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Russell fastest in FP3, both McLarens ahead of Verstappen in Baku
Russell was the quickest driver in FP3 in Baku, where there were two red flag periods already on Saturday. The driver's lap time was a 1:42.514, the quickest time set this weekend so far. Charles Leclerc finished in P2, while Lando Norris rounded off the top 3 in Azerbaijan.
The second McLaren, Oscar Piastri also finished ahead of Max Verstappen, who finished in P5. Williams also showed great pace this session, as the British team seem to be the fastest team in the midfield. Both Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto finished the session inside the Top 10.
As it happened
The session got off to a slow start in Baku, as rain was looming around the track. The list of the few drivers who did appear in the first 10 minutes briefly included the two Red Bulls and the two Aston Martins. As more drivers began to go out, 15 minutes into the session, Esteban Ocon's Alpine stopped in Sector 3, causing a red flag. The Frenchman already had problems yesterday as well.
After a nearly 10 minutes break, FP3 could continue in Azerbaijan, as Piastri identified some droplets of rain. After the first set of completed laps on the soft tyres, the two Williams led the session with 30 minutes to go, with Albon in P1 ahead of Colapinto. With 27 minutes to go, Oliver Bearman caused the second red flag of the day, as the young Briton crashed into Turn 1. Bearman locked up, and decided go on the escape road instead, but only ended up hitting the wall.
The session resumed with 22 minutes to go, with Norris leading the pack out of the pit lane. Following the first flying laps this shift, Piastri got up to P1 on a new set of soft tyres, ahead of Perez and Leclerc. Until the end of the session, the drivers continued to practice for qualifying without another red flag, only some drivers briefly visited the escape roads. Perez also impeded Sainz, for which the Mexican will be investigated by the stewards. At the end of the session, it seemed like the Red Bull drivers also practiced giving each other a tow.
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