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BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Charles Leclerc is again on pole. Now comes the tough job of changing it right into a win.
Leclerc gained the pole for the fourth consecutive race with a blistering lap across the Baku avenue circuit in Azerbaijan on Saturday, however the Ferrari driver did not convert any of his final three pole positions into victories.
Leclerc ran a lap at 1 minute, 41.359 seconds together with his final run of the session to beat Sergio Pérez of Pink Bull by .282 seconds. System One championship chief Max Verstappen certified third within the different Pink Bull, .347 off Leclerc’s tempo.
Leclerc has been first or second in each qualifying session this yr, however has not gained a race for the reason that Australian Grand Prix in April. Verstappen gained three consecutive races and Pérez gained in Monaco two weeks in the past.
“All pole positions really feel good however this one, I most likely didn’t count on it,” Leclerc stated. He stated Pink Bull’s automobiles appear quicker “however then within the final lap all the things got here collectively.”
Leclerc began from pole the final three races however was handed by Verstappen in Miami, retired with automobile issues in Spain — the place reigning champion Verstappen gained to move Leclerc for the standings lead — and dropped to fourth at his residence race in Monaco after a botched technique name by Ferrari. He was additionally on pole in Azerbaijan final yr, when he completed fourth.
Pérez was the winner in Azerbaijan final yr and is coming off his victory within the Monaco Grand Prix. He was upbeat about his possibilities in Sunday’s race, however admitted he was fortunate in qualifying after tapping the wall.
“I hit it fairly onerous just a few occasions nevertheless it appears to be very sturdy, the automobile, this yr,” he stated. “I used to be fortunate to not crash as a result of I used to be over the restrict a bit an excessive amount of and simply attempting an excessive amount of.”
Pérez argued he might have been quicker if not for an issue getting his automobile began within the pits for the ultimate qualifying run which left him on his personal on the observe, and not using a automobile to slipstream behind on the straight.
Verstappen, who leads Leclerc by 9 factors within the standings, felt his automobile was “constantly a bit off” when it comes to setup stability.
“We appear to lack perhaps a tiny bit over one lap, however I feel over the long term our automobile ought to be fairly good,” he stated. Like Leclerc, Verstappen has by no means been on the rostrum in Baku, and crashed from the lead final yr when a tire blew.
Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz certified fourth, whereas George Russell of Mercedes was fifth and teammate Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion, seventh. Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri was sixth.
The stewards summoned Hamilton and Lando Norris of McLaren for “driving unnecessarily slowly” throughout the second of the three qualifying classes. Footage from Norris’ onboard digital camera confirmed Hamilton driving slowly by means of the slim Previous Metropolis part of the observe and Norris then slowing right down to match him.
Hamilton stated he’d acted inside the guidelines and was attempting to let different automobiles previous to get a slipstream and make up for Mercedes’ lack of tempo on the straights. The stewards took no motion, ruling Hamilton’s actions weren’t harmful and his general lap time was quick sufficient.
Norris narrowly missed the reduce within the second session and certified eleventh, one spot forward of embattled McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Lance Stroll was nineteenth after crashing twice within the first session. The Canadian was in a position to get going once more after working right into a barrier when braking late, however hit the wall once more on his very subsequent lap, breaking the entrance wing and leaving one wheel dangling.
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Extra AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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