Ferrari made a clear step forward in the third and final practice session for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third, just 0.111 seconds behind Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc ended FP3 in fifth place, 0.622 seconds off the benchmark. After a difficult opening day in Baku, the SF-26 appeared closer to the front ahead of qualifying.
The improvement offered Ferrari a more encouraging picture than Thursday, although the final practice session also suggested that the car still lacks some grip compared with its closest rivals. On the evidence of FP3, Mercedes and Max Verstappen head into qualifying as the main favourites, while Ferrari appears to have moved ahead of McLaren. At this stage, a place on the third row looks like a realistic target for the Scuderia.
Ferrari responds after a difficult Thursday in Baku
Thursday’s practice running had been relatively complicated for the Maranello team, with the overall car setup failing to deliver the level of performance Ferrari wanted. The difficulties were evident during Azerbaijan GP FP2, when Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
Ferrari consequently decided to break the curfew in order to give its engineers and mechanics more time to work on the SF-26. Teams are allowed four such exceptions during the season, and this was Ferrari’s second use of that allowance.
The weekend was expected to be challenging because Baku’s long straights reward strong power-unit performance, an area in which the SF-26 has a deficit. That has made Ferrari’s energy deployment and straight-line performance in Baku an important factor throughout the weekend. However, as has happened several times during the season, the final verdict still has to come from the track.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc make progress on soft tyres
Ferrari waited until 13 minutes into FP3 before sending both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton onto the circuit, with each driver running the soft tyre. The Scuderia once again opted for two preparation laps before beginning a flying attempt.
Charles Leclerc was forced to abort his first push lap after a warning appeared on his dashboard, while Lewis Hamilton completed his initial timed lap in 1:46.168. Only a few seconds later, Charles Leclerc moved into first place with an advantage of around six tenths over his team-mate.
Lewis Hamilton then improved on the following lap and took over at the top, moving approximately two tenths clear of Max Verstappen and four tenths ahead of Charles Leclerc. On his next flying attempt, the Monegasque climbed to second, finishing almost two tenths behind George Russell’s benchmark at that stage of the session.
Both Ferrari drivers were improving on their previous times as the run continued, but with fuel running low they were forced to return to the pits at the end of their laps.
Hamilton closes to Verstappen in the final qualifying simulation
Charles Leclerc later returned to the circuit for his final qualifying simulation, again using the soft compound. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, remained out of the car while Ferrari made further setup changes to his SF-26.
After his first attempt, Charles Leclerc remained approximately half a second behind George Russell. Ferrari then failed to improve until Lewis Hamilton’s final run, when the seven-time world champion moved into third place and finished only 0.111 seconds behind Max Verstappen’s fastest lap.
That final effort was an important signal for the Maranello team. Overall, Ferrari appeared to have made a significant step compared with the opening day of practice, with the balance of the SF-26 clearly improved. The complete practice picture and session comparisons can also be explored through the F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis.
What can Ferrari target in Baku qualifying?
Despite the progress, Ferrari still appeared to be missing some overall grip compared with its direct rivals. Mercedes and Max Verstappen therefore enter qualifying with the strongest prospects based on the final practice evidence, while the Scuderia currently appears to have an advantage over McLaren.
That leaves the third row as a realistic target for Ferrari heading into qualifying. Lewis Hamilton’s final lap demonstrated that the SF-26 can get much closer to the leading pace than it managed on Thursday, but the decisive question will be whether Ferrari can reproduce that progress when the field switches to full qualifying conditions.
Leave a Reply