Azerbaijan – Free Practice 3: Leclerc still on top, Verstappen plays the troublemaker
After an unproductive Friday for all the teams, this third free practice session was highly intense!
Notable fact to be highlighted right away: this third free practice session on the streets of Baku took place without any incident. The track temperature, better than on Friday, allowed the drivers to get the most out of the tires.
Charles Leclerc took control right from the start of the session. With a car featuring good downforce, the Monégasque set his best lap on soft tires, at 1’41”604, two-tenths ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Surprise of the session, Max Verstappen managed to secure 3rd place, ahead of the two Mercedes. A performance that contrasts with the struggles of Pierre Gasly, who was last on the FP3 timesheet and will start from the pit lane this Sunday.
Another key takeaway from this session was the performance of the Honda engine. Daniil Kvyat and Alex Albon animated the hostilities by consistently staying in the top 10. The Russian, aboard his Toro Rosso, secured the sixth fastest time, less than a tenth of a second behind a certain Lewis Hamilton, fifth in the final standings.
A productive FP3 for both teams 👍🏻
P3 @Max33Verstappen
P6 @kvyatofficial
P8 @alex_albon
P20 @PierreGASLYNext up, Qualifying ↗️#PoweredByHonda pic.twitter.com/Y8F25qrajY
— Honda Racing F1 (@HondaRacingF1) April 27, 2019
