F1 Azerbaijan GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 and Qualifying
Live updates from Saturday's final practice session and qualifying from Baku
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Red flag
Leclerc sets the first flying lap - and we have a red flag!
Mercedes has gone a different way to the rest of the field in bolting medium tyres onto Hamilton and Bottas - everybody else is on softs.
Leclerc and Stroll were the first men out of the pits and so will get the benefit of a fairly clear track at the start of the session.
The pitlane was very busy as several cars queued to get out on track. Clearly, there's a concern that yellow (and red) flags could scupper people if they don't have a banker lap to fall back on.
Green flag
We're underway for qualifying in Baku. Let's go!
One minute to go. Are we ready?
Track temperature for the session is a roasting 50.7 Celcius, with air temperatures of 26.9. Just right for a BBQ, me thinks.
We've yet to have a repeat polesitter in Baku - Nico Rosberg in 2016, Lewis Hamilton in 2017, Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and Valtteri Bottas in 2019 are the four to have annexed the top spot thus far. Will that run continue today?
Baku has thrown up a few surprises in qualifying down the years. Remember Sergio Perez lining up second for Force India for the inaugural race, the 2016 European GP? A repeat today for the Mexican would be most welcome as he gains confidence with the Red Bull, especially after topping FP2 yesterday.
There you can see Martini alongside poleman Gerhard Berger's McLaren. Andrea de Cesaris was third in the Dallara, with a certain Jean Alesi preparing to make a name for himself in the Tyrrell in fourth.
Photo by: Motorsport Images
In case you'd forgotten, it was Pierre Gasly who set the pace in FP3 earlier on today for AlphaTauri. The team formerly known as Toro Rosso, and before that as Minardi, has rarely graced the front of the field on pure one-lap pace, although it does have that famous pole at Monza in 2008 courtesy of Sebastian Vettel, and a front-row start from Pierluigi Martini at Phoenix in 1990.
Could Gasly better AT's best grid position of fourth at Imola last year?
Could Gasly better AT's best grid position of fourth at Imola last year?
But if anybody has any doubt over the efficacy of F1 mechanics, wind the clocks back to Hungary last year. Remember the last-minute fix from the Red Bull spanner-wielders on the dummy grid following Verstappen's tête-à-tête with a tyre stack?
Of course, Williams isn't the only team to have had a busy time of things between sessions, after Verstappen's prang in FP3 at Turn 15.
Breaking news
We've had an update from Williams on the problem that caused George Russell to stop on track in FP3.
"Water pump leak on George’s car in FP3 requiring a Power Unit change. George will revert to previously run Power unit. Team working hard to make changes ahead of qualifying."
"Water pump leak on George’s car in FP3 requiring a Power Unit change. George will revert to previously run Power unit. Team working hard to make changes ahead of qualifying."
Good afternoon, welcome back to Autosport's live coverage of Saturday action from Baku. We've got 20 minutes until qualifying gets underway - buckle up.
Breaking news
Here's the full report from one of the most exciting FP3 sessions you'll ever see: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-azerbaijan-gp-gasly-tops-fp3-as-verstappen-causes-red-flag/6536478/
So that's it! Gasly fastest from Perez, Hamilton, Leclerc, Sainz and Norris. Qualifying will really be something to behold - we hope!
Bottas went deep into Turn 3 and continued, but that brought out a late yellow in sector 1.
Checkered flag
That's it for FP3!
Quote
"Purple sector 1, purple sector 2," Pierre Hamelin tells Gasly. "We like that," replies the AlphaTauri driver.
Hamilton finds a P3, so all is not lost for Mercedes at this stage.
Stopwatch
And it's P1 for Gasly, logging a 1m42.251s!
Norris now jumps up to fourth, but Gasly's on a hot one...
Green flag
The VSC is clear, so we've got five minutes of running left.
It looks like there's a big streak of oil out of the Williams, so something's weed itself within the confines of the FW43B.
Yellow flag
We have a VSC now, it seems Russell's come to a stop on track. "No power, no gears," he reports.
We've got 10 minutes left.
Alonso gets up to fourth in the Alpine, as Sainz went up to fifth.
Stopwatch
Leclerc posts a 1m42.778s to go top, but Perez immediately relegates him to second with a 1m42.595s.
Mazepin's has a brush with the wall, and torn off the footplate on the front wing at Turn 15.
Quote
Bottas is in the garage. "That change didn't make any difference, so I don't know" he reports, currently down in P17.
Ricciardo vaults up to P4 for the time being, managing to improve on his best time so far.
Sainz was on a cracker, but went deep into Turn 15 and took to the run-off - bailing on the lap pretty swiftly.
Yellow flag
There's a brief yellow down at Turn 3 as Latifi went too deep into the corner - which briefly hindered Leclerc's lap.
Tsunoda remains in P2, but gets his time down to a 1m43.244s.
Leclerc's going for the purple sectors too, although he has to get out of the way of a McLaren there at Turn 9.
Lots of fresh soft running now - Sainz and Perez are the big hitters on the shiny red-walled tyre.
Stroll, the other Canadian, goes up to fourth place on the soft tyre.
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