2026 Azerbaijan GP FP3 – Highlights and Reaction

Welcome to Total-Motorsport.com for live coverage of FP3 at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP, as Formula 1 returns to the streets of Baku for the final practice session before Qualifying.

George Russell arrives as the clear Friday benchmark for Mercedes after topping both FP1 and FP2. His 1:43.347 in the second session left teammate Kimi Antonelli 0.552 seconds behind and Max Verstappen 0.827 seconds away for Red Bull Racing.

Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton fifth after another relatively clean session for the Scuderia. FP3 begins at 12:30 local time and gives the teams one final hour to refine their qualifying setups before the fight for pole at 16:00.

2026 Azerbaijan GP FP3 LIVE: Latest Updates

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RESULTS: How they finished in Baku

Max Verstappen denied George Russell a clean sweep of practice by setting the fastest time in Free Practice 3 at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver produced a 1:43.922 on his final qualifying simulation to beat Russell by just 0.099 seconds around the Baku City Circuit.

Here are the results below:

Pos	Driver	Team	Time
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	Alexander 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

CHEQUERED FLAG: Hamilton improves at the last moment

Lewis Hamilton is the fourth driver to take the chequered flag as he catches a wonderful tow over the start-finish line and improves to sit third-quickest.

He is just 0.111s behind Max Verstappen’s benchmark time at the Baku City Circuit with Mercedes’ George Russell splitting the pair in second.

Could there be a multi-team fight for pole position on our hands at the Azerbaijan GP as the Silver Arrows’ Thursday dominance seems to have slipped away?

3 minutes to go: Verstappen quickest!

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen goes quickest overall with a 1:43.922 and the Dutchman is definitely in the mix for pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc is off-the-road at Turn 7 with a lot of dust on his tyres as he reverses out and continues on his way at the Baku City Circuit.

Has Leclerc’s pace maxed out?

8 minutes to go: Russell almost into the wall!

George Russell almost slides into the tyre barriers at Turn 7 and stops just before his front-wing tags the tecpro! The Mercedes driver continues on his way but that was certinaly a scary moment.

Fortunately he will see himself at the top of the times and will be able to take comfort in that fact.

He is chasing his first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix.

10 minutes to go: Verstappen moves into second

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has managed to pick up a fantastic tow into Turn 1 and it’s no surprise that the 71-time Grand Prix winner moves into second.

He is now just 0.141s behind George Russell’s 1:44.021s and ahead of Kimi Antonelli.

Is the seven-time Formula 1 champion now into the fight for pole?

15 minutes to go: Issues on Hamilton’s car?

Mechanics are currently working on the brakes and barge board of Lewis Hamilton’s car and the seven-time Formula 1 world champion is now in the pits.

Is there a change the 41-year-old wants to be made as he tries to chase down the Mercedes cars or is there a problem on his SF-26?

Here is your order below:

Position	Driver	Team	Time
1	George Russell	Mercedes	1:44.021
2	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.620
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.700
4	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.916
5	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.991
6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+1.522
7	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+1.678
8	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.958
9	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+2.107
10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+2.236
11	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+2.517
12	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+2.584
13	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+2.756
14	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+2.850
15	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+3.008
16	Alex Albon	Williams	+3.036
17	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+3.068
18	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+3.127
19	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+3.226
20	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+3.655
21	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+5.102
22	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+5.181

20 minutes to go: Stroll tagged the wall

Replays show Lance Stroll lightly tagging the inside wall at Turn 1 before he is told by his race engineer that he needs to come to an immediate stop.

It’s unclear whether something was going wrong prior or if the impact caused the issue.

Regardless, he is out of the session.

24 minutes to go: Mercedes back on top

Mercedes are leading the way once again in Free Practice 3 beside the Caspian Sea as George Russell delivers a benchmark 1:44.715 to lead Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.162s.

Kimi Antonelli slots into third and he is 0.331s back with Lewis Hamilton 0.378s behind Russell as the Scuderia emerge as the Silver Arrows’ main competition.

