Grumbling Russell tops Azerbaijan Grand Prix final practice

George Russell overcame difficult conditions to top the times for Mercedes in Saturday’s third and final free practice ahead of Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

Russell, who had missed much of Friday’s practice when the team changed his engine, spent much of the time complaining about his car before he produced his fastest lap on the slippery and dusty circuit.  

In a session interrupted by two red flag stoppages, Russell clocked a best lap in one minute and 42.514 seconds to outpace Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.013 with title-chasing Lando Norris of McLaren third, 0.223 seconds adrift. 

Oscar Piastri was a close fourth in the second McLaren ahead of three-time champion and series leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull, Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. 

The session was run in cool and overcast conditions by the Caspian Sea without any lap times recorded in the opening 11 minutes before the first red flag stoppage when Esteban Ocon came to a standstill. 

The luckless Frenchman had lost power again in his Alpine, as he did on Friday, and climbed out as the marshals intervened.

Another red flag after 33 minutes of the hour-long session interrupted the action again when Ollie Bearman, standing in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen at Haas, smacked the barriers at Turn 10. 

“I’m such an idiot — I’m sorry,” he radioed to the team after climbing out of his damaged car. 

As McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari set the pace, Russell was left grumbling about his Mercedes, requesting a check on his power unit and complaining “the ride feels terrible down the straight under braking.”

However, on his final lap, Russell clocked 1:42.514 to edge Leclerc — signalling a close-fought scrap for pole in prospect.