Max Verstappen stuns Mercedes as Russell loses grip on Baku advantage
Verstappen closed the gap in stunning fashion (Photo: Race Pictures)
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Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
Max Verstappen sent a warning to Mercedes as their pace advantage evaporated in Free Practice 3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen beats Russell as Mercedes advantage disappears
The Dutchman topped the timesheets ahead of George Russell, who looked imperious in the previous day’s action.
Making things even more interesting was Lewis Hamilton following them, ahead of the second Mercedes and championship leader Kimi Antonelli in fourth.
In a circuit famed for its challenging walled corners, it was in fact the weather that caused the biggest problems in FP3.
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Verstappen still furious with ‘kangaroo’ Red Bull
Half the grid went wide at Turn 1 with brake locking, as radio complaints suggested wind was at fault for the errors.
Russell himself touched the wall at Turn 13, but seemingly avoided any damage, while Lewis Hamilton went very wide at the first corner.
Yet the most angry with how things were going was, unsurprisingly, again Max Verstappen, continuing a practice theme throughout the 2026 season.
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After a big lock-up at Turn 15 which saw him narrowly miss the wall, he fumed on team radio.
“If for once this car wouldn’t jump like a f***ing kangaroo, my god,” he said.
The kangaroo comparison mirrored his comments in Monza during practice, but he ended up an impressive third in that race as Red Bull and the four-time champion impressively overcame their early weekend struggles.
The signs of the same scenario playing out in Baku come as a relief to neutrals given how dominant Mercedes were in Thursday’s running.
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Double tow helps Verstappen prepare for Baku qualifying
Yet it wasn’t just pace, it was also hard work from Verstappen who was trying various tricks to improve his time and work out a strategy against the wind.
One of them saw a mighty double tow down the main straight, exactly the kind of tactic which could see him spring a surprise in qualifying.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Results
Practice
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3
ALL
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Red Bull RacingRBR | - | 1:43.922 | |
2 | MercedesMER | - | 1:44.021 | |
3 | FerrariFER | - | 1:44.033 | |
4 | MercedesMER | - | 1:44.273 | |
5 | FerrariFER | - | 1:44.544 | |
6 | AlpineALP | - | 1:44.637 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | - | 1:44.746 | |
8 | McLarenMCL | - | 1:44.899 | |
9 | Red Bull RacingRBR | - | 1:45.176 | |
10 | AlpineALP | - | 1:45.592 | |
11 | WilliamsWIL | - | 1:45.605 | |
12 | HaasHAA | - | 1:45.692 | |
13 | AudiAUD | - | 1:45.854 | |
14 | HaasHAA | - | 1:45.918 | |
15 | AudiAUD | - | 1:45.998 | |
16 | CadillacCAD | - | 1:46.004 | |
17 | WilliamsWIL | - | 1:46.076 | |
18 | Racing BullsRCB | - | 1:46.222 | |
19 | Racing BullsRCB | - | 1:46.271 | |
20 | Aston MartinAST | - | 1:46.512 | |
21 | CadillacCAD | - | 1:48.587 | |
22 | Aston MartinAST | - | 1:49.279 |
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