The wind proved to be difficult in FP3 catching out several drivers. It was Max Verstappen who weathered the wind and finished the session on top with a 1:43.922. The Dutch driver beat George Rusell to the top by just under one tenth. Kimi Antonelli managed to close down the gap to teammate Russell, who has been flying in Baku. McLaren remained off the pace and Lewis Hamilton underwent braking issues.

The Wind Proves Tricky In Baku

Heading into the weekend, it was known the wind would prove to be a challenge. There were constant yellow flags throughout the session with drivers in the runoff areas constantly. Verstappen, despite topping the times, labelled the wind as “tricky” and found himself in the runoff of Turn 15 a couple of times notably. Antonelli was another to get caught out by wind. 50Kph tail wind meant the Italian missed the apex in Turn 16. He would later go off at Turn one as well, along with the two cars ahead of him on the timing sheets.

Lance stroll caused a yellow flag that ended his session prematurely. The Aston Martin driver clipped the wall, damaging his front suspension. He was limping on the track before his team told him to pullover in a safe place. He got out the car in Turn 4 without causing further disruption to the session. Both he and teammate, Fernando Alonso, both face hefty grid penalties for engine changes.

McLaren With More To Find

A shorter gear ratio for the Woking based team means Baku is a track that bleeds disadvantages. The two McLaren drivers reach a top speed down the straight much faster than rivals, compromising their sector three especially. During qualifying simulations, they finished over eight tenths off P1. Oscar Piastri the car ahead. They finished the session behind the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.

Lando Norris got called in the pits during his out lap. He was told not to reach top speeds in doing so. When he came back into the garage, he sat in his pit box as his crew looked toward the rear of the car. He was shortly given the go ahead. The Brit lost little time and headed back onto track. Although the eight upgrades appear to be working as planned, Baku doesn’t seem to be a track in their favour.

Hamilton Faces Minor Setback

When the qualifying sims began, Hamilton was still in the garage. His Ferrari car had engineers working on the front left brake. Another engineer held a barge board as the team rushed to get him back out. Hamilton was briefly out of his cockpit.

With under ten minutes to go he was back out on track for his qualifying runs. The Seven-time world champion got a slip stream during his fastest time and finished just one hundred eleventh thousandths off Verstappen. Teammate, Charles Leclerc, rounded out the top five, six tenths back, with Antonelli in between them.