2023-04-28 13:47:00
After just one free practice session, it’s already time for the qualifying session for the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as it is a Sprint weekend. There will be no free practice tomorrow morning, as we will experience Sprint Qualification (SQ), which will determine the grid for the followingnoon Sprint.
But for now, it’s time for the qualifying session which will be used to determine the starting grid for Sunday’s race. This comes following only one hour of testing, on a circuit in Baku which has been resurfaced.
We saw the pilots make a lot of mistakes during the free session, which lasted just over 40 real minutes following the fire on Pierre Gasly’s Alpine A523. In other words, the drivers are very unprepared for the challenge that awaits them over the weekend.
The teams declined a last-minute rule change regarding Sprint Qualification. Indeed, the pilots must use a set of medium tires in SQ1, a set of soft in SQ2 and another set of soft in SQ3.
However, nothing obliges the pilots to save these sets of tires for tomorrow, and a team which does not expect to reach SQ3 tomorrow might thus gain an additional set of tires today to try to pass in Q2 or even Q3. The FIA wanted to change this, but the teams refused, and the rule remains written as it was originally.
14h50 : In addition, Pierre Gasly was the victim of a hydraulic problem this morning, and Alpine recovered the car around 1 p.m. French time. She was still working hard a few minutes before qualifying so that the driver might take part.
14h58 : Pierre Gasly is in the pit lane, Alpine managed to repair the car in less than two hours, and the driver thanks his mechanics before the light turns green.
Q1 – 18 minutes
Lewis Hamilton set the first reference time in 1’43″676, six tenths faster than Nico Hülkenberg who had crossed the line just before him. Esteban Ocon took the second time and George Russell came between the two men .
Alex Albon took the fastest time but was immediately edged out by Valtteri Bottas in 1’43.464. Lance Stroll took second, before Oscar Piastri took the lead in 1’43.315.
Lando Norris beat his team-mate in 1m42.791s, and Sergio Pérez got behind the McLarens. Charles Leclerc improved to 1m42.105s, and Max Verstappen immediately beat him in 1m41.887s. Fernando Alonso grabbed the third fastest time, 7 tenths behind Verstappen.
The slow motion shows two mistakes by Guanyu Zhou, including a spin, but the Chinese driver still managed to take 11th place. Carlos Sainz finally started for his first lap, but the session was interrupted following Nyck de Vries crashed at turn 3. Sainz interrupted his effort.
The red flag was brandished with 10’17 remaining in this Q1.
15h14 : Magnussen has complained of an engine problem, but Haas doesn’t seem to be overly concerned, as this is a repeat of the damage seen this morning, and it looks like he may be back on track when the session will restart.
15h17 : The recovery of the AlphaTauri from Nyck de Vries takes time because the nose of the single-seater is stuck in the TecPros.
15h19 : There will be no investigation into Verstappen’s headrest, which had a problem. Turns out the part broke, and it wasn’t a mounting issue.
15h21 : The session will resume at 3:24 p.m.!
15h22 : The replay shows that Nyck de Vries suffered brake damage before the session, and this might have caused him to leave the track.
15h24 : Green flag!
And on the first fast lap, Pierre Gasly hit the wall, and the session was interrupted because he seriously damaged the rear right of his car!
The red flag was brandished once more with 7:32 remaining.
15h28 : Slow motion shows Sainz spun as Gasly hit the wall. We already know that Gasly and de Vries are eliminated, while Sainz has still not set the clock.
15h33 : Leclerc asked if it was possible to have a darker visor, as it is 5:30 p.m. in Baku and the sun is going down. His engineer told him that he doesn’t have a darker visor available.
3:35 p.m.: The session will resume at 3:37 p.m.!
15:37: Green flag!
Albon took third and Sargeant sixth, before Pérez took the session lead in 1m41.756s. Hamilton improved to fourth, and Verstappen regained the lead in 1m41.398s. .
Haas asked Magnussen to come in, the Dane wanted to stay on track but he had to pit. Sainz took seventh, Norris improved to fifth and Bottas only to 15th. Zhou did not improve and remains 16th.
Piastri took 13th fastest time, while Alonso moved up to seventh position. Leclerc improved to third. The two Alfa Romeos and the Haas of Magnussen were temporarily eliminated while Ocon touched the wall in the third sector, without gravity.
