F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Start time, how to watch, & more

Ferrari driver Leclerc claimed his second consecutive pole once again with the aid of red flags which ensured his Q3 benchmark could not be toppled by any late improvements.

The Monegasque pipped seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton by 0.232s on their first qualifying runs, and was assured of pole by a late crash involving Yuki Tsunoda's AlphaTauri and team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr at Turn 3.

But despite being critical of what he called "a shit lap", Leclerc stressed that he didn’t "feel like we’ve stolen this pole position" as he believed he had the pace to go even faster on his final aborted lap.

Hamilton was elated with second, describing it as a "monumental result" after a weekend of struggle for his Mercedes team, while championship leader Max Verstappen was frustrated to end up third after what he labelled a "stupid" qualifying that had been interrupted by three earlier red flags.

The Red Bull driver will share row two with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, who matched his best-ever qualifying position in F1, with Sainz doing enough for fifth before he was distracted by Tsunoda crashing ahead of him and spun into the wall in avoidance.

A three-place grid penalty for violating red flag procedures demoted McLaren driver Lando Norris from sixth to ninth, with Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) the key beneficiaries.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Valtteri Bottas struggled to tenth fastest time in the second Mercedes, having towed Hamilton around without the gesture being returned.

Fastest of the drivers to be eliminated in Q2 was Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel, who will start 11th alongside Esteban Ocon (Alpine) after Daniel Ricciardo's late crash denied them the chance to bump Alonso out.

Ricciardo will start 13th ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and George Russell, who advanced to Q2 despite an engine change, while Q1 crashes for Lance Stroll and Antonio Giovinazzi mean they will start from the back row.

When is the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Date: Sunday 6th June 2021
Start time: 1:00pm BST, 4:00pm local time
The sixth round of the 2021 F1 season, the Azerbaijan GP at Baku City Circuit in Baku, gets underway at 4pm local time (1pm BST) on Sunday 6th June.

How can I watch the Azerbaijan GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports has exclusive live broadcasting rights of F1, with the Azerbaijan GP race shown live on Sky Sports F1. Pre-race coverage will be starting at 11:30am BST ahead of the race start at 1:00pm BST.

After the race Sky Sports F1’s live coverage continues to follow the post-race reaction from when the chequered flag is waved until 4:30pm BST.

Autosport is running a live text commentary for the Azerbaijan GP.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

When can I watch the highlights?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Azerbaijan GP at 5:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two-and-a-half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race on the Saturday and Sunday of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

· Channel: Channel 4
· Start time: 5:30pm BST

Will it be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra stations.

Coverage of the Azerbaijan GP will start at 1:00pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Live, available online, on DAB radio and the BBC Sounds app.

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Weather forecast for the Azerbaijan GP

Current weather forecasts predict sunny and dry conditions, with a low possibility of rain but some strong winds on race day. The temperature is expected to be 23 degrees Celsius for the start of the race – about three degrees warmer than the Monaco GP.

How many laps is the Azerbaijan GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 51 laps of the Baku City Circuit, covering a total race distance of 306.049km.

Will there be fans at the Azerbaijan GP?

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the Azerbaijan GP will be closed to spectators for the entire race weekend.

Azerbaijan GP starting grid

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Engine	Time
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	Ferrari	1'41.218
2	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Mercedes	1'41.450
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	Honda	1'41.563
4	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	Honda	1'41.565
5	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari	Ferrari	1'41.576
6	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	Honda	1'41.917
7	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	Honda	1'42.211
8	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	Renault	1'42.327
9	Lando Norris	McLaren	Mercedes	1'41.747
10	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	Mercedes	1'42.659
11	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	Mercedes	1'42.224
12	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	Renault	1'42.273
13	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	Mercedes	1'42.558
14	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo	Ferrari	1'42.587
15	George Russell	Williams	Mercedes	1'42.758
16	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	Mercedes	1'43.128
17	Mick Schumacher	Haas	Ferrari	1'44.158
18	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	Ferrari	1'44.238
19	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	Mercedes
20	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo	Ferrari
View full results