2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP
F1 Azerbaijan GP: Follow qualifying in Baku with live timing
Updates from Formula 1 qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Live Standings
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Eliminated in Q1
17. Bortoleto
18. Hulkenberg
19. Alonso
20. Perez
21. Bottas
22. Stroll
So, who can escape the drop? Sainz fires up to eighth, that's a good lap, while Bearman and Ocon both get into the top 11. Albon then gets into eighth.
Stroll has stopped somewhere on track
Hulkenberg only goes 18th and he's out. Perez can't improve, he's out. Bottas improves with a tow off Lawson, but he's out too.
Norris gets up to sixth with his latest lap, but he's struggling to keep the car settled in Turn 16. Still, that's an improvement and should book his place into Q2.
Russell gets a tow off Albon, and posts a 1m43.615s to go top by 0.4s.
Elimination zone with 3 minutes to go
17. Bearman
18. Hulkenberg
19. Alonso
20. Perez
21. Bottas
22. Stroll
Yeah, big clunk in Turn 1 as Antonelli tagged the wall with his front left tyre, and snapped the track rod. He should be okay to make Q2, but he won't be taking any further part in the session.
Leclerc goes third, 0.083s behind Russell - but Hadjar's finding time in that first sector, and Verstappen finds a boatload of time in sector two.
This is a 1m44.041s for Verstappen, who goes top again. Hadjar then gets a 1m44.161s, it's a Red Bull 1-2.
Antonelli pulls off! That's it. "We can't fix this, mate," Bonnington says.
Verstappen went top, but Russell then found 0.002s over Verstappen to return to the #1 spot.
Hamilton gets up to fourth, while Norris was on a good lap but he's hurt himself with a dodgy exit through Turn 16. Only 12th here, as he reports a problem.
Piastri moves up to third, 0.8s faster than a tow-less Norris. Verstappen meanwhile complains that the car is bottoming out.
Antonell reports that he's hit the wall somewhere. If it was a glancing blow, it'll probably be okay...but that's definitely not okay. His front tyre is done, and he might have suspension damage...
Colapinto gets a 1m45.768s, while Gasly is down on that after his first lap.
Bortoleto was second, 0.4s down, but Verstappen then moves to the top with a 1m45.168s. Hadjar then sets a 1m44.702s to go top himself.
The Mercedes have a difficult first run, Antonelli 0.8s off Hadjar, while Russel struggles with the front locking.
Hamilton goes second after soaking up a big tow off Stroll. Leclerc then goes fourth.
Stroll locks up at Turn 7 and has to reverse out of the corner. He's not had a great day so far, after clipping the wall in FP3 and had to pull at Turn 4 to retire.
The yellow flag is quickly cleared, as drivers start to set some times after two warm-up laps.
Everyone may get multiple laps out of these tyres; wear is low, so you might want to fuel up and stay on-track for a number of runs - or at least do a few prep laps to get the softs in the window.
Let's see how the teams are tackling it today.
After a four minute delay, here we go. Bottas, Colapinto, Perez, and Gasly are the early takers.
Q1 will begin in about three minutes' time, so it's a dash for everyone to get ready. Cars already going into the pitlane.
We have a delay to the start of qualifying, following track clean-up operations after the F2 race.
So, hang onto your hats.
10 minutes to go until Q1 begins, so grab yourself a coffee and get ready for some fun. I'd say "an hour of fun", but it lasted almost two hours last year...
Who's at risk in Q1?
As we get closer to Q1, let's dissect what we saw in FP3 a bit - now, we know the Aston Martins are low on top speed, and since both drivers have grid penalties you can't imagine they'll be pushing too hard to make the Q2 cut.
Cadillac should be at risk too, although Perez showed in FP2 and FP3 that he could perform well if he works with a tow. Racing Bulls also seems to be lacking a bit of pace, while Williams will be hoping to beat Haas and Audi with its updated car.
But the tow will be very powerful here, so track position will be king.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Alex Pantling - Formula 1
Qualifying coming up soon!
Who's ready for some qualifying? In just over half an hour's time, Q1 will be open for business - and it promises to be a pretty exciting session. Hunting for tows, skirting the limits, and traffic...Baku is likely to have it all.
Who'll get pole? Will it be a Mercedes? Will Max Verstappen follow up on his FP3 performance? Can Ferrari get in the mix? Let's find out.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
