F1 Azerbaijan GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying
Saturday's qualifying session for the 17th round of the 2024 Formula 1 season
George Russell ended final practice fastest of all ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying.
The Mercedes set a late effort to take the advantage into this afternoon's grid-setting session, with Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren all in with a chance of pole, such is the competition in Baku.
Who will come out on top? Qualifying gets under way at 1pm BST.
By: Ewan Gale
So that's it for coverage of Saturday's action in Baku. You can read the full report from that qualifying session here!
Thank you for joining us, we will be back to bring you all the race updates tomorrow. But until then, it's goodbye.
Leclerc: "It is one of my favourite tracks of the season. It hasn't been an easy weekend, the crash in FP1, then in FP2 a problem with a new part on the car.
"I was not worried but the pace was always there. In the last lap, I went for it a bit more. It is amazing to be on pole."
Another poor qualifying for Verstappen, who will try and twist the knife into Norris' poor starting position tomorrow.
It seems like a missed opportunity though, with team-mate Perez, Russell, both Ferraris and Piastri all ahead.
"That was probably the messiest lap I have ever done in my life," says Piastri on his way back to parc ferme.
Piastri gave the wall at T15 a big kiss but he got away with it to secure a front-row spot.
Leclerc, winner in Monza, takes pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
Alonso beats the Williams duo as Colapinto jumps Albon. The latter failed to reach the line after the fan disaster.
Piastri splits the Ferraris to go second, Leclerc goes even faster with a 1m43.365s to secure pole.
Verstappen is only sixth, Perez goes fourth! That's much more like it for the Mexican.
Russell is the first to improve again and goes fourth. Hamilton is only seventh despite a purple final sector.
That will be an investigation for an unsafe release, but the final efforts are underway so lets return our focus to the race for pole.
Albon has returned to the track with the cooling fan still in his Williams' airbox. What a bizarre incident.
He stops by the side of the track at the pit-exit removes it, launches it to the side of the track and gets going.
Still green flag conditions, somehow.
Cars have come back in and are already back on track... but we could have a stoppage.
"Come on guys, get those temperatures up."
Hamilton was not happy after being told he was 0.889s down on Leclerc's benchmark.
Albon and Colapinto have set almost identical lap times to sit eighth and ninth, with Alonso 10th.
Perez gets ahead of his team-mate, who had a huge slide at T16. That will be worth at least three-tenths.
Leclerc goes fastest now with a 1m41.610s, Sainz slotting into second, two-tenths down.
Verstappen goes only fifth, six-tenths down.
Russell is first across the line and sets a 1m41.962s. That's faster than Hamilton but gets beaten by Piastri straightaway.
Right then, first laps are well under way and Leclerc is up in the first sector.
Perez was forced to stop as the Williams cars came out of the garage onto the track, but no harm done as they were over the white line and in the fast lane already.
Anyway, Q3 is under way as we find out who will be on pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The timing screens definitely showed yellow at the time, could Will Joseph have relayed that info and, therefore, that's why he apologised over team radio? How bizarre.
Replays from Q1 show that Norris was not hampered by a yellow flag, it seems as though a white flag was being displayed on the light panel.
Ocon was moving slowly after clouting the wall at Turn 4 earlier in the lap.
"I'm such an idiot."
Bearman can't believe he is out of qualifying after a lock-up on his lap.
Colapinto was four-tenths up on Albon in that session, what a comeback after his crash yesterday.
Bearman was ahead of Hulkenberg, with both Haas drivers joined by Tsunoda, Gasly and Stroll in missing out.
Alonso with a great lap to get up to fifth, Colapinto up to sixth! A great effort from the Argentine.
Albon just hangs on to 10th, with Bearman narrowly missing out.
Russell will be first - he goes fourth with a slower final sector.
Tsunoda goes ninth, Albon eighth and Hamilton seventh as the chequered flag comes out.
Bearman in seventh, followed by Albon, Hamilton and Hulkenberg are the four most at risk from the elimination-threatened five. Laps are about to be completed...
Ferrari may go for a cool lap and then a second push, as the rest of the runners exit the pits for a final effort.
Less than three minutes remain.
Tsunoda has just earned RB a €400 fine for going 2.2mph over the pitlane speed limit during Q1.
Sainz goes third, just under half a second adrift of Verstappen, while Leclerc crosses the line with a lap only 0.014s shy of the world champion.
This time it is Sainz first on the road for Ferrari, with both drivers improving.
After the initial runs, Colapinto, Alonso, Gasly, Tsunoda and Stroll are in danger of missing out on Q3 - though the Williams driver only needs to find 0.093s.