Norris edges Verstappen in final Azerbaijan GP practice

The McLaren driver wasn’t quite as dominant as he was yesterday during FP1, and also managed to stay out of the wall unlike FP2, but did enough to take the top time with a 1m41.223s lap, good enough to pip Max Verstappen by 0.222s.

Oscar Piastri was third, 0.254s behind his teammate, while Lewis Hamilton backed up his pace from FP2 by finishing the session in fourth, just 0.276s off Norris, showcasing that the fight for pole later today will be between three teams.

Windy conditions caught many drivers out during the session, with cars once again struggling to stay on the track, particularly into the run-off at Turn 4.

Several drivers were forced to abandon their laps and take to the escape road rather than risk a major crash.

Piastri was one of those who came close to disaster, appearing to lose the back end of his McLaren twice during flying laps.

First he ran wide at Turn 4 while working through traffic, before a later moment into Turn 1 where he escaped down the run-off area before rejoining.

Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly both brushed the wall but were able to continue, while Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto all had off-track excursions at Turn 4 yet escaped without damage.

Liam Lawson produced the most dramatic moment of the session, pulling off a full 360-degree spin at Turn 16 before heading back to the pits.

While pole appears to be a three-way fight between McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull, Mercedes are still in the mix, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell finishing fifth and sixth. Both, however, were more than half a second off Norris.

Antonelli enjoyed a particularly strong showing to outpace his teammate and will aim to repeat that in qualifying as he chases only his second head-to-head win over Russell this season.

Albon maintained his strong form by finishing in the top 10 for the third consecutive session, setting the seventh-fastest time.

Bearman was eighth after leading the first half of FP3 on hard tyres. Lawson recovered from his earlier spin to be the second-fastest Red Bull-backed driver in ninth, while Leclerc’s late struggles left him 10th.

Isack Hadjar wound up 11th, more than a second adrift of the front, with Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Franco Colapinto rounding out the top 15.

Yuki Tsunoda finished 16th, Esteban Ocon could do no better than 17th, while Bortoleto, Gasly and Lance Stroll completed the field.

With similar conditions expected for qualifying, a tight battle for pole is in prospect in Baku. Action resumes at 4pm local time (10pm AEST).