Interestingly, Hamilton, Leclerc, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar have all abandoned their laps at the exact same time to come into the pits.

27 minutes to go: Mistakes for Hamilton, Verstappen and Antonelli

Three of the best drivers on the grid all make mistakes at the same time in the form of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Hamilton and Antonelli have small mistakes and dip down the escape roads to avoid the barriers at the Baku City Circuit on this Friday running.

Verstappen makes an error heading into Turn 15 and locks his front-right, and complains about the suspension of his car “bouncing like a kangaroo”.

30 minutes to go: Stroll out of Free Practice

Lance Stroll has come to a stop at the exit of Turn 4 and he is now detaching the steering wheel and loosing his HANS device – he is out of Free Practice 3!

The Aston Martin driver’s struggles continue on throughout the 2026 Formula 1 season, where he has seemed simply unable to catch a break.

That leaves Fernando Alonso as the sole remaining Aston Martin, and he is in 20th.

35 minutes to go: Mercedes deliver their times

Kimi Antonelli and George Russell slot into third and fourth for Mercedes respectively, with the Formula 1 championship leader 0.361s ahead of his teammate.

Antonelli leads the standings by 81 points and has the chance to win the title in the coming races but Russell remains close in terms of pace and won’t give up yet.

Which one of the Silver Arrows will emerge ahead of the other today?

40 minutes to go: Another issue for Norris?

Lando Norris is told by McLaren to come back into the pits and to avoid using high speed, with his mechanics now investigating something near the rear of the car.

All of our teams are now doing laps around the Baku City Circuit it’s Ferrari who leap to the top of the times. Are the Scuderia back in the fight?

Here is your early order:

Pos	Driver	Team	Gap
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:45.564
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.604
3	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.803
4	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+0.129
5	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.114
6	Liam Lawson	Red Bull	+0.255
7	Alexander Albon	Williams	+0.036
8	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+0.073
9	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+0.136
10	Carlos Sainz Jnr	Williams	+0.025
11	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+0.342
12	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+0.048
13	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+0.514
14	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+0.055
15	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.095
16	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.116
17	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+1.990
18	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+1.575
19	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+7.399
20	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	No Time
21	George Russell	Mercedes	No Time
22	Lando Norris	McLaren	No Time

45 minutes to go: Here come the big teams

Ferrari are preparing to take to the Baku City Circuit with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc beginning their out-laps now, and the pair are joined by Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

The Mercedes pair look the quickest this weekend but can Red Bull’s Max Verstappen or McLaren’s Lando Norris do anything about it in Azerbaijan?

Meanwhile Liam Lawson has a big lock-up into Turn 1 but fortunately there’s more than enough escape road there.

50 minutes to go: More cars heading out

There are now eight cars on track as the Williams’ pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon join Free Practice 3 at this Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.

The big hitters are still sitting in the pits, which is common for FP3 as the teams look to protect their tyre sets ahead of Qualifying later on Friday.

Pierre Gasly leads the times with a 1:50.582 with his Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto in second and 1.777s back.

55 minutes to go: What to Watch Out For in FP3?

Mercedes’ pace will be the main story as George Russell topped both Thursday sessions, including FP2 by 0.552 seconds over Kimi Antonelli. FP3 will show whether that advantage is genuine or partly influenced by different tire programs and track conditions.

Antonelli needs clean running after his hydraulic failure in FP1 and subsequent power-unit change limited his preparation, meaning FP3 is particularly important for the championship leader to complete uninterrupted long and short runs before qualifying.

Can Ferrari close the gap? Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc avoided the Soft tire in FP1, while both were inside the top five in FP2. Ferrari acknowledged that it needs to find additional pace, making its final practice runs on the soft compound one of the key areas to watch.

Wind could complicate the picture, though as forecasts indicate stronger gusts for Friday, with wind speeds potentially reaching around 75 km/h during FP3. That could make braking and car balance particularly difficult around Baku’s exposed sections.

