F1 LIVE: Third Practice and Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Latest News

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 Correspondent

Image Source, Getty photos

Mercedes driver George Russell narrowly beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to set the fastest time during final practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Russell was just 0.013 seconds faster than the Ferrari, with the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri third and fourth ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

This session promises to be a thrilling qualifying session as the Formula 1 season enters its decisive phase and the fate of the championship could potentially be decided.

Verstappen still holds a comfortable 62-point lead over Norris, but the McLaren driver has closed in on the Dutchman over the past two races, averaging a point that will see him catch up by the end of the season – just under eight points per race.

McLaren have decided to outsmart their management in Norris’ favour for now to see if they can extend Verstappen’s advantage even further.

Verstappen was 0.125s slower than Norris during the session, with the Briton 0.223s slower than Russell.

However, Russell’s lap was set slightly later than Leclerc’s, with track conditions improving almost by the minute.

Behind Verstappen, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, the Williams cars of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton completed the top ten.