F1 Azerbaijan GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1
Friday's opening action from the 17th round of the 2024 Formula 1 season
F1 returns to Azerbaijan in a later-than-usual slot in the schedule for round 17 of the season as McLaren and Lando Norris aim to further decrease the gap to Red Bull in both drivers' and constructors' standings.
Ferrari won in Italy thanks to Charles Leclerc and remains in the hunt for the constructors' championship, but who will reign supreme in Baku?
The first clue will be given in first practice, which starts at 10:30 BST.
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Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
FP1 gets us under way in Baku in 15 minutes, who will get off to the best start?
This event has been shifted back in the calendar from it's previous April slot, which could affect the weekend weather-wise...
After a week of scorching temperatures and strong sunshine, things have really clouded over ahead of FP1. I’m told there’s a reasonable chance scattered showers could hit the weekend. Lap 2 or maybe 49 of the race sounds ideal for spicing up the action further at what is already a formidable track.
Before attention turns to track action, the week has been dominated by the news that Adrian Newey will join Aston Martin next year.
How much of an impact will he have on the Silverstone-based outfit when he joins?
Well, there's an update on the AMR24 for this event, aimed at improving aerodynamic performance at one of the quieter races on the calendar...
Not that you would tell it is quite by the scenes in the fanzone:
Plenty of McLaren fans in attendance as the team aims to continue eating into Red Bull's championship lead.
Team orders again caused an issue at Monza but with the team trying to remedy that, are the problems solved?
Read: Why McLaren's half-baked team orders solution will invite more confusion
Ferrari is very much still in the constructors' title battle after Leclerc's win last time out, while Mercedes will hope to claw back performance after a dip in form after the summer break.
The Spa floor upgrade has been ditched for this weekend, how will that work out?
The Azerbaijan GP weekend is under way!
F2 practice showed how green the track surface is earlier this morning, so no surprise that the entire field exits the pitlane immediately.
Piastri team radio: "Track feels very, very low grip."
I say the entire field is on track - that is other than Williams' Franco Colapinto.
The Argentine did a lap and returned straight to the garage, as did team-mate Albon, Alpine's Ocon and Red Bull's Verstappen.
Norris team radio: "It's super easy to turn right and harder to turn left, it doesn't feel symmetrical."
The McLaren is back in the pits to find a fix.
We're at Turns 5/6, where the circuit really tightens up before the old town. The immediate thundering of cars on their out-laps begins, with a very tentative approach to the Turn 6 kerb in these early laps.
Perez gets an early black-and-white flag for crossing the pit exit line and failing to follow race director's instructions.
Early on and, while unrepresentative, Leclerc is fastest on a 1m48.340s, 0.324s faster than Verstappen.
Ricciardo is over a second down in third but the times will tumble given they are on mediums and the track will evolve.
Bearman is in at Haas for the weekend in place of the banned Magnussen and is already faster than Hulkenberg straight out of the blocks. Good start!
Ollie Bearman is using number 50 for this weekend as he replaces Kevin Magnussen and not the 87 he wants to use for his full-season debut in 2025 with Haas. This is because it's up to the teams to submit what numbers their reserve drivers will use if called upon ahead of each campaign and this is separate from the application process system where drivers are allocated permanent numbers for their whole F1 careers.
A scathing review of the Aston Martin from Stroll:
"This is not a car, this is not a car right now."
The lap times are starting to tumble. Everyone is improving and Hamilton is about to go fastest... no! The red flags are thrown.
Leclerc had a moment running over the T16 kerb just before the reds were thrown, but no indication of why the session has stopped yet.
Verstappen is fastest on a 1m47.214s, 0.287s faster than Leclerc.
"I've got something in my left elbow aggravating me."
Not quite the hot seat issue of Monza but still a cockpit issue for the Mercedes of Russell.
There's no TV screen here but no matter, at least we know it's a red flag. I've been trying to look at these lines through Turn 6, and there's a few getting closer to the kerb - but it seems most drivers are trying to steer clear of it, drop the throttle and use the torque to balance the rear and turn it into the corner. Take the kerb, and you risk going face-first into the wall.
Replays show debris on the outside of the track just after the castle section.
That has been cleared so this will be a short stoppage.
And there we go, back to green.
Not quite the drama of the drain cover issues of a few years back - which of course was followed by the recovery truck colliding with an advertising bridge...
Drivers are still mostly out on mediums - Gasly the only not to so far, instead choosing hards.
Ocon is in trouble: "I've got a problem, I've got no power."
He is on the hards and coasting back to the pits in third gear. Another hydraulics issue for Alpine?
Sainz has gone straight on at T7 and is forced to reverse his way out of trouble.
No harm done there and he is back on his way.
It was a lock-up on the outside front into the right-hander, so Sainz bailed and kept his car safe to continue in the session.
Leclerc has gone back to the top with a 1m46.608s, with Verstappen the only other to duck under the 1m47s. By the end of the session, we should see 1m43s...
Russell is the latest to cross the line but can't join Leclerc and Verstappen in the 1m46s, though does go third.
Ferrari fans look away...
Leclerc has shunted at T15 and gone straight into the Tecpro barrier.
There's extensive damage to the front right of that car.
Replays show Leclerc carried too much speed, missed the apex and was always on a collision course.
That'll make Ollie Goethe feel much better - the F2 driver made an identical error earlier today.
During the first red flag, we figured it was worth a short wander down to Turn 4, the point at which the circuit gets narrower. Hamilton snatches a brake and has to correct, just saving the car from taking a very wide line towards the Tecpro barrier. On the other end of the experience scale, Franco Colapinto looks very unfazed by the prospect of racing here - attacking the corners off the bat. It's his first time here - and he's doing it in F1.
Great work by the marshals down at T15 means we are back under way with just under 26 minutes to go.
A close call between Hulkenberg and Colapinto as the cars file out of the garages but they should get away without investigation.
By: Ewan Gale
