Charles Leclerc will start first in Azerbaijan GP Sprint despite crashing in F1’s first ever Sprint Shootout; Sergio Perez beats Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to second;watch the Azerbaijan GP Sprint live on Sky Sports F1 from 1:30pm on Saturday
Last Updated: 29/04/23 10:40am
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Charles Leclerc hits the barriers in his Ferrari on his final run in the Sprint Shootout but his previous run was enough to give him pole for the Sprint.
Charles Leclerc hits the barriers in his Ferrari on his final run in the Sprint Shootout but his previous run was enough to give him pole for the Sprint.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed an Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole double by topping Formula 1’s first ever Sprint Shootout despite crashing on his final flying lap.
Having topped the Friday Qualifying that set the grid for Sunday’s race, Leclerc ensured he will also start Saturday’s Sprint from the front by once again outpacing both Red Bulls, with Sergio Perez this time beating team-mate Max Verstappen to second.
The new Sprint weekend format, which is debuting at the Baku City Circuit, delivered a frenetic finale as the shortened eight-minute final part of the session saw the contenders attempt to complete two laps on the same set of tyres.
After going top of the timesheet with his first run, Leclerc crashed into the barrier at Turn 5 on his second attempt. As he was behind the Red Bulls on track, they both had the opportunity to improve on his 1:41.697 but failed to do so.
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Logan Sargeant hits the barriers during the final moments of Q1 of the Sprint Shootout to bring out the red flag.
George Russell produced a brilliant lap to take fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who was unfortunate in being the only car held up by Leclerc’s crash.
Lewis Hamilton will start the Sprint, which is live on Sky Sports F1 at 2:30pm, from sixth, with Alex Albon taking an impressive seventh for Williams, ahead of Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, who were both hampered by a DRS issue.
More to follow…
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