George Russell remains the leading candidate for pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after the telemetry from Baku FP3, although Max Verstappen has emerged as a serious threat and Ferrari has moved closer to the front. The third practice session partially reduced the gaps seen during the opening day as every team increased its power-unit usage, making Mercedes appear less untouchable than it had on Thursday.
However, the characteristics that made Mercedes so strong during the first two sessions remain important heading into qualifying. Max Verstappen immediately inserted himself at the top with a Red Bull well suited to Baku, while Lewis Hamilton produced a highly competitive lap in the Ferrari SF-26. The Ferrari driver’s time, though, was significantly influenced by a powerful slipstream on the final straight, illustrating just how dramatically a tow can alter the competitive picture around the Baku City Circuit. The importance of electrical deployment on those long acceleration zones had already emerged as one of the central themes of Ferrari’s Baku energy-management challenge.
Red Bull changes its energy deployment as Max Verstappen makes the difference
The potential Red Bull showed during the opening practice sessions was confirmed in FP3, but with one important change. The team modified its deployment strategy in an attempt to distribute electrical energy more effectively around the lap. Telemetry shows Max Verstappen harvesting energy on the approach to Turn 3, accepting an initial sacrifice in order to build a stronger package for the remainder of the lap.
Through the Castle section, the RB22 displays a well-sorted suspension setup, while Max Verstappen is particularly effective between Turns 15 and 16. A good level of available energy, an effective corner-entry phase and excellent stability under lateral load combine to open a gap over George Russell at one of the circuit’s most critical points.
Max Verstappen then loses around two tenths again on the final straight, but the advantage he has accumulated immediately beforehand is enough to secure the fastest time despite being between 4 and 7 km/h slower at the top end. Those straight-line differences, together with the effects of clipping and slipstreaming, can be examined further through the F1 Top Speed Comparison.
George Russell keeps Mercedes at the centre of the Baku pole fight
George Russell continues to shine more brightly than Kimi Antonelli, largely thanks to an excellent first sector and particularly strong performance in the major braking zones at the beginning of the lap. Compared with Max Verstappen, the British driver dominates the shorter acceleration sections through the middle of the circuit and does not show the same need to recover energy before Turn 3.
The difference is also clear on the descent towards Turn 15. While Mercedes’ rivals use that section to recharge the battery ahead of the final part of the lap, with Ferrari even resorting to super-clipping, Mercedes is able to record advantages of +9 and +12 km/h over its competitors consistently throughout the downhill section.
It is no coincidence that cars short of electrical energy choose this part of the circuit to harvest. The downhill gradient allows energy to be recovered more efficiently. However, the time George Russell loses to Max Verstappen on the entry to Turns 15 and 16 is too significant to recover completely on the final straight.
A further increase in power-unit performance during qualifying nevertheless remains plausible. If Mercedes has another engine step available, it should move the team back ahead and make George Russell the leading candidate for pole position. That advantage follows a first day in which Ferrari’s energy deficit and SF-26 compromises left Mercedes ahead across several crucial areas of the Baku lap.
Ferrari improves in Baku FP3 but Lewis Hamilton’s slipstream changes the picture
Lewis Hamilton puts together an excellent lap in an SF-26 that appears to have found a considerably better balance. Up to the Castle section, the comparison with George Russell and Max Verstappen is practically even. From that point onwards, however, Ferrari begins to lose ground rapidly.
The SF-26 gives away time through the slow Castle section, again between Turns 15 and 16 and then under traction during the opening phase of the final straight. It is another reminder of the difficulties Ferrari expected to face at a circuit that had already raised concerns over the SF-26’s Baku performance outlook.
What transforms Lewis Hamilton’s final lap time is a particularly significant slipstream. His speed stabilises instead of showing the usual drop associated with clipping, which would normally compromise the closing part of the straight. The tow is worth approximately half a second of recovered lap time and allows Lewis Hamilton to finish only a tenth behind Max Verstappen.
Ferrari’s improvement is genuine, but the size of that final gap therefore has to be interpreted in the context of the assistance Lewis Hamilton received from the slipstream. For Charles Leclerc, the principal problem was instead the absence of a clean lap. During his final run, several mistakes on a circuit he also complained over the radio was still dirty prevented the Ferrari driver from converting the car’s potential into a representative lap time.
McLaren remains difficult to read before Azerbaijan GP qualifying
McLaren remains difficult to place in the competitive order as the team continues working to find the right setup with the numerous upgrades introduced in Baku. The key questions are whether McLaren can find the correct compromise at the last moment before qualifying and how much the picture will change once it fully exploits the performance available from the Mercedes power unit.
Mercedes nevertheless retains its position as the favourite, although Max Verstappen has shown that Red Bull possesses the tools required to challenge. Ferrari is closer than it appeared during the opening day, but Lewis Hamilton’s slipstream means the final FP3 classification alone does not reveal the complete competitive picture.
With a tow potentially moving lap times by around half a second at Baku, positioning on track could become another important element of the qualifying battle alongside outright car performance and energy deployment. Qualifying follows FP3 on Friday as part of the unusual weekend format, with the full session timings available in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule.
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