a fast lap.
On his side, Pierre Gasly finishes the session in fifteenth place, a result expected by the Frenchman, who admitted to having experienced the most difficult day of the season yesterday. According to him, the Alpine slides too much and lacks grip. Solutions will need to be found for this afternoon’s qualifying session.
Bearman in the barriers
Second red flag, this time caused by the Haas driver, Ollie Bearman, going off track at turn 1 on his first attempt at a fast lap. He found himself caught between two decisions, not moving aside early enough to use the run-off area, but also not fully committing to taking the corner. The result was a strange half-abandonment, where he tried to slide towards the run-off area, but ended up hitting the safety barriers.
Alex Albon in good shape in his Williams.
The Thai driver seems to have found the perfect settings for his single-seater, displaying an impressive pace during this session. In qualifying trim, Albon set a blistering lap, hinting at a great opportunity for the upcoming qualifications.
George Russell the fastest, Hamilton lagging behind.
Russell sets the fastest time, confirming his competitiveness on a demanding urban circuit. The young Briton continues to show that he is a serious contender for the top. Meanwhile, his teammate Lewis Hamilton has remained in the background, struggling to find the right balance in his car. Despite his efforts, the seven-time world champion has not been able to keep up with Russell’s pace, casting doubt on his chances of shining in qualifying and the race.
The result of the free practice 3
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:42.514 | 15 | |
| 2 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:42.527 | +0.013 | 15 |
| 3 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:42.737 | +0.223 | 14 |
| 4 | Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1:42.749 | +0.235 | 12 |
| 5 | Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:42.864 | +0.350 | 14 |
| 6 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:42.968 | +0.454 | 15 |
| 7 | Perez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:43.024 | +0.510 | 14 |
| 8 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:43.194 | +0.680 | 12 |
| 9 | Colapinto | Williams Racing | 1:43.238 | +0.724 | 13 |
| 10 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:43.301 | +0.787 | 13 |
| 11 | Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:43.474 | +0.960 | 15 |
| 12 | Tsunoda | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:43.503 | +0.989 | 16 |
| 13 | Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:43.571 | +1.057 | 17 |
| 14 | Ricciardo | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:43.870 | +1.356 | 17 |
| 15 | Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:44.150 | +1.636 | 13 |
| 16 | Hülkenberg | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:44.164 | +1.650 | 12 |
| 17 | Bottas | Stake F1 Team | 1:44.187 | +1.673 | 17 |
| 18 | Guanyu | Stake F1 Team | 1:44.869 | +2.355 | 19 |
| 19 | Ocon | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1 | ||
| 20 | Bearman | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 2 |
