Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Qualifying Recap

The rookie had to bounce back in qualifying having crashed out at Turn 1 in final practice earlier on Saturday – the 19-year-old subsequently missing crucial track time around the 6.003-kilometer (3.730-mile), 20-turn circuit. The team ensured Bearman was behind the wheel of his repaired VF-24 for Q1, and the Brit duly rewarded the heroic garage effort with a best lap of 1:43.471 (P14) on his second set of Pirelli P Zero Red softs to advance into Q2. Hulkenberg joined his teammate in Q2, the German bagging a 1:43.101 (P7) on his second stint.

Both drivers opened Q2 with runs on used softs before returning to the pits to swap out onto fresh sets of the compound. Q3 looked tantalizingly close for Bearman but he had to settle for P11 courtesy of a 1:42.968 – matching his previous Formula 1 qualifying effort from a standalone outing for Scuderia Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March. Hulkenberg landed P14 on the timesheet on his final run thanks to a 1:43.191 best lap.

Italian Grand Prix winner Charles Leclerc delivered pole position in Azerbaijan – the Scuderia Ferrari racer earning the top spot in Q3 clocking a 1:41.365 to beat McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by three tenths of a second.

Nico Hulkenberg:

“I think some other teams found a bit more pace out there than us, and it’s all about very fine margins once again in the midfield. On my side, I didn’t find enough lap time on that last run in Q2, I was struggling a bit in sector two to find the love and the harmony. We aimed for a better position but in Q2 we didn’t find enough improvement on the second set of new tires, hence we are where we are.”

Oliver Bearman:

“It was a tough session. I was firstly lucky to get into Q2 because there was a double yellow out there which I lost a lot of time with, but I managed to scrape through. We were really on the limit to get into Q3 if it wasn’t for the mistake I made in the castle section. I’m quite disappointed in myself, not necessarily for qualifying but for FP3 where I lost a lot of laps and experience. I felt really comfortable in the car yesterday on my high-fuel run, so I have high hopes for tomorrow.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal:

“I certainly have mixed feelings. Ollie’s recovery from FP3 was really good, and in Q1 on his second run he came across a yellow flag, so it was just enough to get through. What’s impressive is how he was able to reset after FP3 ahead of Q1, and also in-between Q1 and Q2, to then deliver like that. He’s kicking himself because he lost about three tenths on his second run in Q2, but after his FP3 session, to deliver P11 and getting so close to getting into Q3, he did such a good job. With Nico, he did a good job in Q1, but in Q2 he was struggling a bit because he doesn’t get on well with this track in terms of flow etc. I think he has a decent starting position, so tomorrow I’d like to think we can take the fight to Williams for a top 10 spot.”

Today's Data:

Event: Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Saturday September 14
Location: Baku City Circuit, Baku
Layout: 6.003-kilometer (3.730-mile), 20-turn circuit 
Weather: Sunny
Air Temps: 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
Track Temps: 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit)
Team Result: Bearman qualified 11th, Hulkenberg qualified 14th

Free Practice 3 (FP3) Rundown:

Hulkenberg: 16th overall (1:44.164), 13 laps 
Bearman: 20th overall (No Time), 2 laps
Fastest: George Russell of Mercedes (1:42.514)

Q1 Qualifying: 18-mins with all Drivers – Top 15 Advance to Q2

Hulkenberg: 7th overall (1:43.101) – Advanced to Q2
Bearman: 14th overall (1:43.471) – Advanced to Q2
Fastest: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:42.775)

Q2 Qualifying: 15-mins – Top 10 Advance to Q3

Bearman: 11th overall (1:42.968) 
Hulkenberg: 14th overall (1:43.191) 
Fastest: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:42.042)

Q3 Qualifying: 12-mins – Top 10 Drivers

Pole: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:41.365)