F1 Azerbaijan GP LIVE: Qualifying times and results as Lando Norris eliminated in disaster for McLaren
Norris eliminated in Q1 in huge blow to his championship chances ahead of Sunday’s race in Baku
Lando Norris’ title hopes were dealt a huge blow after he suffered a shock elimination from the first part of qualifying as Charles Leclerc took pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row.
The British driver arrived in the Land of Fire bidding to turn up the heat on championship leader Max Verstappen, having taken 16 points out of the three-time world champion’s title lead across the last two races.
But the 24-year-old said he was caught out by yellow flags down the long final straight, backing off and unable to improve his time, meaning he will start Sunday’s race from 17th on the grid.
Verstappen, who leads the drivers’ championship by 62 points with eight races remaining, was not imperious, managing only sixth on the grid as Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri claimed second ahead of Carlos Sainz and the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
Follow live updates from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with The Independent
Constructors’ Standings ahead of Azerbaijan GP:
Just an eight point gap at the top!
1. Red Bull - 446 points
2. McLaren - 438 points
3. Ferrari - 407 points
4. Mercedes - 292 points
5. Aston Martin - 74 points
6. RB - 34 points
7. Haas - 28 points
8. Alpine - 13 points
9. Williams - 6 points
10. Sauber - 0 points
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix LIVE: Lewis Hamilton’s reaction to Adrian Newey snubbing Ferrari...
Asked ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix whether he was disappointed that Newey will not be joining the Scuderia, Hamilton replied: “Honestly, no.
“While I have said before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I have been part of two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.
“I think any team would have been happy to have him. At the end of the day he had to do what is right for him. It doesn’t change my goal or my focus for my next move. I still believe 100 per cent that there is lots we can do.”
Driver Standings heading into the Azerbaijan GP:
1. Max Verstappen - 303 points
2. Lando Norris - 241 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 217 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 197 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 184 points
6. Lewis Hamilton - 164 points
7. Sergio Perez - 143 points
8. George Russell - 128 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 50 points
10. Lance Stroll - 24 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
14. Pierre Gasly - 8 points
15. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen - 6 points
17. Alex Albon - 6 points
18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points
19. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
21. Franco Colapinto - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix LIVE: What are the timings this weekend in Baku?
All times BST
Friday 13 September
- Free practice 1: 10:30am
- Free practice 2: 2pm
Saturday 14 September
- Free practice 3: 9:30am
- Qualifying: 1pm
Sunday 15 September
- Race: 12pm
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix LIVE: Welcome back!
Good morning! F1 is back this weekend as we head to the shores of the Caspian Sea and the entertaining Baku Street Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
It’s already been an eventful week in the sport, what with Adrian Newey’s move to Aston Martin!
So, what will the action on track bring today? Practice gets underway at 10:30am (BST)!
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