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Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
F1 Azerbaijan GP Live Commentary and Updates – Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
F1 is in Baku for round four, with Charles Leclerc beating the Red Bulls to pole in both qualifying sessions for the sprint and grand prix.
But after Leclerc lost out to Sergio Perez in the sprint race, the Ferrari driver will aim to fight back with a second shot from pole for the main race.
As part of the 2023 sprint race weekend format tweaks, the starting grid was decided by Friday’s qualifying session rather than the finishing order in the sprint race.
But both Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg will start from the pitlane due to car changes in parc ferme conditions.
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Alonso, the wily operator, nips by a napping Sainz to take fourth place at Turn 6!
After losing out in the pits, Stroll now jumps back ahead of Russell into Turn 2 to reclaim sixth.
Green flag
Perez leaves the restart very late on the straight but does enough to keep the lead. Verstappen dives by Leclerc at Turn 3 to gain second place!
Ocon and Hulkenberg, who started on the hards, are now up to eighth and ninth from their pitlane starts as they are the only drivers yet to pit.
Safety car
The safety car is coming in this lap.
Russell was another big winner under the safety car, taking a cheap stop and leapfrogging Stroll in the pits to move up to sixth place.
So, the safety car triggered by de Vries has handed Perez a golden opportunity to win this race. He's got equal tyres to those behind him and, more importantly, Leclerc between him and Verstappen.
Replays have now shown what happened to de Vries and he just clipped the inside wall at Turn 5 and broke his front-left suspension. Very poor error from the Dutchman as his miserable season continues.
Perez gets back out on fresh hards in the lead! Leclerc is also up to second, with Verstappen losing out under the safety car and drops to third.
Pit stop
And it's so busy that Stroll and Russell enter the pits side-by-side!
Pit stop
Perez duly pits under the safety car, followed by Leclerc, Sainz and Alonso. Busy in the pitlane!
Has this safety car come at the perfect time for Perez? He's about to pit under the safety car.
Safety car
Oh, and de Vries has been unable to get going and the safety car has been deployed!
Yellow flag
We've got our first driver in trouble and it's de Vries who has locked up and gone straight on.
Pit stop
Verstappen pits from the lead at the end of lap 10. The race is on at Red Bull.
Perez cuts Verstappen's lead by half a second and is now within DRS range of his Red Bull team-mate.
Pit stop
Meanwhile, Russell has been released as Norris has also now stopped.
Pit stop
Hamilton pits from fifth, having been hounded by Alonso for the last few laps. He comes out in 13th, behind a train of cars.
Verstappen and Perez lap times are split by just 0.006s on that last tour and they both pull out almost a full second on Leclerc. The fight at the front is very much a Red Bull internal affair now.
Pit stop
Tsunoda and Piastri now stop from 10th and 11th as the midfield runners continue to pour into the pits.
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The Aston politeness continued after Stroll's earlier radio message, with Alonso saying his team-mate can "have a go if he wants", despite Stroll saying he was happy to sit behind his stablemate.
Stopwatch
Verstappen and Perez trade fastest laps which sees the gap stabilise at 1.1s. Leclerc hasn't lost touch with the Red Bulls and is only 1.1s off Perez.
Pit stop
Next time around, it's Albon who stops - but no sign of any of the frontrunners pitting just yet.
Pit stop
Bottas is the latest to ditch the medium tyres after just seven laps - this is looking quite ominous in terms of tyre life here.
Verstappen's lead over Perez stands at 1.2s, while further back Sainz in fourth is keeping Hamilton and the Astons at bay.
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Stroll, who is tucked right up behind Alonso, says he's not going to attack his team-mate. All very polite between the Aston drivers.
Pit stop
We've now had our first pit visitor of the race and it's Gasly, who has stopped and put on the hards. Both Alpines are now on the white rubber.
Perez pulls off a repeat of Verstappen's move on Leclerc at Turn 1 at the start of lap six to move into second place. So now it is Red Bull vs Red Bull at the front.
Russell, having made up some ground initially, is now in no-man's land in ninth as he's still just over a second behind Norris ahead.
And now race control provides another update on the first lap shenanigans and there will be no further investigation. So, as you were.
Stopwatch
Verstappen puts in a new fastest lap of 1m47.108s in the clear air at the front.
That first-lap contact at Turn 2 between Albon and Piastri has now been noted by race control.
Verstappen has bolted clear at the front, Leclerc is already out of DRS range of the Red Bull ahead and now defending from Perez behind him.
Also worth noting that the pitlane starters Ocon and Hulkenberg are yet to make any progress - but, given they're on the hard tyres, they're very much playing the long game here.
Verstappen takes the lead at the start of lap four! The Red Bull, with DRS, dives by Leclerc into Turn 1 and it was a very easy move thanks to the top speed of Verstappen's car.
Replays have shown it was Albon who made contact with Piastri on the first lap and a fairly significant chunk of the Williams' wing went flying, but he remains in 12th place.
With DRS Verstappen has a look at overtaking Leclerc at Turn 3, but thinks better of it. The end of the main straight will be where he'll look to pounce next.
Given the chaotic scenes in yesterday's sprint race, it's noticeable how the opening laps today have been a little bit calmer - so far...
Verstappen is stalking Leclerc as DRS is enabled at the end of lap two. Perez is keeping in touch too from third.
Russell has already made up two places from his disappointing 11th-place qualifying and Norris is his next target.
By: Autosport Staff
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