Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell’s attempt to claim a flawless set of fastest times in the final practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, reinforcing Red Bull’s renewed challenge to the Mercedes duo ahead of Friday’s qualifying. The session was marked by increasingly gusty conditions on Baku’s street circuit, which amplified the difficulty of navigating the tight, wall‑lined layout. As the wind picked up, several drivers lost traction and ran off the track at various points throughout the hour‑long stint.
Mercedes had continued the dominance they displayed on Thursday when the weather was calmer, but Verstappen’s pace on the soft compound steadily improved. By the end of the session he had edged past Russell, posting a quickest lap of 1:43.922. Russell, who had a close call at Turn Seven when his car slid straight into the barriers, finished just 0.099 seconds slower in second place. Ferrari, which had been trailing the front‑runners for most of the practice, managed to sneak into the podium positions thanks to a late‑stage effort from Lewis Hamilton.
The former Mercedes driver used the final lap to climb to third, ending the session only 0.111 seconds behind Verstappen. Hamilton’s time benefited from a powerful tow down Baku’s long pit straight, a factor that added a burst of straight‑line speed and helped him shave precious hundredths off his lap. Both the aerodynamic tow and the persistent wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying battle, which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft highlighted the potential for an "absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying" given the challenging conditions, noting that "these are not easy conditions out there by any stretch of the imagination." Kimi Antonelli, who leads Russell by 81 points in the drivers’ championship, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who occupied the fifth spot. Both drivers experienced brief off‑track excursions during the session, underscoring how the wind and the narrow circuit walls were testing even the most experienced pilots.
Three weeks after his spectacular pole‑winning performance at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated Alpine’s progress by securing sixth place, outpacing the McLaren pair. Despite McLaren bringing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade to Baku, Lando Norris had already dismissed the reigning world champions from pole contention after Thursday’s runs, a sentiment that proved accurate as the British driver was more than 0.8 seconds off the leading pace. Oscar Piastri claimed seventh fastest, followed closely by Norris, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, returning from a three‑race layoff due to a wrist injury, found himself further down the order as he worked to regain full speed. Franco Colapinto placed tenth in the second Alpine, just ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising improvements during Friday’s morning session.
The Williams team appears to be targeting a climb into the congested upper‑midfield battle. Lance Stroll’s weekend was cut short after he completed only nine laps; his Aston Martin clipped the inside wall at Turn One and was forced to stop in the runoff area.
The incident highlighted the unforgiving nature of Baku’s street layout, where even a minor misjudgment can quickly end a run. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed with action. On Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 will kick off at 11:10 a.m., followed by the build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP qualifying at 12:30 p.m., and the qualifying session itself at 1 p.m.
Later, at 3 p.m., Ted’s Qualifying Notebook will provide expert analysis. Saturday’s agenda includes the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., a pre‑Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the main race at noon, and post‑race reaction segments in the afternoon. All sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event, with the added convenience of watching via the NOW platform, which offers a contract‑free subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
Fans are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for the best video player experience. In summary, the final practice in Baku was a showcase of how rapidly changing weather can reshape the competitive landscape. Verstappen’s ability to extract maximum performance from the soft tyres under windy conditions allowed him to edge past Russell, while Hamilton’s late‑stage surge demonstrated the importance of strategic towing on the long straight. As teams fine‑tune their setups for qualifying, the combination of wind, track layout, and aerodynamic tricks will likely produce a thrilling showdown for pole position, setting the stage for an exciting race weekend in Azerbaijan.