F1 Pickings

Perez benefited when team-mate Max Verstappen pitted just before a safety car, which cost him two places. Before that, Verstappen had passed Ferrari’s pole-winner Charles Leclerc to take the lead at the start of lap 4 and pulled away. A safety car was called after Verstappen made his pitstop, dropping him to third as his rivals pitted under yellow. Despite quickly repassing Leclerc ... Keep reading

Today's post-race press conference with Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

It was an excellent performance from the whole team, another 1-2, our 25th!

From start to finish, this was an intense race.

The top four teams are a little bit ahead at the moment, so the mission was to be at the head of the midfield. We achieved that thanks to the upgrades we fitted this weekend.

Overall, this has been a positive weekend for the team. We definitely are back to where we wanted to be in terms of qualifying, but there's still a significant gap to Red Bull in the race.

It's been a bitterly disappointing weekend for the team and we must not repeat this type of performance again.

We came to this race with some aero updates, and they seem to work very well. Generally speaking, we have improved the car performance dramatically since the start of the season.

This was a disappointing race and it showed that, right now, our package is not competitive enough to score points.

Following today's incident in the final moments of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the FIA has promised to take "immediate steps" in order to avoid a repeat.

We arrived in Baku expecting it to be a challenge. Although we rose to that challenge well and were able to put together a strong performance, it is frustrating not to get some points for our effort.

Early leader Verstappen was brought into the pits on lap 10 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after starting to struggle with his rear tyres and being put under pressure by team-mate Sergio Perez. Moments before the decision AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries had stopped on track after clipping the wall in Turn 5 and as the safety car was brought out, the move backfired on Red Bull. With Verstappen ... Keep reading

Verstappen's countryman Nyck de Vries clipped the inside wall at Turn 6 on the 10th lap which broke the front-left suspension on his AlphaTauri and left him stranded on the morsel of run-off available at the corner. Red Bull elected to pit Verstappen at the end of that lap but, as he was leaving the pits, the safety car emerged to allow the marshals to clear up de Vries' car. This prompted ... Keep reading

Verstappen's countryman Nyck de Vries clipped the inside wall at Turn 6 on the 10th lap which broke the front-left suspension on his AlphaTauri and left him stranded on the morsel of run-off available at the corner. Red Bull elected to pit Verstappen at the end of that lap but, as he was leaving the pits, the safety car emerged to allow the marshals to clear up de Vries' car. This prompted ... Keep reading

Ocon stretched his starting hard compound Pirellis until the final lap, with his Alpine team hoping a late safety car or red flag event might create an opportunity for the driver to gain a cheaper pitstop. With no such incident occurring, to avoid disqualification and similar to Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Ocon was required to pit on the run to the chequered flag in order to change onto a set of ... Keep reading

Round five of the 2023 Formula 1 season is in Miami - listen to BBC radio commentary and follow live text updates.

Polesitter Leclerc was passed by Max Verstappen and eventual Baku victor Sergio Perez come only lap six of 51, with the Ferrari driver opting not to fight the Red Bulls to preserve his Pirelli tyres. The Monegasque eventually finished 21 seconds adrift of Perez but held off Aston Martin driver Alonso by 0.8s to end the two-time champion’s run of consecutive podiums at the start of the ... Keep reading

Polesitter Leclerc was passed by Max Verstappen and eventual Baku victor Sergio Perez come only lap six of 51, with the Ferrari driver opting not to fight the Red Bulls to preserve his Pirelli tyres. The Monegasque eventually finished 21 seconds adrift of Perez but held off Aston Martin driver Alonso by 0.8s to end the two-time champion’s run of consecutive podiums at the start of the ... Keep reading

Alongside Haas' Nico Hulkenberg, Alpine driver Ocon had completed the entire race on the hard tyre, hoping for a late red flag to give him a free, mandatory swap to a different compound. When that red flag didn't arrive, Ocon waited until the start of the final lap to dive into the pits and pick up medium tyres. But with race leader Sergio Perez about to cross the line to take the win in ... Keep reading

... Keep reading

Sergio Perez wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and in doing so becomes the first driver to score two wins at the Baku street circuit.