Can Red Bull and Max Verstappen remain in the fight? Verstappen finished third in FP2, 0.827s off Russell, but Mercedes itself believes the Thursday gaps may not represent the true competitive order once everyone runs comparable programs.

GREEN FLAG: FP3 begins

Alpine are the first team out of the pits with Pierre Gasly taking to the Baku City Circuit as Free Practice 3 officially gets underway.

Alpine endured a difficult Thursday in Azerbaijan so have the team managed to find some extra pace overnight?

Gasly and Franco Colapinto will hope so.

Welcome to the Blog!

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening from around the world and thank you for joining Total-Motorsport.com for this live coverage of Free Practice 3 at the Azerbaijan GP!

George Russell looks to be the hot favourite for Mercedes ahead of Qualifying but this final hour will give the likes of Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc the chance to catch up.

Can the chasing pack catch the Brit?

Russell carries strong Thursday form into FP3

Russell has established himself as the driver to beat after leading both practice sessions on Thursday. The British driver lowered the benchmark to 1:43.347 in FP2 and looked particularly strong once the field switched to the Soft tyre for qualifying simulations.

That performance continued an encouraging start to the weekend for Mercedes, who have been the benchmark team across much of the 2026 season. Russell was quick on both Medium and Soft compounds and appeared comfortable attacking Baku’s heavy braking zones despite the low-grip surface.

FP3 will reveal whether that advantage survives overnight setup changes from Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and McLaren. The track should also continue improving as rubber builds, meaning Friday’s final practice times could fall significantly before Qualifying.

The championship context adds further importance for Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points. He needs to convert strong practice pace into a meaningful result if he is to keep any sustained pressure on his teammate.

Antonelli recovers after disrupted opening day

Antonelli’s Thursday was far less straightforward despite ending with second place in FP2. A hydraulic problem stopped his FP1 after around 25 minutes, and a subsequent power-unit change meant he also missed part of the second session.

The championship leader nevertheless recovered strongly once the car returned to the track. His 1:43.899 placed him second behind Russell, limiting the damage from a day in which he completed considerably fewer laps than several rivals.

That makes FP3 particularly valuable for Antonelli, who still has setup work to complete before Qualifying. Baku rewards confidence and rhythm, and the Italian has had less uninterrupted running than his teammate so far.

The pace remains encouraging despite the lost mileage. If Antonelli can complete a clean final practice, Mercedes could enter Qualifying with both cars firmly in the battle for pole.

Verstappen searches for more after rear-end complaints

Verstappen finished third in FP2 but was not entirely satisfied with the behaviour of the Red Bull Racing car. He complained early in the session that the rear axle was becoming unsettled over Baku’s bumps, forcing him to counter-steer more than he wanted.

The Dutchman still produced a 1:44.174 to remain within range of the two Mercedes drivers. Overnight setup work will now focus on making the RB22 more predictable without sacrificing the straight-line efficiency required along Baku’s enormous full-throttle section.

FP3 should provide the clearest indication yet of whether Red Bull Racing can genuinely challenge Mercedes over one lap. The team believe the upgrades introduced this weekend have improved the car, but more pace is still required before Qualifying.

The second car also carries plenty of interest, with Isack Hadjar continuing his first weekend back after three races out with a wrist injury. Hadjar recovered from FP1 gearbox trouble to complete a much more productive second session and will look to build on that progress in FP3.

Ferrari need final step to challenge Mercedes

Ferrari had arguably the cleanest Thursday of the leading teams, but Leclerc and Hamilton still ended FP2 more than a second behind Russell. Leclerc finished fourth with a 1:44.473, while Hamilton followed in fifth on a 1:44.665.

That gap leaves the Scuderia with work to do before Qualifying, although the raw times may not tell the entire story. Ferrari spent Thursday experimenting with tyre preparation and slipstream positioning, while both drivers completed relatively consistent programmes without major reliability problems.

Leclerc has an excellent record around Baku and remains one of the drivers most closely associated with qualifying success at the circuit. His ability to attack the Old City section and commit under braking has repeatedly made him a threat over one lap.

