Title hopeful Lando Norris showed promising speed improvements in Azerbaijan during final practice ahead of the Grand Prix, as George Russell topped the charts on the track.
Initially, Norris had struggled during practice sessions, finishing almost half a second behind pace-setter Max Verstappen on Friday. However, he managed to make significant progress, moving up to finish third in the final running before Saturday’s pole shoot-out. This put him two tenths off Russell’s fastest time but crucially a tenth ahead of Verstappen, his closest rival in the title race.
With Verstappen currently leading the championship by 62 points over Norris, the British driver aimed to narrow the gap by delivering strong performances in Azerbaijan. Despite his initial challenges, Verstappen could only manage a fifth-place finish during the practice sessions.
Russell, who had a slower start on Friday and had reported power unit issues, impressively claimed the top spot on the timing charts. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed closely behind in second place, just 0.013 seconds adrift after having led the second practice session on Friday.
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, secured the fourth position, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished sixth and seventh respectively. British driver Oliver Bearman, in his first full F1 weekend, had a notable start by finishing tenth but suffered a setback when he crashed into the wall at turn one, prompting a red flag.
Qualifying was scheduled to begin at 1600 local time (1300 BST), with expectations running high following the exciting developments in the practice sessions.
The competition in Azerbaijan is intensifying as the drivers gear up for the Grand Prix, with Norris determined to maintain his momentum and continue challenging Verstappen for the championship title.