Max Verstappen denied George Russell a clean sweep of practice sessions at the 2026 FIA Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting a 1:43.922 in the closing stages of Free Practice 3 at the Baku City Circuit to finish 0.099 seconds clear of the Mercedes driver.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, completed the top three with a 1:44.033 — just 0.012s behind Russell. Kimi Antonelli was fourth for Mercedes on a 1:44.273, with Charles Leclerc fifth for Ferrari at 1:44.544.
Verstappen’s decisive lap came in the final minutes of the hour-long session, with the Red Bull driver taking advantage of a slipstream along the long waterfront straight. Russell, who had briefly led on a 1:44.021, was unable to improve after running deep at Turn 7 on his final attempt and locking up into Turn 1. Russell had topped both Thursday practice sessions before Verstappen’s late intervention.
Windy conditions around the street circuit complicated matters throughout the session. Verstappen reported difficulty placing his Red Bull through Turn 16, while Hamilton, Antonelli and Verstappen each visited run-off areas at Turns 1, 4 and 15 respectively. A Virtual Safety Car period was also required after a tree branch was blown onto the circuit.
Lance Stroll’s session ended prematurely after the Aston Martin driver clipped the inside wall at Turn 1, sustaining damage that limited him to just nine laps. He finished last in the session with a 1:49.279.
Pierre Gasly was sixth for Alpine with a 1:44.637, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in seventh and eighth. Isack Hadjar, returning to the Red Bull RB22, was ninth on a 1:45.176, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto rounding out the top 10 at 1:45.592.
Carlos Sainz was 11th for Williams, followed by Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg. Sergio Pérez, Alexander Albon, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas completed the order ahead of Stroll.