All the drivers except Verstappen restarted in a final attempt. Albon kept sixth place, and Sargeant moved up to seventh place. Pérez called off his attempt as he improved.
Russell moved up to fourth, and Tsunoda improved to move up to eighth. Sainz progressed with eighth fastest time, and Hülkenberg took 14th place. Bottas and Zhou finished it, improving to provisionally move up to 13th and 15th.
But Piastri improved in turn, as did Alonso who took the second lap. Leclerc set the best time in 1’41″269.
The eliminated from Q1 are Zhou, Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Gasly and De Vries.
Slow motion shows Hamilton hit the wall with the right front wheel on his final lap. Zhou was very frustrated following being knocked out for 20 milliseconds.
Q2 – 15 minutes
Alonso set the first time in Q2 in 1’41.400, while Stroll was second in 1’42.2. Ocon stepped between the two men, like Russell.
Pérez took the lead in 1:41.131, and Hamilton got between Russell and Ocon. Verstappen finished with his first lap and trailed his Red Bull team-mate by 0.062. The Ferrari drivers were on their fast lap.
Sainz retired on his first lap, and revealed he is having trouble with the tyres. Leclerc, on the other hand, finished with his attempt to place third at 0.085. At the same time, the Aston Martin drivers were back to attacking the clock, as were Ocon and Tsunoda.
Alonso improved but remained fourth by two tenths, while Stroll moved in just behind his team-mate. Tsunoda set a nice seventh time, while all the drivers got back on track, with the exception of the Red Bull residents. Sainz placed fifth.
Albon improved to seventh, and Leclerc took the lead in 1’41.037. Norris improved to seventh, and Hamilton moved back into the top 10, but only to eighth. the top 10, and Russell took ninth place.Sainz pulled straight into turn 3, without gravity.
Ocon took tenth, and Verstappen improved following coming out, in 1’40.822, setting the fastest time. Norris was fifth. Piastri was eighth, and Tsunoda seventh. aborted his attempt, and Sainz took fourth time.
The Q2 eliminated are Russell, Ocon, Albon, Bottas and Sargeant.
Q3 – 12 minutes
Pérez set the first time in 1’40″563, and Verstappen immediately improved to 1’40″445. Leclerc finished just following and set the same time as his rival, to within a thousandth!
Sainz took fourth place half a second behind the two leading men. Hamilton took provisional fifth ahead of Norris, Tsunoda and Alonso, who was unsuccessful on his first attempt.
Stroll and Piastri were off on their attempt, and the two were able to have a clear lap. The Canadian finished in seventh position, 0.110 ahead of his teammate who fell to ninth place.
Like Alonso this morning, Stroll suffered a DRS problem in his attempt. Piastri set the tenth fastest time at 1.6, just behind Alonso. Leclerc was one of the first out, in the event that he once more sets a time equal to that of Verstappen, he would be ahead of the Dutchman this time.
Chronos following Q2:
| Pos. | Pilot | Car | Q1 time | Temps Q2 | Q3 time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB19 | 1:41.398 | 1:40.822 | |
| 02 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-23 | 1:41.269 | 1:41.037 | |
| 03 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB19 | 1:41.756 | 1:41.131 | |
| 04 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-23 | 1:42.197 | 1:41.369 | |
| 05 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR23 | 1:41.720 | 1:41.370 | |
| 06 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL60 | 1:42.154 | 1:41.485 | |
| 07 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT AT04 | 1:42.234 | 1:41.569 | |
| 08 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR23 | 1:42.524 | 1:41.576 | |
| 09 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL60 | 1:42.455 | 1:41.636 | |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W14 | 1:42.113 | 1:41.650 | |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 11 | George Russell | Mercedes W14 | 1:42.073 | 1:41.654 | |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A523 | 1:42.622 | 1:41.798 | |
| 13 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW45 | 1:42.171 | 1:41.818 | |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C43 | 1:42.582 | 1:42.259 | |
| 15 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW45 | 1:42.252 | 1:42.395 | |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 16 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo Ferrari C43 | 1:42.642 | ||
| 17 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-23 | 1:42.755 | ||
| 18 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-23 | 1:43.417 | ||
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A523 | 1:44.853 | ||
| 20 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri Honda RBPT AT04 | 1:55.282 |
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