F1 news: Hamilton caught spying, Verstappen reacts to losing, Russell suffers nightmare
Express Sport brings you live updates as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend gets underway.
It's finally time for the F1 cars to get back on track after a long break following the Australian Grand Prix. A new format will take place for this weekend's activities in Baku too with changes to the Sprint schedule.
A second qualifying session will take place solely for the Sprint on Saturday while the shortened race will no longer have any impact on the main Grand Prix. It also means there will be just one practice session on Friday before qualifying for Sunday's race takes place.
That puts teams under serious pressure to get everything right on their cars in a short space of time. Free practice gets underway at 10.30am BST with qualifying taking place at 2pm.
Stay tuned throughout the day for live updates as the cars begin taking to the track around Baku.
KEY EVENTS
- Russell out in Q215:09
- RED FLAG10:50
- Sprint weekend format explained08:04
Goodnight
That's all we've got time for this evening.
Thanks for joining us to follow the latest stories from across the F1 paddock throughout the day ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
We'll be back for more of the same tomorrow, which will see the return of the sprint race for the very first time in 2023 under a new format.
Catch you then!
Leclerc refuses to rule out Mercedes switch
Charles Leclerc has revealed that he is yet to hold discussions with Mercedes over a potential move to the Silver Arrows but stopped short of ruling out the possibility of joining them at some point further down the line.
"No, not yet, not for the moment," said Leclerc.
"For now, I am fully focused on the project I am today which is Ferrari. I fully trust and I’m confident for the future, then we’ll see."
Verstappen quick to praise Leclerc
Max Verstappen has insisted that he was not surprised to see Charles Leclerc grab pole position in Baku for the third successive year ahead of Sunday's race.
"Of course, we want to be on pole but it’s about the bigger picture," he said.
"Charles looks pretty competitive this weekend, he always does in Baku. There are a few characteristics of the track that suit Ferrari and there are others that suit us better.
"There’s no big drama, I was happy with the setup of the car and I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it will be good to see what we can improve on and do better."
Leclerc shocked by pole
Charles Leclerc has admitted that he was not expecting to finish qualifying in Baku as the quickest driver on track ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
"Honestly, I did not expect it," he told reporters after the session.
"I think we came into the weekend thinking that it will already be a great result if we were in front of Aston [Martin] and Mercedes, and we find ourselves on pole, so really, really happy with that.
"One thing is for sure is that I think we made a step forward in in Australia. I am absolutely sure that we did some steps in the right direction, not sure whether it’s enough though."
Hamilton admits qualifying struggles
Lewis Hamilton conceded that he was unable to get the best out of his Mercedes car in qualifying at the Baku City Circuit earlier today after coming home in fifth position at the end of Q3.
He said: "We are trying as hard as we can, giving it absolutely everything out there.
"Timing and getting into a rhythm and really pulling out everything is not easy on this track. In Q2, I struggled, I had more pace, I just didn't get that last lap.
"My Q3 run was a really sweet lap. I just matched it basically at the end but needed just a little more time to nip [ahead] of the Ferrari."
Hamilton caught spying on Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton was spotted taking a look at the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc moments after the latter managed to secure pole position in Baku earlier today.
It came after Hamilton survived in Q2 by just 0.004 seconds before putting together a better lap in the final shootout to qualify in fifth position.
He will be hoping for a stronger showing in tomorrow's sprint, which will have no bearing on Sunday's race in accordance with the revised weekend format for 2023.
Wolff: No major upgrades this weekend
Toto Wolff has revealed that Mercedes have not introduced any major upgrades for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite Lewis Hamilton previously claiming that the Silver Arrows would embark on a 'new path' this weekend.
The German outfit have made several minor changes in order to deal with the high-speed nature of the Baku City Circuit, including the introduction of low-drag endplates and a reprofiled fairing around the lower front wishbone.
However, Wolff was quick to explain after today's qualifying session that the bulk of the team's performance upgrades will arrive in Imola next month.
""I think we have it in a good window but generally he car is not stable for the drivers," the Mercedes boss told Sky Sports F1.
"We didn't put any upgrade on the car, that comes for Imola, so we have to do what we can with this package."
Leclerc takes pole!
Charles Leclerc has beaten Max Verstappen and Red Bull to pole position.
CLICK HERE to see the qualifying results in full.
Russell out in Q2
Disaster for Mercedes!
They haven't looked comfortable all day so far and George Russell paid the price.
He was just four-thousandths of a second behind Lewis Hamilton, but finished 11th-fastest and misses out on Q3.
Out in Q2: Sargeant, Bottas, Albon, Ocon, Russell
Out in Q1: Zhou, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Gasly, De Vries
Qualifying delay
We're already playing catch up due to the two red flags during Q1.
