It’s the first half of the street circuit doubleheader with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Here’s a quick recap of today’s Qualifying:
Q3
I laughed out of shock as I saw Norris’ unexpected knock-out. A contender for the Drivers’ World Championship starting from the back? Now that McLaren has finally decided to prioritize him? Norris and the strategists will need a few tricks up their sleeves (and luck) to get a better result tomorrow. My fingers are crossed that he doesn’t mess up the first lap and gets stuck below P10.
16. Daniel Ricciardo (VCARB)
17. Lando Norris (McLaren)
18. Valterri Bottas (Kick Sauber)
19. Zhou Guanyu* (Kick Sauber)
20. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Note: Zhou Guanyu will start from the back of the grid tomorrow, as his power units were changed between practice sessions before today’s qualifying. Therefore, he will start P20.
Q2
I have to give a shoutout to the Williams drivers, Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto (this is his second F1 race weekend since replacing Logan Sargeant), for making it this far without any crashes. It’s been nothing but a pleasant surprise to watch. I will keep an extra eye on both drivers during the race.
11. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
12. Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB)
13. Pierre Gasly* (Alpine)
14. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
*Several hours after Qualifying, the FIA stewards announced that Pierre Gasly has been disqualified from Qualifying after his car was found to have “exceeded the permitted 100Kg/h fuel mass flow on the final timed lap of Q2”.
Q1
How did Williams blank out on the air fan and dry ice still attached to Alex Albon’s car?! The Thai driver had to pull over and remove it himself before continuing his laps, which unfortunately messed up the last 56 seconds of his qualifying session. The FIA stewards may or may not have something to say about this. I’ll keep my ears and eyes out for that.
For the first time in a while, Sergio Perez outqualified Max Verstappen. Since he has a record of performing well in street circuits (which can be a point of weakness for some drivers), I think he has a high chance of at least finishing in the top five tomorrow.
After an awe-striking performance in Monza, Charles Leclerc seized pole, with Piastri and Sainz behind him in second and third place. I am confident of Leclerc’s chances of winning or getting a podium… If he doesn’t crash into a wall.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Franco Colapinto (Williams)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Going into tomorrow’s race, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Who got pole position last year, and who ended up winning? Who are the recent winners?
Charles Leclerc took pole position in 2023 but ultimately finished in third place. Sergio Perez emerged as the winner (he also won in 2021), and teammate Max Verstappen came in second. Perez also won that weekend’s Sprint, with Leclerc and Verstappen coming in second and third, respectively.
Recent* winners include:
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in 2022
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) in 2019
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) in 2018
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) in 2017
* The 2020 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
What are the top Drivers’ Championship rankings? What about the Constructors’ Championship?
Max Verstappen leads the Drivers’ rankings with 303 points. Lando Norris is second with 241 points, and Charles Leclerc is third with 217 points. All eyes are on Norris to see if he can close that gap with Verstappen, and his chances currently look bleak, especially with a P17 start.
Looking at Constructors’, Red Bull is still in the lead with 446 points, and McLaren is barely behind with 438 points. Ferrari isn’t too far behind with 407 points, and Mercedes has 292 points. At this point in the season, however, this will be a Red Bull v. McLaren fight.
Didn’t someone get a race ban?
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen received a race ban for this weekend’s race after hitting the twelve-penalty maximum during the Italian Grand Prix. I find this unsurprising, as this dude has spent the season collecting penalties for causing collisions, holding up other drivers, and a few other acts of motor mischief. After tomorrow’s race, the Danish driver’s points will be reset to zero. Whether he will resolve to race cleaner or double down on his motor terrorism will be up to time.
Ollie Bearman, who drives for Haas next season and is starting P11, will be his substitute for this race. Magnussen will be back for next week’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Come back tomorrow for coverage of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Vintage & Coupe.
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