Free practice 3: Charles second, Carlos sixth

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were second and sixth fastest in the third and final free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit.

34 laps. Most of the work during the session was aimed at qualifying, especially as no driver set a time during the first 20 minutes, as there was no rush to get out on a track that was still dirty and offered little grip, plus Esteban Ocon brought out the red flag as he parked his car with a technical problem. Charles and Carlos went out on Soft tyres setting times of 1’45”278 and 1’45”372 respectively.

The Monegasque looked to be improving by about half a second when Oliver Bearman crashed at turn 1, prompting another red flag. The lights went green with 20 minutes remaining and Charles momentarily topped the time sheet in 1’43”455, while Carlos did a 1’43”796. Both SF-24s then pitted for new Softs with which Leclerc posted a 1’42”564 before improving to 1’42”527. Sainz did a 1’42”968 and both drivers completed 17 laps each.