Azerbaijan Grand Prix: LATE grid changes after TWO driver penalties

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc grabbed his third consecutive pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a red-flag interrupted qualifying in Baku on Friday.

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Leclerc and Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen had posted identical times in the top 10 shoot-out before Leclerc produced a magical flying last lap to head the grid for Sunday’s race.

Verstappen, edged out by less than two tenths of a second, leads his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by 15 points in the world championship going into the fourth race of the season.

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Perez will start on the second row with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, fourth in qualifying, keeping the Mexican company.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton came fifth to fill the third row with Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.

Completing the top 10 were Lando Norris, in a heavily upgraded McLaren, Yuki Tsunoda producing a superb eighth in the AlphaTauri, Alonso’s team-mate Lance Stroll and rookie Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren.

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Sunday’s race will start at 13:00 (SA time).

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However, lower down the grid there were two drivers who picked up penalties that were confirmed on Sunday, just hours ahead of the start.

Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) picked up penalties for car set-up changes and were demoted to start from the pitlane:

Starting grid for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

Front row

Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari)

Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull)

2nd row

Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull)

Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari)

3rd row

Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes)

Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin-Mercedes)

4th row

Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes)

Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Red Bull)

5th row

Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes)

Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes)

6th row

George Russell (GBR/Mercedes)

Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes)

7th row

Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari )

Logan Sargeant (USA/Williams-Mercedes)

8th row

Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari )

Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari)

9th row

Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine-Renault)

Nyck de Vries (NED/AlphaTauri-Red Bull)

10th row

Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault)

Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Haas-Ferrari)

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