Friday and Saturday qualifying topper Leclerc had launched cleanly to comfortably hold off front-row rival Verstappen into Turn 1 at the race start. But the Ferrari driver was then left vulnerable as DRS was activated at the start of lap three of 51, with the chasing defending champion cutting the 0.4-second gap before using the overtaking aid to pass over the line. A compliant Leclerc was ... Keep reading

Friday and Saturday qualifying topper Leclerc had launched cleanly to comfortably hold off front-row rival Verstappen into Turn 1 at the race start. But the Ferrari driver was then left vulnerable as DRS was activated at the start of lap three of 51, with the chasing defending champion cutting the 0.4-second gap before using the overtaking aid to pass over the line. A compliant Leclerc was ... Keep reading

Perez led Max Verstappen home after a tepid Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but his afternoon nearly came undone when on lap 34 he clipped the outside wall on the entry to Turn 15. The Mexican came away unscathed but afterwards admitted his error led to a hard thump on the right-front corner of his Red Bull RB19. "Really hard," he said about the hit. "I had a bit of luck, especially with the front ... Keep reading

The Mexican driver took advantage of a pitstop under the safety car to emerge in the lead after Verstappen had led the early phases of the race from polesitter Charles Leclerc. Leclerc led away at the start line from Verstappen and, without DRS being made available in the opening series of laps, was able to hold a scant lead over the two-time champion. But at the end of the third lap ... Keep reading

Result of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Perez benefited when team-mate Max Verstappen pitted just before a safety car, which cost him two places. Before that, Verstappen had passed Ferrari’s pole-winner Charles Leclerc to take the lead at the start of lap four and pulled away. A safety car was called after Verstappen made his pitstop, dropping him to third as his rivals pitted under yellow. Despite quickly repassing Leclerc ... Keep reading

The Mexican driver took advantage of a pitstop under the safety car to emerge in the lead after Verstappen had led the early phases of the race from polesitter Charles Leclerc. Leclerc led away at the start line from Verstappen and, without DRS being made available in the opening series of laps, was able to hold a scant lead over the two-time champion. But at the end of the third lap ... Keep reading

Perez benefited when team-mate Max Verstappen pitted just before a safety car, which cost him two places. Before that, Verstappen had passed Ferrari’s pole-winner Charles Leclerc to take the lead at the start of lap 4 and pulled away. A safety car was called after Verstappen made his pitstop, dropping him to third as his rivals pitted under yellow. Despite quickly repassing Leclerc ... Keep reading

Sergio Perez drives a consummate race with help from the safety car to beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen and win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Russell muscled ahead of Max Verstappen at the start of Saturday's sprint event, but after a resumption following a safety car period, the Dutchman passed him on the run down to Turn 1. Although that move was achieved with DRS not yet activated, Red Bull's speed on the straight when it is open has been a focus of attention for rivals all season. "We know what the speed difference is," said ... Keep reading

The multiple incidents at the Australian GP highlighted issues that drivers were having getting temperatures into their tyres on the way to standing restarts, when they were obliged to initially follow the safety car until it turns its light out. The subject was discussed at length in Friday's drivers' briefing in Baku, and on Saturday morning the FIA canvassed teams before confirming a new ... Keep reading

The multiple incidents at the Australian Grand Prix highlighted issues that drivers were having getting temperatures into their tyres on the way to standing restarts, when they were obliged to initially follow the safety car until it turns its light out. The subject was discussed at length in Friday's drivers' briefing in Baku, and on Saturday morning the FIA canvassed teams before confirming a ... Keep reading

Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll had been struggling with the DRS overtaking device all weekend on their new low-drag wing for Baku's long straights. The problem came up in Friday practice and continued all the way through both qualifying sessions this weekend and while Alonso reported no problems during Saturday evening's 17-lap sprint race he wasn't totally convinced the issues is fully ... Keep reading

In the end the team had nothing to gain by so doing and the anomaly in the regulations is set to be addressed before the next sprint event in Austria. McLaren could potentially have gained an advantage because Norris had used up all of his soft tyres in FP1 and regular qualifying on Friday. The rules state that on Saturday drivers can only use new medium tyres in SQ1 and again in SQ2, and then ... Keep reading

