This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
Qualifying for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is coming up next
Esteban Ocon will participate in qualifying after Alpine identified a problem in the fuel pump system which caused his stoppage in final practice.
Sergio Perez avoided a penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz Jnr in final practice, though he was given an official warning. However after the last session came word that Charles Leclerc is under investigation for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags. He has been given a reprimand.
Drivers head to the pit exit three-and-a-half minutes before the session begins. Russell: “Literally like a Mexican stand-off. As soon as one goes, everyone pulls the trigger.”
Q1 is go. The Mercedes drivers are running the medium tyre compound to being with, the other drivers so far all on softs.
Max Verstappen puts up a 1’43.644, that’s immediately beaten by Sergio Perez with a 1’43.436. Charles Leclerc then splits the pair of them.
Verstappen not happy with the balance of his car, complaining it’s “jumping around”.
Carlos Sainz Jnr goes second, 0.081s off Perez, and gave Leclerc a handy tow as his team mate began a lap.
A very handy lap from in Franco Colapinto the Williams now puts him up to third. Verstappen stays fifth and remarks “I’m nowhere.”
Colapinto: “Sorry mate I just touched the wall with the rear-right.” That was at turn 15. Sainz is now reversing out of the run-off area at turn two.
Leclerc gets down to a 1’42.775 but isn’t confident in the time as the track is evolving rapidly. Russell goes three-tenths off him for second place. Hamilton is just under three-tenths off his team mate in fourth.
Both Saubers plus Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo are in the drop zone with four minutes to go.
Russell also sensitive to track improvement, he’s doing two cool laps and preparing to push again.
Ricciardo puts Tsunoda in the drop zone. He then does the same to Bearman. Expect to see a lot of improvements at the end.
Fernando Alonso and Bearman fall into the drop zone, partly because Zhou gave a huge tow to Bottas and got his team mate up to 10th.
Verstappen has fallen to 12th and needs to improve on this lap. There’s briefly a yellow fag in sector two ahead of him but it clears so he won’t have to back off.
Piastri into the drop zone as Verstappen goes third. The McLaren driver goes safe with third place. But his team mate doesn’t! Norris…
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