Lando Norris bounced back from his Friday brush with the barriers in Baku to take top spot in the final practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The McLaren driver posted a time of 1:41.223 to finish two tenths of a second clear of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Drivers’ title rival Oscar Piastri. 

The session got off to a muted start with little action across the first five minutes. Eventually Racing Bulls pair Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar headed out on track. 

As they worked through their opening ruins Hadjar reported that strong winds were making life difficult and soon after Haas’ Oliver Bearman confirmed that the blustery conditions were “challenging”. 

The Haas driver put the first time on the board, a tentative 1:47.333, but the times soon began to falls as more drivers emerged from the pit lane. 

Lando Norris, building back from the brush with the walls that sidelined him for much of FP2, dropped the benchmark by well over a second by he also reported that the conditions were “sketchy”. The Briton continued to find time, however and as the opening phase evolved Norris worked his wat to a time of 1:43.640. 

With 25 minutes gone Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc bested that, however, with the Monegasque posting a time of 1:43.048. Williams Alex Albon also moved past Norris to P2, half a second off Leclerc but the Thai racer was then ousted by Max Verstappen whose first flyer of the session jumped him to second place, 0.396 off Leclerc.

Friday’s fastest man, Lewis Hamilton, then vaulted to P1. The seven-time champion put in a purple final sector to log a lap of 1:42.988 to go five hundredths of a second clear. Championship leader Oscar Piastri then put in a good lap of 1:42.726 to take top spot. 

Leclerc, chasing a fifth consecutive Baku pole position, was finding more and more time and the Ferrari driver found seven tenths of a second over his previous best to take P1 with a lap of 1:42.354, 0.372 ahead of Piastri. 

Verstappen was also improving and the Dutchman’s second flyer of 1:42.567, which included a purple time in the middle sector, put him two tenths off Leclerc and into second place. 

With 20 minutes to go Leclerc emerged on a fresh set of Softs and the Monegasque driver improved to 1:42.328, though he was hampered by a brush with the wall midway through his lap. 

Verstappen, though, was finding chunks of time on his next flyer. The Italian Grand Prix winner blasted through two purple opening sectors and then got a strong tow from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso on the final straight to jump 0.601s clear of Leclerc. 

Norris then emerged and the Briton blitzed the first two sectors and though he didn’t get a tow in the final sector, the McLaren driver had done enough to go half a second clear of Verstappen with a lap of 1:41.223.

Piastri then slotted into second ahead of Verstappen with a lap of 1:41.538. The Red Bull driver was on track again, however, and after a session-best first sector and a personal best in the middle third of the lap, the Dutchman returned to P2 on 1:41.445, +0.222 to Norris. 

Behind the top three, Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Albon ended the session in seventh place ahead of Bearman and Lawson while Leclerc’s clash with the barriers and a spell in the garage for checks left him down in tenth. 

2025 FIA Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Free Practice 3
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:41.223 19 213.496
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:41.445 0.222 19 213.029
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:41.477 0.254 21 212.962
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:41.499 0.276 18 212.916
5 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:41.876 0.653 17 212.128
6 George Russell Mercedes 1:41.964 0.741 17 211.945
7 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:41.983 0.760 19 211.905
8 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:41.985 0.762 23 211.901
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:42.146 0.923 21 211.567
10 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:42.209 0.986 19 211.437
11 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:42.267 1.044 22 211.317
12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:42.428 1.205 17 210.985
13 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:42.486 1.263 17 210.865
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:42.591 1.368 17 210.650
15 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:42.789 1.566 19 210.244
16 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:42.840 1.617 18 210.140
17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:42.868 1.645 20 210.082
18 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:43.060 1.837 16 209.691
19 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:43.322 2.099 21 209.159
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:43.350 2.127 17 209.10