The German was due to start from 16th on the grid, following Alpine's decision to start Esteban Ocon from the pitlane in both the sprint and grand prix, amid a difficult qualifying performance. Hulkenberg's fortunes improved in the sprint shootout where he qualified 12th, but fell back through the 17-lap race having endured severe rear tyre graining throughout and he finished 15th. Haas has ... Keep reading

Once Sergio Perez had shaken off polesitter Charles Leclerc in Formula 1’s sprint race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, victory seemed to be plain sailing. The Mexican, a winner here in 2021 and a driver who has always performed strongly in the Azerbaijani capital, stuck with the Monegasque on the sixth-lap restart under the safety car and waited until DRS was available. He scampered free of ... Keep reading

The German was due to start from 16th on the grid, following Alpine's decision to start Esteban Ocon from the pitlane in both the sprint and grand prix, amid a difficult qualifying performance. Hulkenberg's fortunes improved in the sprint shootout where he qualified 12th, but fell back through the 17-lap race having endured severe rear tyre graining throughout to finish 15th. Haas has ... Keep reading

Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll had been struggling with the DRS overtaking device all weekend on their new low-drag wing for Baku's long straights. The problem came up in Friday practice and continued all the way through both qualifying sessions this weekend, and while Alonso reported no problems during Saturday's 17-lap sprint race he wasn't totally convinced the issues is fully resolved ... Keep reading

Verstappen was left furious after Saturday’s Baku F1 sprint race when he felt Russell had unnecessarily made contact with him as they battled for third position in the first corners of the race. The Red Bull driver confronted Russell in parc ferme after the race and, left unimpressed with his rival’s explanation, muttered that he was a ‘d***head’ as the Briton walked away. Read ... Keep reading

Ferrari will soon lavish the SF-23 with performance-finding upgrades. But for now, after a dismal start to the campaign, set-up tweaks alone have allowed the team to take a marked step forward in Australia and this weekend again in Azerbaijan. As proof, lead charge Charles Leclerc used the revised format for sprint race rounds to snare two pole positions across Friday and Saturday in ... Keep reading

Once Sergio Perez had shaken off polesitter Charles Leclerc in Formula 1’s sprint race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, victory seemed to be plain sailing. The Mexican, a winner here in 2021 and a driver who has always performed strongly in the Azerbaijani capital, stuck with the Monegasque on the sixth-lap restart under the safety car and waited until DRS was available. He scampered free of ... Keep reading

Verstappen was left furious after Saturday’s Baku F1 sprint race when he felt Russell had unnecessarily made contact with him as they battled for third position in the first corners of the race. The Red Bull driver confronted Russell in parc ferme after the race and, left unimpressed with his rival’s explanation, muttered that he was a ‘d***head’ as the Briton walked away. With ... Keep reading

In the first sprint of the season, which included a new qualifying format (see below), Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led from pole ahead of Perez, as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) clashed over third. After a safety car interruption, Verstappen retook third from Russell. Perez DRS-ed past Leclerc on lap 8 and pulled clear to take victory, while Leclerc clung to second ... Keep reading

Today's post-Sprint press conference with Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez overtakes Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to win the sprint at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Following a particularly frustrating afternoon, Max Verstappen has called on F1 bosses to drop the Sprint format.

Ferrari's fears of another reliability issue during today's Sprint turned out to be something entirely different as Baku feline uses up one of its nine lives.

Tsunoda started two places ahead de Vries but on the first lap the Dutchman got past him as the pair exited Turn 2. The Japanese driver then had a look down the outside at Turn 3, but on the exit de Vries took his line and clipped his team-mate’s front wing. While de Vries continued unscathed Tsunoda lost the left side part of the wing and immediately told the team that he had to ... Keep reading

A defiant George Russell rejects Max Verstappen's criticisms after the pair collided at the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race

Tsunoda started two places ahead De Vries but on the first lap the Dutchman got past him as the pair exited Turn 2. The Japanese driver then had a look down the outside at Turn 3, but on the exit De Vries took his line and clipped his team-mate’s front wing. While De Vries continued unscathed Tsunoda lost the left side part of the wing and immediately told the team that he had to ... Keep reading

A total of 18 drivers will have two sets of hard tyres available, which would allow them to capitalise on any eventual neutralisations: distinctly possible on this street track.

