Max because of crash in P15 of third free practice in Azerbaijan

Published on 05 June 2021 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen finished the third and final free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in fifteenth position after crashing halfway through when out braking himself at turn fifteen and ending up in the barrier. The front right suspension of the Red Bull Racing RB16 was too damaged to return to the pits, causing Max having to retire from the session. Pierre Gasly set the fastest time in his AlphaTauri on the street circuit of Baku, followed by Sergio Perez. Lewis Hamilton finished in third position.

Under a blazing sun and a warm temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, the third free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix gets underway. When the lights go green, the two Haas drivers, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, come out on track immediatly. The other drivers are waiting patiently, when after about ten minutes most of them have entered the circuit too.

After fifteen minutes, Max also comes out for the first time. On a set of hard tyres Verstappen goes straight ahead in turn four, but he can continue unharmed. Flowviz paint is applied to the front of the RB16 to measure the airflows around the car. Max starts slowly and builds up the pace gradually. A time of 1:43.984 puts him in fourth position.

Soon after, Max out brakes himself in turn fifteen and ends up in the barrier. It is not a severe crash, but the front right suspension of the RB16 is damaged and after trying hard to get the car moving again, Max fails to drive back to the pits. That is the end of the session for Max and the Red Bull Racing mechanics are tasked to fix the car before qualifying starts in two and a half hours. The red flag comes out to remove the car.

After 25 minutes the track is clear. Pierre Gasly surprisingly sets the fastest time (1:42.262) in the final minutes of the session, followed by Sergio Perez who is more than three tenths slower than the Frenchman. Lewis Hamilton sets the third time on the clocks, with behind him both Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in P4 and P5. George Russel has to part his Williams at turn one with technical issues, it is questionable if he can take part in qualifying, which will start at 14:00 Dutch time.

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Results third free practice Azerbaijan: