The third practice session for the 2026 F1 Round 15 Azerbaijan Grand Prix concluded in Baku on 25 September. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led with 1:43.922, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell, 0.099s behind, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, 0.111s adrift. The three fastest laps were separated by just 0.111s, with three different teams occupying the top three.
Verstappen takes the lead in the final minutes
Russell had topped both FP1 and FP2 the previous day, but Verstappen moved ahead in the final minutes of FP3. Both Mercedes drivers began on medium tyres before switching to softs with around 15 minutes remaining. Russell recorded 1:44.177 and then 1:44.021 but could not improve again. Verstappen’s 1:43.922 beat him, ending Russell’s chance of leading all three practice sessions.
Kimi Antonelli was fourth, 0.351s behind Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc fifth, 0.622s off the pace. Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari filled the top five, with Mercedes and Ferrari taking two places each. Antonelli completed 21 laps and Leclerc 22; Verstappen and Russell each ran 21 laps, while Hamilton completed 18.
Pierre Gasly was sixth, 0.715s behind, making him the highest-placed driver outside the leading three teams. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were seventh and eighth, 0.824s and 0.977s adrift respectively. Isack Hadjar was ninth and Franco Colapinto tenth.
Stroll hits the wall and completes only 9 laps
Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg occupied positions 11 to 15 in that order. Lance Stroll ended his session early after clipping the inside wall at Turn 1 and damaging a wheel. He completed only 9 laps and finished 22nd, with substantially less running than the leading drivers. The complete 22-driver results follow.
| Position | Driver | Team | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:43.922 | 21 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.099 | 21 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.111 | 18 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.351 | 21 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.622 | 22 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.715 | 20 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.824 | 20 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.977 | 20 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.254 | 22 |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.670 | 20 |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1.683 | 24 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.770 | 25 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.932 | 18 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.996 | 21 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +2.076 | 18 |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +2.082 | 19 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.154 | 24 |
| 18 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +2.300 | 23 |
| 19 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +2.349 | 22 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.590 | 19 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +4.665 | 19 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +5.357 | 9 |
INKA SPORTS analysis: a change at the top requires context on lap times and running conditions
Verstappen had been third in FP2 with 1:44.174, so his best FP3 lap was 0.252s faster. Russell went from 1:43.347 in FP2 to 1:44.021 in FP3, a slowdown of 0.674s. Their opposite trajectories show that the change at the top cannot simply be described as everyone getting faster as the circuit improved. This comparison uses the best lap from each session; it does not isolate car upgrades or a loss of performance as the cause.
There was also specific context to the running. The official report noted strong winds blowing dust and leaves onto the track, while Mercedes ran on mediums before trying softs. The gaps of 0.099s and 0.111s between the fastest laps show how close this session’s times were, but do not remove the differences in conditions for each lap. Meanwhile, Stroll’s brush with the wall directly reduced his practice mileage. In Baku, pushing close to the barriers also affects whether a driver can preserve the rest of the preparation time.
Summary
Verstappen set the fastest FP3 lap, closely followed by Russell and Hamilton. The close times and Stroll’s early exit were the two main threads of the final practice session before qualifying. Practice positions do not determine the starting order. The official schedule lists qualifying next at 16:00 Baku local time on 25 September, equivalent to 20:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8).