The first-ever Sprint Shootout didn't work out well for us.

We now have a much better, in-depth understanding of the soft and medium compounds' behaviour in race conditions and that will allow us to define the best possible strategy for tomorrow.

George and Max's contact was a racing incident. One was trying to go around the outside and that is never going to be easy.

Fortunately, the DRS issues we have encountered throughout the event did not affect us during the Sprint.

Leclerc claimed both pole positions on offer at the Baku round, topping Friday qualifying and Saturday’s new sprint race qualifying session, but he couldn’t convert the latter into victory as he was reeled in by Sergio Perez in the sprint. But the Ferrari driver did hold on for second place ahead of Max Verstappen, who clashed with George Russell on the opening lap of the sprint, which ... Keep reading

It's been another frustrating day for the team but we are firmly focused on tomorrow's race where points are on offer.

Scoring no points on a day where we were constantly competing near the front is very frustrating, but we are pleased with the pace of FW45, especially as we brought only minor updates this weekend.

It was a much better day today than yesterday for us.

Under the safety car during Saturday's sprint, the Ferrari driver appeared to be raising the alarm about a cut to the power unit, and was publicly revealed as such on television with an on-screen graphic. Asked about his comments regarding a 'cut' during the official post-sprint press conference, Leclerc clarified that it he was actually talking about a cat running across the path of the safety ... Keep reading

In the first sprint of the season, which included a new qualifying format (see below), Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led from pole ahead of Perez, as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) clashed over third. After a safety car interruption, Verstappen retook third from Russell. Perez DRS-ed past Leclerc on lap 8 and pulled clear to take victory, while Leclerc clung to second ... Keep reading

Sergio Perez consolidates his reputation as a street fighter, as he claims first Sprint victory of the season and teammate Max Verstappen has words with George (Richard Head seemingly) Russell.

Verstappen, who had qualified third, was hounded by fast-starting Russell into the first sequence of 90-degree left-handers of the Baku City Circuit. An aggressive Russell tapped Verstappen's sidepod into Turn 2 and caused the Dutchman to slide, which gave Russell momentum on the stretch towards Turn 3. Verstappen then had to cede the position when he nudged Turn 3's outside wall. The Red ... Keep reading

In the first sprint race of the season, which followed a new qualifying format (see below), Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led from pole ahead of Perez, as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) clashed over third. After a safety-car interruption, Verstappen retook third from Russell. Perez used DRS to pass Leclerc on lap eight of 17 and pulled clear to take victory, while Leclerc ... Keep reading

Saturday polesitter Leclerc launched cleanly to hold position into Turn 1 and then retained control over second-starting Perez at a safety car restart that followed AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda shedding a tyre. But shortly after DRS was enabled, the Red Bull's straightline advantage allowed Perez to dive cleanly up the inside into Turn 1 of lap eight for the lead and the eventual win by ... Keep reading

Starting second, Perez slotted in behind Leclerc at the start and stuck with him through the opening lap, before the race was paused for a safety car period produced after Yuki Tsunoda hit the wall at Turn 14 on the opening lap. The Japanese driver tore the right-rear tyre off the rim, appearing to have had contact with team-mate Nyck de Vries to damage his front wing. A virtual safety car ... Keep reading

Third-starting Verstappen was hounded by fast-starting Russell into the first sequence of 90-degree left-handers of the Baku City Circuit. An aggressive Russell tapped Verstappen's sidepod into Turn 2 and caused the Dutchman to slide, which gave Russell momentum on the stretch towards Turn 3. Verstappen then had to cede the position when he nudged Turn 3's outside wall. The Red Bull driver ... Keep reading

Result of the Azerbaijan Sprint.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez overtakes Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to win the sprint at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Starting second, Perez slotted in behind Leclerc at the start and stuck with him through the opening lap, before the race was paused for a safety car period produced after Yuki Tsunoda hit the wall at Turn 14 on the opening lap. The Japanese driver tore the right-rear tyre off the rim, appearing to have had contact with team-mate Nyck de Vries to damage his front wing. A virtual safety car ... Keep reading

In the first sprint of the season, which included a new qualifying format (see below), Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led from pole ahead of Perez, as Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and George Russell (Mercedes) clashed over third. After a safety car interruption, Verstappen retook third from Russell. Perez DRS-ed past Leclerc on lap 8 and pulled clear to take victory, while Leclerc clung to second ... Keep reading

Hamilton created Mission 44, which has aims to improve diversity in F1 and the wider motorsport world, in 2021 in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests witnessed across the world in 2020 – investing £20m of his own money at that stage. Mission 44 is aimed at improving education and opportunities overall for black students in the UK, as well as improving diversity and ... Keep reading

The American driver had done enough in SQ1 to make it through to the second qualifying segment, ending the first session in 11th, but struck the wall at Turn 15 late on, leaving him set to start the sprint race in 15th place. The impact with the barriers on the downhill exit damaged his car, with his right rear corner being ripped off, but Sargeant suffered no injuries. Despite there being ... Keep reading

A late standing restart at the recent Australian Grand Prix led to chaos as drivers struggled on cold tyres, and that triggered a spate of collisions at the first corner that brought out a fresh red flag. Following lengthy discussions in Friday night’s F1 drivers’ briefing in Azerbaijan, it is understood that Fernando Alonso suggested a tweak to procedures that could be brought in to play ... Keep reading

A late standing restart at the recent Australian Grand Prix led to chaos as drivers struggled on cold tyres, and that triggered a spate of collisions at the first corner that brought out a fresh red flag. Following lengthy discussions in Friday night's F1 drivers' briefing in Azerbaijan, it is understood that Fernando Alonso suggested a tweak to procedures that could be brought into play to ... Keep reading

Formula 1 and the Baku City Circuit organisers behind the race have been in negotiations over a new deal to keep the six-kilometre street venue on the calendar, with "positive" talks having been ongoing throughout the F1 weekend. Baku has been able to entice a sell-out crowd to the 2023 race, helped by the introduction of a new sprint format featuring standalone qualifying and race sessions on ... Keep reading

Adding to what has already been a troubled weekend for the French manufacturer, with Pierre Gasly starting 19th for both the sprint and main race following mechanical problems and a crash on Friday, the squad was hit by further woes on Saturday. Ocon had qualified 13th for the sprint, one spot behind where he will line up for the race, but he will now no longer take up his place on the ... Keep reading

The Briton had a frustrating time in Friday qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a mistake on his final Q2 run left him knocked out of the session and down in 11th on the grid. But, without having been allowed to change car settings much because of parc ferme rules, Russell was able to put in a much more competitive performance as he grabbed a place on the second row in Saturday morning's ... Keep reading

The Briton had a frustrating time in Friday qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a mistake on his final Q2 run left him knocked out of the session and down in 11th on the grid. But, without having been allowed to change car settings much because of parc ferme rules, Russell was able to put in a much more competitive performance as he grabbed a place on the second row in Saturday morning's ... Keep reading

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, AlphaTauri revealed that Tost would be stepping down at the end of this season, with his Italian outfit to be run by Ferrari sporting director Mekies and new CEO Peter Bayer. But the announcement of Mekies' recruitment did not go down well at Ferrari, as it was unaware of the development. Its team principal Fred Vasseur said the timing of the press release ... Keep reading

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, AlphaTauri revealed that Tost would be stepping down at the end of this season, with his Italian outfit to be run by Ferrari sporting director Mekies and new CEO Peter Bayer. But the announcement of Mekies' recruitment did not go down well at Ferrari, as it was unaware of the development. Its team principal Fred Vasseur said the timing of the press release ... Keep reading

Charles Leclerc takes his second pole position of the Azerbaijan weekend, despite a late encounter with Baku's unforgiving barriers.

