12:37
Stroll hits the wall
Stroll has just clipped the wall but seems to have avoided picking up any damage.
"F*** I hit the wall. Check tyre," the Canadian said over team radio.
Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB19. Formula 1 World Championship,…
How the F1 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix unfolded
A recap of how the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix unfolded, as Sergio Perez beat Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen to an important victory.
30 Apr 2023
12:36
Perez noted for unsafe release - but no investigation
Perez had been noted by Race Control about a possible unsafe release, but it has been quickly confirmed there will be no investigation.
12:34
Hamilton dives past Russell for P7
Hamilton now passes Russell with a dive up the inside on the run to Turn 1.
Hamilton has now made up three positions from the restart and is up to seventh.
12:32
Verstappen gets up to second
Verstappen passes Leclerc to take second, while Alonso has jumped Sainz to move into fourth.
Russell drops to seventh behind the two Aston Martins, while Hamilton immediately jumps both Hulkenberg and Ocon.
12:30
Safety Car in!
We are back racing in Baku!
12:29
Perez now leads!
Perez now finds himself in the lead after pitting, while Verstappen has been jumped by Leclerc and is now third.
The order is:
1) Perez
2) Leclerc
3) Verstappen
4) Sainz
5) Alonso
6) Russell
7) Stroll
8) Ocon
9) Hulkenberg
10) Hamilton
Everyone except Ocon and Hulkenberg have pitted.
12:26
Disaster for Hamilton
Hamilton has lost out in a big way here due to the Safety Car.
He had just made his pit stop the previous lap and all of his rivals ahead will now have a free pit stop.
12:24
Safety Car!
De Vries has run off track and a Safety Car has been deployed!
12:22
Verstappen pits from lead
Verstappen pits from the lead.
12:21
Hamilton pits from fifth
Hamilton pits from fifth just before he is passed on track by Alonso and Stroll.
12:20
Verstappen clips the wall!
Verstappen reports over team radio that he has just clipped the wall. He still leads Perez by a second.
12:18
Aston Martins working together
Lance Stroll tells his team he won't attack teammate Fernando Alonso as the Aston Martin pair look to work together in their pursuit of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes ahead.
Alonso is confident of catching Hamilton soon.
12:15
It's a Red Bull one-two!
At the start of lap six and now its Perez's turn to pass Leclerc's Ferrari on the main straight.
Perez is around a second behind race-leader Verstappen. Can he take the fight to his teammate?
12:13
Hamilton runs over bottle
Hamilton has just run over a water bottle that was on the track. It doesn't seem to have caused any damage to his Mercedes.
12:12
Hamilton catching Sainz
Behind the top three, Hamilton is closing in on Sainz's Ferrari and is within DRS range. The seven-time world champion is around half a second behind and just posted the fastest lap of the race.
12:10
Verstappen takes the lead
Verstappen uses DRS to breeze past Leclerc at the start of lap four. That was all too easy for the championship leader.
12:09
Verstappen within striking distance
Verstappen is right on Leclerc's tail and will get DRS on the next lap. Just half a second separates the leading pair.
12:07
Fast start from Russell
Russell has made up two places on the opening lap and is up to ninth.
12:05
Lights out in Baku!
Leclerc holds on to maintain his led from Verstappen through the first few corners.
12:00
Formation lap underway
Leclerc leads the field off the grid for the formation lap.
11:56
Wolff on Russell-Verstappen beef
“It’s banter. Between the two it’s emotional and it’s good entertainment.”
Toto Wolff (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 Shareholder and Executive Director on the…
11:54
Who's winning today?
Five minutes until lights out. Who will take victory in Azerbaijan? We don't have long to find out.
11:46
Not long to go!
We are 15 minutes away from lights out in Baku and it's time for the national anthem of Azerbaijan.
11:36
How the grid will line up:
1) Leclerc, Ferrari
2) Verstappen, Red Bull
3) Perez, Red Bull
4) Sainz, Ferrari
5) Hamilton, Mercedes
6) Alonso, Aston Martin
7) Norris, McLaren
8) Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
9) Stroll, Aston Martin
10) Piastri, McLaren
11) Russell, Mercedes
12) Albon, Williams
13) Bottas, Alfa Romeo
14) Sargeant, Williams
15) Zhou, Alfa Romeo
16) Magnussen, Haas
17) Gasly, Alpine
18) De Vries, AlphaTauri
Ocon (Alpine) and Hulkenberg (Haas) will start from the pitlane after breaching parc ferme rules.
11:28
A seventh different winner in Baku?
We’ve had six different winners from the six races held in Azerbaijan so far. Will we get a seventh different victor today? Baku usually delivers.
2022 - Verstappen, Red Bull
2021 - Perez, Red Bull
2019 - Bottas, Mercedes
2018 - Hamilton, Mercedes
2017 - Ricciardo, Red Bull
2016 - Rosberg, Mercedes
*2020 race cancelled due to COVID-19
Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari SF-23 leads at the start of the Sprint race…