Norris sets the pace in gusty final practice in Baku

Lando Norris topped the times in the final practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with drivers battling gusty winds and yellow-flag interruptions as they made their last adjustments ahead of Qualifying.

The last hour of practice got off to a subdued start, with the majority of cars kept in the garage as teams waited for Baku’s gusty street circuit to edge closer towards its peak, while preserving their precious, and limited, medium compound tyres.

Looking to build on his top-ten pace ahead of Qualifying, Liam Lawson was the first driver to exit the pitlane after over five minutes of silence, however, it was only a brief appearance on the hard compound tyre.

Lawson’s first show of pace came 10 minutes later when the Kiwi recorded a time of 1:46.197s, which left him in the latter half of the field before an impressive effort sent the #30 soaring up the timesheets.

Catching a strong double tow from Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson vaulted into the top three with a 1:44.318s lap, clocking 10km/h more than the McLaren down the straight.

The minutes ticked by, and soon P7 was where Lawson’s pace was placing him, prompting a return to the Racing Bulls garage for a reprieve.

It wasn’t an ideal return to running when the Kiwi was sent spinning at Turn 16, leaving his soft compound tyres worse for wear as the session came to a close.

Lawson now finds himself heading into Qualifying off the back of his lowest finishing position of the weekend, with P14 all the Kiwi could manage as the chequered flag waved.

Coming into Free Practice 3 with a reprimand against his name for a yellow flag infringement during FP2, Oscar Piastri’s session kick-started after 15 minutes of patience when he set purple sector after purple sector — an effort which equated to a new benchmark of 1:44.817s.

Traffic forced the Australian to back out of his second attempt, however, he quickly put his frustration behind him to get to the top of the table on the next tour with a benchmark of 1:42.726s.

That lap remained Piastri’s fastest for the next 20 minutes of FP3, before he made the switch to a fresh set of soft compound tyres. 

It was an unsuccessful first and second attempt for the #81, who was forced to back out after experiencing a huge slide into Turn 4 before running straight on at the first turn.

Finally putting a lap together, Piastri set three personal best sectors which equated to a time of 1:41.538s, placing him in P3 behind Verstappen and Norris.

Third place was where the Australian rounded out the final hour of practice, taking the cheered flag with a fastest time of 1:41.477s ahead of tonight’s qualifying shootout.

With gusts over 25km/h sweeping in from the Caspian Sea, drivers felt the push down the main straight, and as a result, yellow flags became a regular feature across the hour in the unfamiliar conditions.

At the track where he made his Haas debut in 2024, Ollie Bearman was the first to rely on the run-off area at Turn 4 as he pre-cautiously backed out of the corner to avoid the same mistake so many made on Friday. 

The rookie went on to set the first flying lap of the session, recording a time of 1:47.333s on the hard compound tyre before describing the wind conditions as “challenging”.

McLaren was the first top team to emerge from the pitlane, with Norris leading the papaya charge as the clock ticked towards 45 minutes remaining. 

Chasing a result that will draw him closer towards his championship-leading teammate this weekend, Norris fell short of Bearman’s opening run with a time of 1:45.815s in the “sketchy” conditions.

As the rest of the drivers joined the McLarens on track, the #4 stepped it up a notch as he recorded a boosted benchmark, however, the competition was just warming up.]

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put almost six-tenths between himself and the Brit after his first flying attempt, with Max Verstappen and Alex Albon both putting further distance between Norris and P1 as the minutes ticked by. 

Feeling good after topping yesterday’s FP2 session, Lewis Hamilton was the next driver to claim P1, but both Carlos Sainz, Piastri, and, once again, Leclerc put an end to his reign with 20 minutes to go.

Gabriel Bortoleto was one driver who continually struggled with judging his braking points as he locked up at multiple corners around the Baku City Circuit, leaving him five seconds off the pace at the back of the order while Pierre Gasly hit the inside barrier at Turn 5, noting pain and an injured thumb.

Leclerc also misjudged his entry point into Turn 7, banging his SF-25 against the outside barrier and calling upon his team to check for any punctures and the state of the suspension as he continued his flying lap. 

The Monegasque returned to the pitlane for a check over, while Verstappen quietly shot to the top by a significant margin of six-tenths. 

The final 15 minutes saw the Dutchman’s time challenged as many drivers opted to run a fresh set of C6 tyres as the track reached its FP3 peak.

Rejoining after a brief stint in the pitlane, Norris reclaimed his place as the fastest driver on track, putting five-tenths between himself and last round’s Italian Grand Prix winner, while Albon held onto third place over the Mercedes duo despite noting the wind was picking up. 

The final five minutes mimicked a Q3 shootout, with the order continuously evolving as confidence and the power of a solid tow around the Baku City Circuit were at an all-time high. 

Powered by optimism this weekend, Hamilton set the fastest first sector to move into P3, jumping clear of his former teammate, whose illness out of the car was translating to a poor sensation in the car.

Sitting in P7, George Russell said he was unable to attack the corners around the 6km circuit, with his tyres proving his complaints regarding front locking true as he sported significant flat spots as the last moments ticked by.

The Silver Arrow duo ultimately ended the final hour of practice in P5 and P6, with the Italian rookie the quicker Mercedes ahead of Qualifying. 

Ahead, Hamilton lost out to another top-three finish in practice, with Piastri just snatching the third fastest time from the seven-time world champion to finish FP3 behind Norris and Verstappen.

The #4 McLaren posted a fastest time of 1:41.223s on the soft compound tyre to end the session over two-tenths clear of the fast-charging Bull behind. 

The field will have a few crucial hours to analyse their FP3 findings before the first competitive session of the weekend kicks off, with Qualifying to set the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking place at 22:00 AEST.

Image: McLaren

Free Practice 3 Results:

2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Weekend Schedule (AEST):

Friday, September 19th:

FP1: 18:30 – 19:30

FP2: 22:00 – 23:00

Saturday, September 20th:

FP3: 18:30 – 19:30

Qualifying: 22:00 – 23:00

Sunday, September 21st:

Race: 21:00

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