How Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying unfolded

RED FLAG

De Vries into the barriers #AzerbaijanGP#F1pic.twitter.com/yHvO9wDIQ9

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 28, 2023

"Oh my god. Urghhhh!" 

Pure exasperation for de Vries who lost control of his AlphaTauri before hitting the Turn 3 barriers. He's out of qualifying and is set to start Sunday's grand prix from last on the grid. 

That red flag was bad news for those yet to complete a second run, including the likes of Piastri (who had set a purple first sector) and Russell. 

But with the clock stopped and 10 minutes left to go, there's plenty of time to get laps in. No need to panic just yet. 

Verstappen is the early Q1 leader ahead of Leclerc and the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri, but things are changing all the time during these opening exchanges as the track ramps up. 

Great work by Alpine to get Gasly's car fixed in time to take part in qualifying. 

The Frenchman acknowlegdes his team's efforts over team radio. 

We’re fully focussed on Quali

5 minutes to go!#HaasF1#AzerbaijanGP#Qualipic.twitter.com/W7BLhwwXF1

— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) April 28, 2023

Repair work is still ongoing down at Alpine after Gasly's dramatic fiery stoppage in practice. Will the car be ready in time for Q1? 

The start of qualifying is just 15 minutes away. 

During the break between practice and qualifying, returning Mercedes technical director James Allison spoke to the media and explained why Mercedes won't be considering a wholesale revamp of their W14 car. 

Read the full story here. 

World championship leader Verstappen set the pace in Friday's sole practice session, but Ferrari's Leclerc wasn't far behind - just 0.037s behind to be precise. 

With Perez and Sainz not far behind, can Ferrari put in a challenge to take the first non-Red Bull pole of 2023?

Ferrari could really do with a strong weekend in Baku after their dismal start to the season. Will today be the day their fortunes start to turnaround?

We don't have long to find out. 

Hello again! 

We are back and building up to qualifying on Friday (yes, you read that correctly).

Today's qualifying will determine the starting grid for Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

Here's a full reminder of how the new sprint format works. 

And next up, it's qualifying for Sunday's grand prix at 2pm!

We will be back in building up to that session in a bit. 

And here is our report from an incident-packed practice, as Verstappen set the pace. 

The full order from Friday practice in Baku.

Leclerc briefly goes fastest, before Verstappen usurps him moments later by 0.037s! 

Perez further lowers the pace to extend his advantage over Leclerc to 0.144s. 

Leclerc goes second and just 0.093s behind Perez, while Sainz slots into fourth as Ferrari finally show some speed on soft tyres. 

An encouraging lap from Hamilton, who is still on mediums, to go fourth fastest. He's 1.147s down on Perez's best.

After the first soft tyre runs, it's Perez who is the faster out of the two Red Bulls. 

The Mexican pumps in a 1m42.651s to end up 0.391s clear of Verstappen. 

Perez does love Baku - a circuit he took his first victory for Red Bull.

Oscar heads out on Softs. #AzerbaijanGPpic.twitter.com/FMuJma6aYA

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 28, 2023

Stroll lifts his Aston Martin into P2 to split the Red Bulls.

The Canadian is 0.219s behind Verstappen. Decent lap, that!

It's not all plain-sailing at Aston Martin, however, as Alonso reports that his DRS is not working and he is told to box. 

Russell has moved himself up to eighth and 1.248s off the pace.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is just outside the top 10 in 11th, nearly two seconds adrift. 

After a fire ended Gasly's FP1, teammate Ocon is now in the pits and will take no further part in the session. 

Alpine say they are investigating an issue at the rear of Ocon's car as a precuation.