Max Verstappen sets the benchmark in final Azerbaijan GP practice at Baku, breaking Mercedes’ early stranglehold with a 1m43.922s. George Russell ends second, and Lewis Hamilton takes third.

Mercedes had controlled the weekend to that point, with Russell topping both earlier sessions. That form suggested authority until Verstappen’s late soft-tyre effort shifted the competitive picture, tempering Mercedes’ early control at Baku.

Hamilton finishes a close third, roughly a tenth off Verstappen, despite time lost to brake adjustments and a bargeboard change that disrupted his qualifying runs.

The hour opens quietly, typical for a Baku Friday, after overnight repairs at Turn 7 address concerns raised during Thursday running.

Ferrari commits early to softs, while Red Bull and Mercedes prioritise mediums. Kimi Antonelli briefly leads on mediums with a 1m45.046, underlining strong baseline pace.

Ferrari’s soft-tyre stabs underwhelm initially. Lance Stroll clips the Turn 1 wall and retires, limiting Aston Martin’s correlation work and compromising long-run references.

As long runs conclude, teams switch to qualifying simulations. Russell briefly heads the order with 27 minutes remaining before the late push laps unfold.

Verstappen reports a “kangaroo” ride on exits, and his first soft run sits a second down on Russell, pointing to balance and ride challenges with the latest Red Bull upgrade.

A reset unlocks pace. Verstappen moves to within a tenth with ten minutes left, then finds the decisive lap without a tow, maximising braking confidence and traction.

Charles Leclerc trails in fourth by half a second. McLaren lags by nearly a second, reflecting set-up trade-offs between straight-line efficiency and stability through Baku’s slower sector.

The final order points to a finely poised low-fuel battle between Red Bull and Mercedes, suggesting a qualifying contest rather than a single-team lockout.

Long-run reads remain opaque, but Red Bull’s late balance gain hints at stronger race potential than early stints implied, especially over traction-limited phases.

With Russell second and Hamilton close, Mercedes retains confidence, yet Verstappen’s lap shifts momentum, reinforcing Red Bull’s capacity to respond under pressure.

The session reframes a weekend that began under Mercedes control and now promises a tighter qualifying fight, as outlined in the broader weekend recap.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.