Bottas takes charge in FP3 ahead of exciting Baku qualy

©WRI2

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Valtteri Bottas put Mercedes back in charge in Baku, setting the fastest time in FP3 before this afternoon's highly-anticipated qualifying session.

The German outfit ran at the front of the pack for most of the one-hour session, with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen splitting the Silver Arrows at the end.

Bottas clocked in with a 1:42.742, just edging out his fellow countryman who enjoyed a 1:42.837 lap. Hamilton was third with 1:43.158.

Red Bull partly sustained its Friday momentum, remaining in the hunt for pole with Daniel Ricciardo in fourth place, just a tenth behind Hamilton.

Force India's Esteban Ocon was an unassuming fifth, just ahead of Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman's session ended early following an engine issue. The Red Bull driver complained at one point about a power cut-out to which his engineer responded with a settings change.

To no avail unfortunately as Verstappen eventually pulled off the track with ten minutes remaining.

A loss of hydraulic pressure also sidelined Sebastian Vettel early on but Ferrari was not expecting the problem to persist in the all-important qualy.

It was another wretched session for Renault's Jolyon Palmer when his car developed a fire early on, forcing him out of free practice.

Massa, Kvyat, Stroll and Perez rounded off the top ten.

Free practice 3 results

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:42.742s		21
2	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:42.837s	+ 0.095s	14
3	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:43.158s	+ 0.416s	23
4	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:43.287s	+ 0.545s	24
5	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:43.344s	+ 0.602s	21
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:43.614s	+ 0.872s	16
7	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:43.738s	+ 0.996s	18
8	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:43.908s	+ 1.166s	21
9	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:44.040s	+ 1.298s	17
10	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:44.138s	+ 1.396s	22
11	Nico Hülkenberg	Renault	1:44.312s	+ 1.570s	16
12	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:44.344s	+ 1.602s	7
13	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:44.401s	+ 1.659s	23
14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:44.741s	+ 1.999s	18
15	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:44.926s	+ 2.184s	20
16	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:45.143s	+ 2.401s	17
17	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:45.491s	+ 2.749s	20
18	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:45.645s	+ 2.903s	21
19	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	1:45.722s	+ 2.980s	19
20	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:53.040s	+ 10.298s	4

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.