F1 Azerbaijan GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3
Saturday's final practice for the 17th round of the 2024 Formula 1 season
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc ended Friday as the fastest driver after Red Bull's Max Verstappen topped the order in FP1.
Leclerc and Franco Colapinto found the walls in the earlier session, while George Russell ended FP2 prematurely with a second PU issue of the day.
FP3 begins at 9:30am BST, with qualifying following at 1pm BST.
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The first times are in and Piastri goes top with a 1m45.476, two tenths clear of Hamilton.
This could be the only clear running the teams get, with Piastri reporting that rain is beginning to fall once again!
Here we go and the track is instantly very busy with soft-shod runners.
Without a lap registered yet, Mercedes have both Hamilton and Russell waiting at the end of the pits.
The session will resume at 12:54 local time, so in one minute.
The marshalls have all got the big rubber gloves on while recovering the Alpine, highlighting that there could be an electrical problem with Ocon's car.
As is the case in every session aside from qualifying, the clock continues to tick, meaning teams are now losing significant time.
For those who had built for a qualifying simulation, this is especially painful.
From the audio, Ocon was climbing through the gears to begin his lap and then he lost power. Able to flick back down the gears, it doesn't appear to be a transmission problem, more a PU issue.
Or not! Ocon has stopped on the track with a problem and has caused the red flags to fly. He climbs out of the car and we are again left waiting.
Both Saubers have now headed out to the track, however, so we might see something here. Norris and Leclerc are out on fresh softs too! Times incoming?
Only eight drivers have so far taken to the track, with no times set in conditions that are unlikely to yield much useful data.
Almost 10 minutes in and we are yet to see a time. Alonso teased the prospect but pulled into the pits instead of starting a timed effort. He fits hard rubber and continues.
After a quick exploration, both Red Bull drivers have returned to the garages. Zhou, Tsunoda and Bottas remain on the track, as McLaren prepares to send out its pairing.
"It is a little bit damp," reports Perez.
Perez is the first driver on the track with Verstappen and the Saubers following quickly.
Looking at the weather, temperatures are down and winds are up on yesterday, while the official screens currently say the conditions are dry, as the session gets under way.
Following the FIA decision that the wings on the McLaren and Mercedes cars - which have been seen flexing significantly - are legal, Horner believes other teams will now be emboldened to develop their own imitations.
The big news this morning - rain! Reports from those on the ground is that rain is beginning to spit around the city layout.
Good morning and welcome to Baku for final practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
By: Autosport Staff
