After Max Verstappen set the pace for Red Bull Racing in FP1 and FP2, Formula 1 returned for final practice before qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In FP3, teams ran qualifying simulations, perfecting their pace over the course of one lap in order to maximize their potential performance in the session which determines the starting order for the race.
Valtteri Bottas tops FP3 ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying
After FP1 and FP2 marked incident after incident with 113 yellow flags being waved in both sessions, FP3 was much quieter, with only Stoffel Vandoorne, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin Magnussen, Daniil Kvyat, and Lance Stroll having off track excursions. Both Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton had very close moments in the latter stages of the session, almost crashing in the castle section of the circuit – something that would prove costly with qualifying being so close.
Just before qualifying, reliability plagued a number of teams, and Renault were one such team who experienced issues early on as Jolyon Palmer stopped out on track only 7 minutes into the session with his car catching fire. Due to this issue, Palmer has had limited running this weekend after crashing earlier in FP2, meaning that he will likely struggle in qualifying. Sebastian Vettel also had limited running for Ferrari with a suspected hydraulic issue ending his session earlier than he would of liked. The pacesetter earlier in the weekend, Max Verstappen, also faced reliability problems after he stopped out on track towards the end of the session when his engine cut out in the final sector.
For the first time this weekend, Mercedes set the pace, with Valtteri Bottas setting the fastest time of FP3, setting a 1:42.742, 0.095 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen while Lewis Hamilton was 0.416 seconds down on his team mate in third.
Force India’s competitive looking weekend continued into FP3, with Esteban Ocon fifth fastest and Sergio Perez tenth fastest. Williams’ pace also began to emerge in the session, with Felipe Massa seventh fastest and Lance Stroll in ninth.
Heading into qualifying, the battle for pole position remains wide open and it is unknown which team has the advantage this weekend. After topping the first two practice sessions of the weekend, Max Verstappen is looking competitive but with his limited running in FP3, it is unknown how fast the Dutchman is over the course of one lap. Valtteri Bottas is also looking competitive for Mercedes after topping FP3. With track temperatures higher in FP3 than they will be in qualifying however, the times that the Finn set are inaccurate and will change come qualifying. The Ferrari pair could also challenge for pole and have consistently improved all weekend, and with it being unknown how fast Vettel is over the course of one lap due to his FP3 issues, could the championship leader challenge for pole? Only qualifying will tell which team and which driver is the fastest in Azerbaijan.
Results from Practice 3 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:42.742
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:42.837
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:43.158
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 1:43.287
- Esteban Ocon, Force India, 1:43.344
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:43.614
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:43.738
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:43.908
- Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:44.040
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:44.138
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:44.312
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:44.344
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:44.401
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:44.741
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1, 1:44.926
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1:45.143
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:45.491
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:45.645
- Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:45.722
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:53.040
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