Q2 now underway with drivers complaining of a low-hanging sun.
15 minutes to make it through to Q3, but could there be even more delays?
Poor Pierre
It's been a bit of a nightmare day for Pierre Gasly.
But those Alpine mechanics may be the most frustrated of all after doing everything to get Gasly's car fixed in time for qualifying.
He's out and there's a second red flag with Q1 STILL not finished!
We're back underway now with little over seven minutes left on the clock
Red Flag
Disaster for Nyck de Vries!
He locks up his front right and drives straight into the tyre wall and his qualifying is over.
Still 10 minutes left of the session though so plenty of time for drivers at risk to sort themselves out.
T-minus 20 minutes
Just 20 minutes until qualifying starts.
There's still plenty of unknowns for some of the teams with the one-hour practice session disrupted for many.
We won't have to wait long to find out how things will pan out...
Horner wary of dangers
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is not taking anything for granted heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will be aiming to continue their dominance over the rest of the field this weekend, but Horner knows nothing can be certain on a street circuit like the one in Baku.
"There are a lot of things that can catch you out here. It's a track that bites, there's the jeopardy of a Sprint race, and maybe a bit of weather on Sunday afternoon that will keep us on our toes," he said.
"The priority is to take as many points as we can, it's still so early in the championship so it's about getting points on the board. The drivers are free to race as long as they are clean and respect each other."
FP1 over
And that's that for practice this weekend in Azerbaijan now.
A good showing from Ferrari as both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were up there with Red Bull.
That sets up a fascinating qualifying session in just a few hours.
Mercedes will be hoping they left something in the tank having had some difficulties with both drivers and their brakes.
Alpine nightmare
Gasly's weekend may be ruined and it's bad news for his Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon.
Ocon's car is on the jack in the pits and looks like his practice session is over.
Far from ideal for Alpine...
RED FLAG
Not what the teams wanted here but disaster for Alpine as Pierre Gasly's car catches fire just 15 minutes into the session.
Fire marshalls couldn't approach the car until the fire was fully extinguished as it shot out of the car.
The clock doesn't stop with a red flag being waved though, giving teams even less time on the track.
FP1 starts
Here we go then!
The one and only free practice session of the weekend and the cars are lining up in the pit lane to get out there.
Teams are going to have to pack in plenty of laps to get the necessary data for the weekend.
Norris a fan of Sprint changes
Lando Norris is the latest F1 star to throw his support behind the changes to the format at race weekends featuring Sprints.
While still cautious of affecting the team's budget cap with any serious damage, Norris does expect better racing in Saturday's Sprint.
"I prefer it a long way compared to what we had before. So you have more room, more opportunities for everyone," he said.
"I like the fact that you have two qualifyings. I love the format of practice, qualifying on Friday. So the pressure is definitely higher. But yeah, I enjoy it more."
Verstappen quit threat
Max Verstappen has doubled down on his threat to quit F1 after his current contract with Red Bull expires in 2028.
The Dutchman is unhappy with the direction the sport is going in with the introduction of Sprints to F1 a source of frustration for the double world champion.
And Verstappen has admitted that he may well look to quit in just a few years to try something different.
"I think sometimes you get to a point in your career where maybe you want to do other stuff," he said.
"I know that I have a contract until the end of 2028, and then we'll review again. But I do feel that if it's getting at one point too much, then it's time for a change."
Leclerc to jump at chance to replace Lewis
Damon Hill believes Charles Leclerc would "jump at the chance" to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Both drivers brushed off questions over speculation the Ferrari star had held talks with Mercedes recently.
It sparked a debate on Sky Sports regarding Hamilton's future in F1 and Hill believes Leclerc would be the strong bet to come in as the Brit's replacement.
He said: “I can imagine that the frustration is getting to Charles and if someone like Mercedes said to him: ‘Listen, Lewis is deciding not to stay, but maybe deciding to move on then would you be interested?’, I’m sure that he’d probably jump at that chance, yeah.”
Sprint weekend format explained
So what are the changes to the Sprint weekend exactly?
The biggest change from the previous Sprint weekends is the introduction of a second qualifying session, solely for the Sprint race.
That qualifying session will replace the second free practice from the previous format, meaning teams will only have Friday morning's practice to get things right on their car.
The 'Sprint shootout' will also be shortened compared to the usual qualifying format, potentially creating more jeopardy for teams.
Good morning
WE'RE BACK RACING TODAY!
Finally, after the ridiculously long break despite just three races into the new season, F1 racing is back and with a new format in place.
With just one practice session - starting in three hours - teams will have their work cut out to get it right immediately.
Stay tuned as Express Sport brings you live updates throughout the day.