Verstappen tops Baku FP3 ahead of Russell, Hamilton
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 25, 2026
Final practice sets up qualifying
Max Verstappen ended final practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on top, turning a lap of 1 minute 43.922 seconds to edge George Russell and set the pace before qualifying later Friday. Russell had briefly held first with a lap of 1 minute 44.021 seconds, but Verstappen found more speed in the closing minutes and reclaimed the top spot. His fastest lap came with tow assistance on Baku’s long straight, where slipstreaming can make a clear difference over one lap.
The margin at the front stayed tight, with Verstappen 0.099 seconds ahead of Russell at the end of the session. Lewis Hamilton took third, 0.111 seconds off the pace, and the top three all finished within a little more than a tenth of a second of one another. That kind of spread gave the final practice order a sharp edge heading into qualifying, where small gains on the street circuit can carry real weight. The session was scheduled to lead into qualifying at 4 p.m. local time, and the closing run showed teams pushing to find the last bit of speed before the grid was set.
Russell and Hamilton give chase
Russell and Hamilton headed the list of Verstappen’s closest challengers, and the rest of the top 10 followed in a steady line behind them. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, Charles Leclerc was fifth and Pierre Gasly placed sixth. Oscar Piastri took seventh, Lando Norris was eighth, Isack Hadjar ended ninth and Franco Colapinto completed the top 10 in 10th. The order reflected a session where drivers built pace gradually rather than striking immediately, with the field working through soft and medium Pirelli tires as the laps added up.
The pace picture stayed fluid through the run, and the late improvement at the front underlined how much the order could change as laps accumulated. The closely matched times left qualifying with several leading names separated by small margins on the timesheet.
Baku interruptions slow session
Final practice did not run cleanly from the start. Dusty and windy conditions delayed the session before the drivers could settle into their work, and the interruptions did not stop there. A brief virtual safety car came out after a tree branch fell on the track, adding another pause to a session that already needed extra time before the field could build rhythm. Lance Stroll also hit the Turn 1 wall and stopped, another reminder of how quickly Baku can punish a small mistake.
Despite the disrupted start, the session eventually reached its decisive phase. Verstappen’s tow-assisted lap on Baku’s long straight brought final practice to a clear finish before qualifying.
