Max Verstappen finally broke Mercedes' dominance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In the third practice session (FP3) at the Baku City Circuit, the Red Bull driver set the fastest time, denying George Russell a clean sweep of all practice sessions. The gap between them was less than a tenth of a second, promising a fierce qualifying battle later.
Earlier, Russell was dominant in FP2, leading a Mercedes 1-2 with Kimi Antonelli. That session was chaotic: rookie Arvid Lindblad hit the wall, and Oliver Bearman suffered a power unit failure. Verstappen could only manage third then. Now, in FP3, he struck back.
FP3 began with Pierre Gasly clearing the dusty track on medium tyres. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz then went out to evaluate Williams' lightweight chassis upgrade package. Charles Leclerc initially led, six tenths ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Inconsistent strong winds made braking into Turn 1 tricky.
Red Bull responded by fitting a skinnier rear wing for straight-line speed. Kimi Antonelli slotted into third behind Leclerc, while Russell trailed in fourth. However, as grip increased, Hamilton surged to the top with a 1:45.093, two tenths clear of Russell. Verstappen moved up to third.
Conditions at Turn 2 truly tested the limits. Hamilton locked up, Verstappen ran wide into the run-off. Lance Stroll caused disruption after clipping the wall and suffering a puncture, forcing him to park on track. The session was interrupted several times.
In the final minutes, Russell looked set to secure the fastest time. But Verstappen calmly delivered a lightning lap, beating Russell by a slender margin. This was a psychological blow ahead of qualifying.
With this result, the battle in Baku intensifies. Mercedes still show pace, but Red Bull proved they cannot be underestimated. Qualifying will be a test of strategy and composure. Who will master the streets of Baku? We wait.
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