Final practice in Baku ended this afternoon as George Russell claims his stake at the top of the charts, finishing quickest ahead of FP2 front-runner Charles LeClerc and the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri as Max Verstappen struggled to put his Red Bull back on top since the opening session on Friday.

Adding to an already slippery surface, drivers were welcomes to the circuit Saturday morning to clouds and a light drizzle – a far cry from Friday’s bright and dry conditions – further compounding an already notoriously difficult track surface. However, slick tires were still in order when the lights went green at 12:30 as drivers took time to build up speed during the session with some, such as Sergio Perez, noting the circuit felt damp from the overnight weather changes.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the FP3 action in Baku as Russell tops the timesheets while Bearman crashes

The first red flags of the session soon fell as Esteban Ocon ran into trouble. With a new power unit in his Alpine after a change overnight to remedy his Friday struggles, he radioed to his team that he wouldn’t be able to make it back to the pits as his Alpine spluttered and died on track in the final sector. Recovery crews soon went to work to gather the stricken car as teams readied themselves for the next phase of practice as the lights went green for the second time.

Despite some instances of rain, the first true laps of the day came as Alex Albon and Frano Colapinto briefly held the 1-2 spots on the time sheets ahead of Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. Soon, Oscar Piastri joined the fray along with Nico Hulkenberg, who both split the Williams pair before Oliver Bearman brought out the second red flag moment of the session. Misjudging the entry, Bearman’s Haas made contact with the barriers in Turn 1 as he attempted to take an escape road, tearing off the front left of the car in the process.

With 20 minutes remaining, the lights went green for the third time as soft-tire stints made their appearance with Piastri taking over the top spot over half a second clear from Perez and LeClerc. Not to be outdone, LeClerc soon set his own benchmark, further lowering the quickest time to 1:42.564s as Norris jumped ahead of Piastri for second. George Russell would then take over the top spot in the closing moments of FP3, narrowly finishing ahead of LeClerc who again improved his time over Norris and Piastri.

Max Verstappen would end his session 5th behind Russell, LeClerc, Norris, and Piastri, while Carlos Sainz ended sixth overall. Sergio Perez ended his day seventh, over half a second back from Russell, as Alex Albon, Franco Colapinto, and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top 10.

Next up in Baku is this evenings knock-out qualifying. Could this be another pole for LeClerc and make him a 4-time polesitter, or will McLaren mount a charge and take hold of the constructors title over Red Bull? Tune in at 16:00 local time to find out.

Free Practice 1 Report: CLICK HERE

Free Practice 2 Report: CLICK HERE

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Free Practice 3 Results: