Verstappen fastest in Azerbaijan GP third practice; Bortoleto 13th

Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Free Practice 3 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday, recording 1m43.922s on the streets of Baku. The Red Bull driver finished 0.099 seconds ahead of George Russell (Mercedes) and 0.111s clear of Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), denying Russell a clean sweep of the three practice sessions held before qualifying.

The session began with the track surface noticeably dusty and covered in leaves due to high winds, which affected driver confidence and car balance throughout. It took approximately 20 minutes for leading contenders to begin flying laps on soft tyres. Hamilton initially set the benchmark before being surpassed by Charles Leclerc and subsequently Russell, who briefly led with a 1m44.021s. Verstappen, who had reported balance concerns earlier in the session, moved to soft tyres late in the final 20 minutes and progressively lowered his time, ultimately posting his winning lap while brushing the walls at multiple points.

Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, driving for Audi, finished 13th with a time of 1m45.854s, approximately 1.9 seconds behind Verstappen. Bortoleto complained via radio about gearbox behaviour and car balance throughout the session. Audi had spent Friday collecting data on an extensive package of new components brought to Baku, with Bortoleto noting that some improvements had been made but others had not with the new parts.

Other notable results included Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in fourth place, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in fifth, and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) in sixth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished seventh and eighth respectively. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) abandoned the session after striking the Turn 1 wall early in proceedings.

Drivers faced multiple unique challenges in Baku: the street circuit experiences significant track evolution each day due to its temporary nature, high winds generated by nearby buildings created unpredictable gusts affecting car balance, and braking temperatures dropped substantially on the long straight before the heaviest braking point at Turn 1. Qualifying was scheduled for later Friday morning, with the race set for Saturday due to a national holiday in Azerbaijan on Sunday.