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Key events
Lance Stroll is out. He parks up with a car contented and is DNF. That’s an 11th DNF of the play for the Aston Martin driver.
Lap 8/51: The adjacent task for Verstappen volition beryllium to adjacent connected Piastri. The Australian hasn’t been capable to occupation Russell yet; with the Mercedes happily retired successful front.
As for Antonelli? He has gained a mates of places, but is inactive down successful 14th. A triumph from present would beryllium astonishing.
Hadjar has allowed Verstappen to overtake him, too, truthful the Dutchman has gained an unthinkable 5 places connected his qualifying position; helium started P8 and is present third.
A podium surely beckons for him fixed however overmuch velocity he’s got. He whitethorn person his eyes connected a bigger prize.
Lap 6/51: Verstappen has perfectly stormed beyond Leclerc into fourth. What person Red Bull been doing to their cars successful the past 24 hours? They look truthful overmuch faster contiguous than they did successful qualifying.
“These Red Bulls could beryllium a spot of a problem,” Piastri is told by an technologist connected the McLaren squad radio. Yep, they look quick.
Lap 4/51: Hadjar attempts different move, but cannot get astir Leclerc, who had the gait to spot disconnected the Red Bull … well, lone for a time. Hadjar yet gets his man! The Red Bull is into third, down Piastri and Russell.
His teammate Verstappen seems to person a spot of pace, too.
Lap 3/51: Most of the drivers astatine the beforehand of the contention person chosen brushed tyres, different than Russell, Norris and Verstappen, who are connected mediums. Hadjar has regained his P4 spot from Norris, and Verstappen has present gone beyond the Brit, but there’s a batch of jostling for places astatine the moment, positions changing each the time.
Norris overtook Hadjar connected the consecutive going into the 2nd lap, a large determination by the McLaren. Verstappen sneaks wrong Hamilton truthful climbs into P6, with Hamilton caught disconnected guard, there.
Lap 2/51: Russell leads, then, followed by Piastri, past it’s Leclerc, Norris, past Hadjar.
Antonelli is down successful 17th, truthful has really mislaid a place, alternatively than moving his mode up the field. Plenty of racing to do, of course, and that’s the archetypal thigh done.
The archetypal country is upon america precise quickly astatine Baku, and it’s Piastri who squeezes up of Leclerc to instrumentality 2nd spot and Norris is up into third, too. A bully commencement for the McLarens arsenic Russell steers wide of occupation to stay successful first.
Lights out
… and distant we goooooo!!!
51 laps to come. Let’s spot what happens connected the all-important archetypal turn.
According to said broadcaster, the winds person dropped successful Baku and we’re acceptable for alternatively favourable racing conditions connected a way that, though twisty, tin lend itself to overtaking well. It’s ever a gorgeous mounting successful Baku with the 6km-long way close successful the bosom of the aged city.
Some bully views and pictures to beryllium had.
Swedish House Mafia is present blaring out connected the track, arsenic Russell gets connected his Mercedes scooter to caput for the way and shares a fewer – and I mean lone a few – words with Sky Sports.
If you privation the vibe pursuing astatine home, spell for it:
Fair play, the Azerbaijan anthem is an implicit banger. And it has conscionable been terrifically performed connected track.
If you remember, past year, earlier lights out, George Russell and Lando Norris were seen giggling arsenic a radical of section children belted the anthem retired with plentifulness of passion.
We’re astir to get the anthems and each the pre-race pomp and ceremony. The drivers and teams are making their on-track adjustments earlier it each starts.
Lando Norris hasn’t been a peculiarly blessed bunny this season. He described McLaren’s deficiency of gait arsenic “pretty pants” successful the lead-up to this Grand Prix, and 5th connected the grid to commencement the contention reflects that mediocre show by the reigning satellite champion.
With Piastri qualifying third, tin Norris rein successful his teammate and decorativeness connected the podium this weekend? It would look doubtful, successful truth.
Whether races instrumentality spot successful the Middle East towards the extremity of the season, oregon not, could impact this season’s F1 satellite championship. Kimi Antonelli leads his Mercedes teammate George Russell by 81 points with 9 meetings remaining, arsenic it stands. If that fig was reduced the Italian could adjacent it retired adjacent sooner than mightiness beryllium expected.
Formula One is pressing up with its archetypal program to decorativeness the play with races successful Qatar and Abu Dhabi, though a contingency is understood to beryllium successful spot to big a last circular successful Imola if the volatile concern means some meetings person to beryllium cancelled.
“I personally privation to go. I emotion going to the Middle East,” said Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. “From what I person read, things look OK retired there, but I don’t person each the accusation and I don’t cognize what the hazard levels are. I spot successful Stefano [Domenicali, F1’s main executive] to marque the close determination for the sport. And I bash anticipation we get to spell there.”
“Today’s a large opportunity,” says Antonelli, speaking to the broadcasters. “The car is precise quick, truthful hopefully we tin summation a batch of places.”
The 20-year-old is simply a assured young man.
Is determination immoderate accidental Kimi Antonelli tin triumph this race from mode backmost connected the grid? Well, astatine Monza helium came backmost from 19th to instrumentality triumph and Baku, with its agelong straights, has likewise generous opportunities for overtaking. But helium cannot spend to beryllium caught successful incidents successful the midfield.
“Race astute successful the aboriginal stages time and I americium definite helium has the gait to ascent his mode backmost up the field,” said the Mercedes lawman squad principal, Bradley Lord.
His teammate, George Russell, said: “You can’t discount Kimi. You know, started 19th successful Monza and present he’s successful 16th, so, yeah, helium should beryllium starring by a fewer laps aboriginal this time.” He added: “He’s been flawless this season. It’s the archetypal mistake he’s made successful a qualifying oregon contention this full year.”
Reminder of qualifying positions
Here’s however the grid looks astatine the commencement of the race:
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Russell (Mercedes)
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Leclerc (Ferrari)
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Piastri (McLaren)
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Hadjar (Red Bull)
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Norris (McLaren)
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Hamilton (Ferrari)
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Gasly (Alpine)
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Verstappen (Red Bull)
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Sainz (Williams)
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Colapinto (Alpine)
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Bearman (Haas)
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Lawson (Racing Bulls)
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Albon (Williams)
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Ocon (Haas)
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Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
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Antonelli (Mercedes)
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Bortoleto (Audi)
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Hulkenberg (Audi)
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Alonso (Aston Martin)
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Perez (Cadillac)
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Stroll (Aston Martin)
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Bottas (Cadillac)
Preamble
Hello and invited to our unrecorded sum of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – with a uncommon Saturday contention time for america each to enjoy. The large communicative from qualifying yesterday was runaway World Championship person Kimi Antonelli crashing out, meaning helium volition commencement today’s contention 16th connected the grid, handing the inaugural to his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who claimed rod position.
Antonelli said his clang was “stupid” but besides “a bully mode to travel backmost to earth” aft a stunning fewer weeks for the young Italian driver, who won the Italian and Spanish Grands Prix to instrumentality his tally to 8 contention wins truthful acold this season.
Second fastest successful qualifying successful Baku was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc second, with Oscar Piastri third.
The contention gets nether mode astatine 3pm section clip successful Azerbaijan, which translated to midday UK time. We’ll bring you each the applicable buildup, followed by lap-by-lap updates, good adjacent capable anyway. Can Antonelli propulsion disconnected the improbable successful Baku, tin Russell adjacent the spread to the title leader, oregon tin 1 of the Ferraris oregon McLarens marque an impact? Let’s find out.
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