41/51: Verstappen wonders
The race leader is wondering about the pace to follow when his team asks him to slow down the pace to preserve his Red Bull. He is 15” ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez.
40/51: worries for Tsunoda
The AlphaTauri’s rear wing is damaged. The Japanese was forced to return to the pits where the wing was repaired with… tape!
36/51: Hamilton too fast for Tsunoda
The Mercedes driver overtook the Japanese and took 5th place in the race behind Gasly.
35/51: here we go again
The race resumes its rights, here is the classification:
1- Verstappen
2-Perez
3-Russell
4-Gasly
5-Tsunoda
…
11-Ocon
34/51: the drivers in the pits
Many drivers, including Verstappen, take advantage of the virtual safety car regime to stop in the pits.
33/51: it’s over for Magnussen, yellow flag
Engine problem for Kevin Magnussen’s Haas. Virtual safety car.
31/51: “Not a great day for Ferrari”, sighs Sainz
Sainz at the microphone of Canal +: “We had a very difficult day, I had a hydraulic problem. We lost points but we have to stay calm. It’s not a great day for Ferrari. We have to stay positive. “
29/51: Hamilton complains about his back
Fifth after 30 laps, the British champion complains of back pain.
25/51: Zhou also resigns
After the two Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc, it is the Chinese Zhou Guanyu who throws in the towel, because of a problem with his Alfa Romeo.
25/51: “It hurts”, Leclerc’s big disappointment
Leclerc at the microphone of Canal + on his abandonment: “Words are difficult to find, it hurts, it’s been three weekends in a row. I just went to see the mechanics, I haven’t spoken to anyone yet. What’s next? From tomorrow I will try to erase everything that happened, the motivation is still there but it hurts.”
22/51: Gasly is getting closer to the podium
If the Red Bulls have a royal road to victory with Verstappen and Perez in the first two places, the fight for the podium promises to be tight. Russell is 3rd but Gasly comes back strong. The Frenchman from AlphaTauri is 4th.
20/51: retirement for Leclerc!
Rotten weekend for Ferrari! After Sainz, it was Charles Leclerc’s turn to retire. The Monegasque is the victim of an engine problem. Hard hard…
19/51: Verstappen in the pits, Leclerc in front
The world championship leader stops for the first time in the pits. He leaves in 2nd position behind Charles Leclerc.
18/51: Hamilton moves up one place
Still in the hard, the British champion overtakes Ocon. He is 9th ahead of the Frenchman.
17/51: Russell threatens Perez
Fourth, the Briton from Mercedes puts Perez under pressure.
15/51: Verstappen in charge
Sergio Perez did not put up much resistance to his Dutch teammate who took control of the race. The Red Bulls dominate this GP for now.
13/51: Vettel’s big mistake
Like Saturday in qualifying, the quadruple world champion misses in a bend. He goes straight but can start again. He is 12th.
11/51: here we go again
The race resumes its rights, here is the classification:
1-Perez
2-Verstappen
3-Leclerc
4-Russell
5-Alonso
…
8-Gasly
9-Ocon
10/51: the drivers in the pits
They take advantage of the virtual safety car to change tyres. A laborious stop for Charles Leclerc.
9/51: Sainz misses, yellow flag
The rear brakes of Sainz’s Ferrari failed. It’s over for the Spaniard who retires at turn 4 of the 9th lap. This is already his third retirement of the season. Yellow flag!
5/51: 2” lead for Perez
The Red Bull driver now has a 2” lead over Charles Leclerc and 3” over Verstappen.
3/51: Latifi penalized
Canadian Nicholas Latifi receives a 10” penalty. His Williams-Mercedes was pushed back by a mechanic on the grid, before the start, after the scythes were turned off.
1/51: Perez is already widening the gap
The Red Bull driver is already increasing his lead over Leclerc (1”3).
1/51: Perez at the controls!
A great start for Sergio Perez who took first place ahead of poleman Charles Leclerc. Verstappen is 3rd, let’s fight!
Let’s go for the warm-up lap
The temperature is rising in Baku.
51 rounds on the program
Each lap of the Baku City Circuit is 6 km.
Hi there
Welcome to RMC Sport to follow live commentary on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, 8th round of the Formula 1 world championship. Charles Leclerc will start in pole position at 1 p.m. at the start. The Ferrari driver will be under threat from the Red Bulls of Sergio Perez, 2nd, and Max Verstappen, 3rd.