Hamilton will also be looking for more after identifying tyre preparation as one of the team’s main areas for improvement. Getting the Soft compound into the correct window could be crucial when the margins shrink in Q3.

McLaren face important FP3 after messy Thursday

McLaren endured one of the more complicated opening days among the leading teams. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lost running in FP1 because of bodywork and floor-related problems.

The team returned both cars to the circuit in FP2 using temporary fixes, with cable ties visible around parts of the bodywork. Norris improved to sixth but admitted the team were losing time through Baku’s slow corners and along the long straight.

That leaves FP3 carrying greater importance than usual for McLaren. Engineers need to confirm that the overnight fixes have solved the reliability concerns before turning fully towards qualifying performance.

The underlying balance has not appeared disastrous, but the MCL40 has yet to show the outright speed required to challenge Mercedes. A strong FP3 would provide reassurance that the team can still join the pole fight.

Lindblad faces rebuild after castle-section crash

Arvid Lindblad provided the biggest incident of FP2 when he clipped the wall through Baku’s narrow castle section. The impact caused substantial damage to the right-hand side of his Racing Bulls and brought out the red flag.

The rookie had looked quick before the accident and immediately apologised over the radio after admitting he had clipped the barrier by the smallest margin. It followed another FP2 crash in Madrid, leaving the team with extensive overnight repair work.

FP3 will be particularly important if the car is ready in time. Lindblad needs to rebuild confidence around a circuit where hesitation can cost almost as much lap time as over-commitment.

Liam Lawson had a more straightforward first day back with Racing Bulls, although he slipped from seventh in FP1 to 12th in FP2. The team will look for more low-speed performance overnight as both drivers target Q3.

Hadjar continues comeback after stronger FP2

Hadjar’s return to Formula 1 began with frustration when a gearbox-related problem and inconsistent braking restricted his FP1 running. The Frenchman was therefore relieved to complete a much cleaner programme in the second session.

His wrist also appeared to withstand the physical demands of Baku without significant problems. That is an encouraging sign given the number of heavy braking zones and the amount of steering input required around the street circuit.

FP3 gives Hadjar another hour to close the gap to Verstappen and rebuild his confidence before Qualifying. The focus is likely to remain on clean laps and predictable balance rather than chasing the timing screens immediately.

The stronger his final practice, the easier it will be for Red Bull Racing to use data from both cars when making final setup decisions. That could prove valuable if the battle at the front remains tight.

Williams assess upgrade after mixed opening day

Williams spent much of Thursday evaluating its latest upgrade package, but the opening day was not without problems. Carlos Sainz suffered a brake fire in FP1 before finishing 17th in FP2, while Alex Albon was 16th.

Both drivers nevertheless felt the car had taken a small step forward compared with recent races. The new package appears to have improved overall balance, although the team still needs to extract more performance before Qualifying.

Baku should theoretically suit Williams because straight-line efficiency has traditionally been one of the car’s stronger characteristics. The team now needs to combine that advantage with better low-speed performance through the opening two sectors.

FP3 will provide the final opportunity to understand the upgraded specification under low-fuel conditions. A move towards the top 10 would suggest the overnight changes have worked.

Audi continue work with major Baku upgrade

Audi are also running an extensive upgrade package this weekend and used Thursday primarily as a test day. Nico Hulkenberg compared old and new specifications across the two sessions, while Gabriel Bortoleto gathered additional aero data.

Neither driver finished near the front in FP2, with Bortoleto 14th and Hulkenberg further back after an interrupted opening day. The team nevertheless believe the package is broadly delivering the performance predicted by simulation.

FP3 should therefore involve less experimental running and more direct qualifying preparation. Audi need to convert development progress into lap time if they are to compete for Q3.

The midfield is close enough that a few tenths could move either driver several places. Baku’s long straights also make slipstream effects especially important when comparing individual laps.

Soft tyre preparation becomes crucial

The C5 Soft compound should dominate the latter stages of FP3 as teams complete their final qualifying simulations. Bringing the tyre into the correct operating window remains one of the biggest challenges around Baku.

