Azerbaijan GP: Verstappen tops eventful final practice from Russell

Max Verstappen sprung a surprise in the final minutes of Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice, edging Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to the fastest time in a closely contested and chaotic FP3. The Red Bull driver produced a 1m43.922s lap during the final qualifying simulations, helped significantly by a powerful slipstream along Baku’s enormous main straight. Russell had looked firmly in control before Verstappen’s late charge, while Mercedes had appeared to have the strongest package throughout Friday. The session was held in cooler, less representative conditions than Friday’s running, leaving the competitive picture difficult to read ahead of qualifying…