Overview

• Lando Norris set the FP3 benchmark in 1:41.223, 0.222 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, as shifting winds triggered frequent errors; Oscar Piastri was third and Lewis Hamilton fourth.
• Charles Leclerc, who has taken the last four Baku poles, managed only 10th in the final practice after a scrappy run in the gusts.
• McLaren can secure the constructors' championship this weekend if it outscores Ferrari by at least nine points and does not lose ground to Mercedes and Red Bull.
• Mercedes showed improved one-lap form—Kimi Antonelli was fifth in FP3 after fourth in FP2—and ran a risky tyre program by saving mediums following extensive soft-tyre running on Friday.
• Max Verstappen reiterated he wants to finish his career at Red Bull and is contracted through 2028, while Alpine chief Flavio Briatore ruled out Mick Schumacher for 2026 and said the open seat is between Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron.