FP3 report: Ferrari vs McLaren vs Mercedes for pole at Baku City Circuit? | 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP. Here are the results and report from Baku FP3 in Azerbaijan .

FP3 of the Baku Grand Prix in F1, here are the RESULTS and a SUMMARY of what happened this morning in Azerbaijan: Ferrari did well, but everyone is very close.

The third Free Practice session starts under clouds (with a few drops on the track). Sergio Perez immediately complains, and after an installation lap, decides to return to the pits. Ten minutes after the green flag, only seven drivers have set a timed lap: at the top is the Mexican, followed by Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda.

The first red flag of the session is waved for Esteban Ocon: the Alpine driver parks his car between Turn 17 and Turn 18 and is forced to retire.

With half an hour remaining, and a few more drops of rain wetting the streets of Baku, the session resumes. Everyone hits the track on red tires to search for a good time ahead of what is expected to be an extremely competitive qualifying session. The first attempts immediately ignite the battle between Red Bull and Ferrari, alternating in the top four positions: Verstappen, Sainz, Perez, Leclerc.

With the track constantly evolving, Albon, Piastri, and Hulkenberg then take over the top three spots. But there’s no time for another attempt: Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman crashes into the wall at Turn 1, bringing out the red flag again. Charging down the long start-finish straight, the Ferrari Driver Academy member entered the first corner with too much speed. In an attempt to abort the turn and head into the spacious run-off area, the young Briton misjudged his exit and slammed the front left of the car into the barrier. Twenty minutes before the end, after the marshals finish their work, Lando Norris flies to the top with a time of 1:44.226.

Charles Leclerc then puts Ferrari back on top: 1:43.455, just under two-tenths faster than an extraordinary Alexander Albon, who also benefits from a great slipstream. A few minutes pass, and the leader changes again: Sergio Perez now takes first place, lowering the time by a tenth to 1:43.389.

But then McLaren’s Oscar Piastri arrives with a fast lap of 1:42.749! The battle, however, never ends: Charles Leclerc strikes back, reclaiming the lead with a 1:42.564. And then, two minutes before the end, the surprise: George Russell flies to the top with a time of 1:42.514. The Monegasque driver once again showcased his potential for a fourth consecutive pole at this track by edging out Piastri by 0.185 seconds. However, his lead was short-lived, as Russell emerged late to take the top spot.

This could be a spectacular qualifying session later today!

Result Free practice 3 – Azerbaijan