The long straights allow tyre temperatures to fall before drivers arrive at heavy braking zones. That can make the front axle particularly difficult to manage when approaching Turns 1 and 3.

Teams will use FP3 to refine out-lap procedures and understand how aggressively the tyres need to be worked before a flying lap. Too little preparation risks lock-ups, while too much can leave the compound overheated later in the lap.

Hamilton highlighted tyre preparation as one of Ferrari’s main areas for improvement after Thursday. Similar concerns are likely to occupy several garages before Qualifying.

Slipstream tactics could dominate final practice

Baku’s main straight makes the tow unusually powerful, and teams spent much of Thursday experimenting with gaps between cars. Russell’s fastest FP1 lap benefited from a slipstream, illustrating how dramatically another car can influence the timing screens.

FP3 will offer one final opportunity to practise those tactics before Qualifying. Drivers need to find enough clean air through the technical sections while still positioning themselves to gain speed along the straights.

The risk is catching another car in the wrong place. A perfect tow can be worth several tenths, while dirty air through the Old City can immediately compromise a lap.

That means headline times should still be treated carefully. Two cars with similar underlying pace can appear far apart if only one receives an ideal slipstream.

Traffic could create qualifying-style chaos

Baku’s 6.003km length provides more room than many street circuits, but traffic remains a serious problem because drivers slow dramatically on preparation laps. The narrow castle section leaves almost no space for another car to move aside safely.

FP3 should feature several qualifying-style sequences as teams practise creating gaps. Drivers will want to understand where they can back off without interfering with rivals or losing too much tyre temperature.

The problem becomes especially acute late in a session when everyone wants to run in the best track conditions. That could make the final 10 minutes of FP3 resemble Q1.

Teams that manage those situations cleanly will enter Qualifying with a useful advantage. Those that repeatedly encounter traffic may struggle to understand their true pace.

Baku track evolution remains significant

The circuit was dusty and slippery when Formula 1 running began on Thursday, but grip improved considerably across the two sessions. That trend should continue during FP3 as more rubber is deposited on the racing line.

The resurfaced sections around Turns 2, 3 and 4 also appear to be evolving differently from the older asphalt. Drivers need to account for those variations when setting brake balance and choosing lines.

Lap times should therefore continue falling even without major setup changes. Engineers must separate natural track evolution from genuine improvements made overnight.

That makes consistent back-to-back runs particularly valuable. FP3 is the final opportunity to verify those changes before parc ferme conditions begin with Qualifying.

What to watch in Azerbaijan GP FP3

• Russell’s attempt to complete a practice-session clean sweep
• Antonelli’s final preparation after losing significant Thursday running
• Mercedes’ advantage over the rest of the field
• Verstappen’s response after complaining about rear-end stability
• Leclerc’s attempt to bring Ferrari into the pole battle
• Hamilton’s work on Soft tyre preparation
• Norris and Piastri’s recovery after McLaren’s bodywork problems
• Hadjar’s continued comeback for Red Bull Racing
• Lindblad’s return after his heavy FP2 crash
• Lawson’s search for more low-speed pace with Racing Bulls
• Williams’ evaluation of its upgrade package
• Audi’s qualifying preparation with its new specification
• Soft tyre qualifying simulations
• Slipstream tactics along Baku’s main straight
• Traffic management around the Old City
• Front tyre temperatures before heavy braking zones
• Track evolution on the street surface
• Wind gusts around exposed parts of the circuit
• Final setup changes before Qualifying

With Russell fastest in both Thursday sessions and Antonelli recovering to give Mercedes a one-two in FP2, the Silver Arrows begin final practice with a clear advantage. Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton and the two McLaren drivers all need to find more if they are to turn Qualifying into a genuine multi-team fight.

FP3 begins at 12:30 local time, with Qualifying following at 16:00 as the Azerbaijan GP continues its unusual Friday schedule. Stay with Total-Motorsport.com for live lap times, Soft tyre simulations, qualifying preparation, technical updates and all the key moments from FP3 at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan GP.