The Ferrari driver had been at the top of the timesheets after the first run in the final SQ3 session, before drivers completed a cool down lap and went for a second effort. But with the best performance having been taken out of the mandatory softs, Leclerc said that with his second effort being slower in the first sector, he went too far in trying to recover time. “The soft was a little ... Keep reading

A 1m41.697s from Leclerc amid the first runs in the eight-minute SQ3 session proved unassailable, and a second set of laps from both Perez and Verstappen could not topple the Monegasque's searing pace around the Baku circuit. The Red Bull duo were especially keen to be first out in the final part of qualifying, sitting at the pitlane exit for a few minutes between sessions, and immediately ... Keep reading

The Ferrari driver had been at the top of the timesheets after the first run in the final SQ3 session, before drivers completed a cool-down lap and went for a second effort. But with the best performance having been taken out of the mandatory softs, Leclerc said that with his second effort being slower in the first sector, he went too far in trying to recover time. "The soft was a little bit ... Keep reading

A 1m41.697s from Leclerc amid the first runs in the eight-minute SQ3 session proved unassailable, and a second set of laps from both Perez and Verstappen could not topple the Monegasque's searing pace around the Baku circuit. The Red Bull duo was especially keen to be first out in the final part of qualifying, sitting at the pitlane exit for a few minutes between sessions, and immediately began ... Keep reading

Times from today's Shootout session for the Azerbaijan Sprint.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc makes it two pole positions in as many days by leading the new sprint shoot-out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The change is intended to give drivers a better chance of getting heat into their tyres in an attempt to avoid the sort of chaos that was seen after restarts at the last race in Australia. Following the multiple restart incidents in Melbourne, drivers complained that they had struggled to get their tyres up to temperature for restarts while following the safety car for the initial part of the ... Keep reading

The change is intended to give drivers a better chance of getting heat into their tyres in an attempt to avoid the sort of chaos that was seen after restarts at the last race in Australia. Following the multiple restart incidents in Melbourne, drivers complained that they had struggled to get their tyres up to temperature for restarts while following the safety car for the initial part of the ... Keep reading

The Monegasque, who started third in Bahrain and qualified second-fastest in Saudi Arabia, beat Red Bull to the top spot for the first time this season. It was also his third consecutive pole at the track. The result came after Ferrari endured a difficult weekend in Australia, and in the aftermath of the news of the impending departure of sporting director Laurent Mekies, one of the key players ... Keep reading

However, he insisted that the Enstone outfit has no regrets about its decision to bring a significant upgrade for the A523 to a sprint weekend, despite knowing that there would be limited time to hone it. All teams had just the single FP1 session in which to prepare for Friday afternoon’s qualifying. Pierre Gasly missed much of the session after a hydraulic leak caused a fire, while his ... Keep reading

The December departure of former team boss Mattia Binotto has left Ferrari without a technical director, and it has since lost head of vehicle concept David Sanchez to McLaren. That led new team principal Fred Vasseur to state last month that there would be no more high-profile departures, however it has now been announced that Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies will leave one Italian ... Keep reading

However, he insisted that the Enstone outfit has no regrets about its decision to bring a significant upgrade for the A523 to a sprint weekend, despite knowing that there would be limited time to hone it. All teams had just the single FP1 session in which to prepare for Friday afternoon’s qualifying. Pierre Gasly missed much of the session after a hydraulic leak caused a fire, while his ... Keep reading

The rule in question relates to tyre usage for the three-part Saturday shootout session that determines the grid for the sprint later in the day. The intent of the rule is that teams have to use new medium tyres in SQ1 [Sprint Shootout Q1] and again in SQ2, and then use new softs for the final SQ3 session. However, the rule as written doesn’t actually oblige teams to save a new set of ... Keep reading

Today's post-qualifying press conference with Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Ferrari SF-23 front wing detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Ferrari has trimmed its front wing upper flaps in order to cater for the demands of the Baku street circuit and tailor it to the choice it will make with the rear wing. Also worth noting in this image is the curvature of the endplate, a design choice that many teams are making in order to manage the flow around the front ... Keep reading

As revealed by Motorsport.com, a loophole has emerged in the new sprint format regulations regarding the usage of tyres in the shootout. Drivers are obliged to use one set of new medium tyres in SQ1, another new set of mediums in SQ2, and then a set of new softs in SQ3. The intention was that all teams would have to save those three new sets to use on Saturday. However the rules as ... Keep reading

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc becomes the first non-Red Bull driver to take a pole position this year with a stunning lap at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

As revealed by Autosport a loophole has emerged in the new sprint format regulations regarding the usage of tyres in the shootout. Drivers are obliged to use one set of new medium tyres in SQ1, another new set of mediums in SQ2, and then a set of new softs in SQ3. The intention was that all teams would have to save those three new sets to use on Saturday. However the rules as published ... Keep reading

As expected, the available tyre data is consequently very limited, but that just adds an extra element of unpredictability to Sunday's race.

The Red Bull driver experimented with a different approach to his final run in Q3 to get more heat into his tyres, as he aimed to hold on to the top spot he had secured earlier after the first runs. But the plan did not work as Verstappen struggled for grip on his last effort, opening the door for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take a surprise pole position. With teams having had just a single ... Keep reading

The Red Bull driver experimented with a different approach to his final run in Q3 to get more heat into his tyres, as he aimed to hold on to the top spot he had secured earlier after the first runs. But the plan did not work as Verstappen struggled for grip on his last effort, opening the door for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take a surprise pole position. With teams having had just a single ... Keep reading

Today was hectic and challenging, but the team dealt with it well and the car has good pace.

Fresh for 2023, F1 has revamped its sprint race schedule, which makes the Saturday action a standalone event, with a new sprint qualifying session on Saturday morning replacing the previous second practice session. Sprint qualifying will set the grid for the sprint race on Saturday afternoon. Friday’s qualifying session therefore sets the grid for the grand prix on Sunday, and Charles ... Keep reading

With a 1m40.203s lap at the close of the session, Leclerc chalked up his first pole of the season - his 19th in F1 - to beat the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to the punch. Leclerc admitted his surprise at beating the brace of RB19s to the front of the grid, but he explained that much of the groundwork had been laid by the team during the Australian Grand Prix ... Keep reading

Not an ideal day today.

Both Fernando and Lance did well under challenging circumstances today.

We felt more competitive than in Melbourne and Jeddah, which is a positive step in the right direction, even if it wasn't enough to make it into Q3.

Last Sunday, the Mercedes driver teased a picture on his Instagram story wearing a face mask, which he later revealed was part of an effort to watch the season-opening British Touring Car Championship action without attracting much attention. Although he was spotted in the paddock observing his brother’s race day preparations with his Team Hard squad, Hamilton was able to spend time trackside ... Keep reading

Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll struggled to maintain their excellent early-season performance in qualifying at Baku's high-speed street circuit. Speed traces from Q3 indicated that neither driver gained top speed in Baku's two DRS zones and afterwards the pair confirmed that Aston Martin's DRS was malfunctioning. "I think we could have been a little bit better," said Alonso, who qualified ... Keep reading

While Hamilton was not too disheartened to qualify fifth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, just behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, the near one-second gap to poleman Charles Leclerc was an eye-opener. And reflecting on the scale of the top-speed advantage that Red Bull has, and the way Ferrari is so quick in the middle sector, Hamilton said Azerbaijan has exposed the scale of work Mercedes needs to put ... Keep reading

While Hamilton was not too disheartened to qualify fifth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, just behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the near one-second gap to poleman Charles Leclerc was an eye-opener. And reflecting on the scale of the top-speed advantage that Red Bull has, and the way Ferrari is so quick in the middle sector, Hamilton said Azerbaijan has exposed the scale of work Mercedes needs to ... Keep reading

Vasseur was responding to ongoing speculation about Leclerc's growing frustration at Ferrari, amid suggestions that he might look elsewhere at the end of his current contract. The Frenchman stressed that successful team projects are always built around the contribution of a driver, citing examples that included the Michael Schumacher era at Maranello, and insisted that Leclerc is fully immersed ... Keep reading

Leclerc had previously set an identical Q3 time with rival Max Verstappen as both drivers notched a 1m40.445s, but it was the Red Bull racer who lapped first to provisionally hold the top spot. But Leclerc fought back in the dying moments with a personal best first and final sector in addition to running faster than anyone through the middle part of the lap to bank a 1m40.203s to pip Verstappen ... Keep reading

World champion Verstappen held on to provisional pole after the first of two hotlaps with a 1m40.445s in his Red Bull RB19, with Leclerc posting an identical lap time to go second, because the Dutchman had set the time first. On the deciding run, Verstappen could only find a minimal improvement to a 1m40.391s, while his Ferrari rival put two tenths on him with a 1m40.203s. It's the first ... Keep reading

World champion Verstappen held on to provisional pole after the first of two hotlaps with a 1m40.445s in his Red Bull RB19, with Leclerc posting an identical lap time to go second, because the Dutchman had set the time first. On the deciding run Verstappen could only find a minimal improvement to a 1m40.391s, while his Ferrari rival put two tenths on him with a 1m40.203s. It's the first time ... Keep reading

Charles Leclerc edges out Max Verstappen for pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a session that witnessed further red flag stoppages.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc becomes the first non-Red Bull driver to take a pole position this year with a stunning lap at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Leclerc will start ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in Sunday’s race after the one-hour qualifying session on Friday, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3. Read Also: F1 Azerbaijan GP: Leclerc beats Red Bulls for grand prix pole This is the first weekend run to the ... Keep reading

The Ferrari driver secured his first pole of the year on his final effort of the session, a 1m40.203s, having ratcheted up his pace from a strong opening run in the last part of qualifying to prove unassailable for the two Red Bull drivers. On their first flying runs of Q3, Verstappen and Leclerc set identical times - both crossing the timing line with a 1m40.445s apiece, with Perez a tenth ... Keep reading

The Ferrari driver secured his first F1 pole of the year on his final effort of the session, a 1m40.203s, having ratcheted up his pace from a strong opening run in the last part of qualifying to prove unassailable for the two Red Bull drivers. On their first flying runs of Q3, Verstappen and Leclerc set identical times - both crossing the timing line with a 1m40.445s apiece, with Perez a tenth ... Keep reading

Leclerc will start ahead of the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in Sunday’s race after the one-hour qualifying session on Friday, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3. This is the first weekend run to the latest sprint race weekend format, with another qualifying session tomorrow for the sprint ... Keep reading

Times from today's qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Allison has just returned to the role of technical director at Mercedes after the German manufacturer swapped Mike Elliott across to take his previous position of chief technology officer. With Mercedes working on an aggressive update package for the current W14, Allison has taken charge of working out how best to attack future development. While the team has talked about switching car ... Keep reading

Allison has just returned to the role of technical director at Mercedes after the German manufacturer swapped Mike Elliott across to take his previous position of chief technology officer. With Mercedes working on an aggressive update package for the current W14, Allison has taken charge of working out how best to attack future development. While the team has talked about switching car ... Keep reading

The modifications centre around the car's sidepods, with the shape of the inlet and underbite corrected in order to improve flow to the radiators, coolers and ancillaries housed within. The re-shaping will obviously have a bearing on the external flow stream too. Red Bull has achieved this by widening the aperture and raising the leading edge of the underbite, which alters the aspect ratio but ... Keep reading

The modifications centre around the car's sidepods, with the shape of the inlet and underbite corrected in order to improve flow to the radiators, coolers and ancillaries housed within. The reshaping will obviously have a bearing on the external flow stream too. Red Bull has achieved this by widening the aperture and raising the leading edge of the underbite, which alters the aspect ratio, but ... Keep reading

The rule in question relates to tyre usage for the three-part Saturday shootout session that determines the grid for the sprint later in the day. The intent of the rule is that teams have to use new medium tyres in SQ1 [Sprint Shootout Q1] and again in SQ2, and then use new softs for the final SQ3 session. However, the rule as written doesn’t actually oblige teams to save a new set of ... Keep reading

Red flag stoppage does little to ease the tension as drivers begin to appreciate the pressure that the revised Sprint weekend format entails.