FP3: Norris bounces back to top final practice in Baku
On the back of a difficult opening day at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren's Lando Norris bounced back on Saturday morning to top the third and final practice at Baku. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo reports on FP3.
Following his troublesome second practice on Friday, McLaren driver Lando Norris bounced back in the third and final one-hour session, setting the new fastest benchmark across all three sessions with a 1m 41.223s.
Reigning champion Max Verstappen sounded a positive note after the practice day, and he looked to be in strong form in the final hour of practice. The Dutch driver was just over two tenths slower than Norris which was enough for him to end up second.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri struggled to register a competitive lap time in FP3, and he found himself three-tenths behind Norris, ending up third quickest.
Having set the benchmark time in FP3, Lewis Hamilton switched to the extremely low-downforce rear wing which was used by his team-mate Charles Leclerc on Friday. The Briton struggled to put a good lap together, but his final effort saw him set the fourth quickest lap.
The Mercedes cars of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell struggled for braking stability, but they looked to be more comfortable in the closing stages of the session, completing the top six.
Williams driver Alex Albon, Haas racer Ollie Bearman, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson took the positions from P7 to P9, whilst Charles Leclerc rounded out the top 10. The Ferrari driver displayed encouraging pace early on, but he failed to improve with his final lap after running deep at Turn 4.
Isack Hadjar sat just outside the top 10, as the Racing Bulls driver headed Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber), Carlos Sainz (Williams), the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and Franco Colapinto's Alpine.
Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), Esteban Ocon (Haas), the second Kick Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly's Alpine and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) completed the classification ahead of Qualifying later today.
