Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Sprint Race LIVE: Charles Leclerc targets victory from pole, with Red Bull duo Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen looking to challenge the Ferrari star – as well as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton
Follow Mail Sport’s live blog for the sprint race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc starts on pole.
Host commentator
We’re back for the first of this season’s sprint format and there has been a change in the formatting of the race.
Essentially in the most basic of terms we have a 100km dash to the finish line, drivers won’t be using a pit stop unless they have a problem, and the main focus will be on attacking from the off.
The 17 laps that will be served up today should be rattled through in about 30 minutes and at the end of it all we will see a selection of championship points handed out.
Eight points will be awarded to today’s winner with those then being attributed through the top eight down to one point for the final driver in that cut.
And that’s it, who said F1 had to be complicated? All eyes on the racing and we are preparing ourselves for some really high-octane action today.
Red Bull have been behind Ferrari all weekend as Leclerc thrives in the baking Baku heat but don’t expect that to count for much when the lights go out in this sprint race.
The Italian garage have pace as Leclerc has shown, they’re also quick in the corners but the main worry is the huge straights that this circuit offers up.
Verstappen and Perez start behind the Ferrari and if they get a good start will be able to pen the Ferrari driver in. Leclerc will need help from his team-mate Carlos Sainz who starts fifth and if he can’t catch up then expect Verstappen to get past Leclerc.
Despite finishing the earlier qualifying position on pole to mark four successive quickest times on the Baku circuit this weekend, Leclerc found himself in the wall after setting his quickest time.
Ferrari’s main man looked to be cruising around the Baku track but locked his back wheels up on one of the final turns and rolled into the soft barrier.
It didn’t appear that any damage was done to the car but I wonder whether that will impact his mentality going into the sprint race.
The season is racing by [excuse the pun] and we are all braced for the first sprint race of the season here in Azerbaijan. There was a qualifying session earlier this morning to determine how the grid would line-up and the good news for Ferrari fans is that Charles Leclerc starts on pole!
Your full grid is below:
1) Charles Leclerc
2) Sergio Perez
3) Max Verstappen
4) George Russell
5) Carlos Sainz
6) Lewis Hamilton
7) Alex Albon
8) Fernando Alonso
9) Lance Stroll
10) Lando Norris
11) Oscar Piastri
12) Nico Hulkenberg
13) Esteban Ocon
14) Kevin Magnussen
15) Logan Sargeant
16) Zhou Guanyu
17) Valtteri Bottas
18) Yuki Tsunoda,
19) Pierre Gasly
20) Nyck de Vries
Good afternoon, thanks for joining us, and welcome to Azerbaijan for today’s sprint race ahead of tomorrow’s grand prix. The action will be getting started at 2.30 and we’ll be ringing you all the build-up, live updates and reaction.
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