2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix​: Qualifying Highlights

Stroll, Magnussen, Norris, Kvyat, Perez, Albon, they're all on the cusp. Grosjean and Hülkenberg really struggling in sector one. They're three, four tenths down on where they need to be. But is it Magnussen? Who is it? No, Norris. What an absolute crack in first sector by him. Only a tenth of the best first sector time. Hülkenberg goes to 16th and Grosjean can't get out of Q1. And that is a very big bang into the walls indeed. And that will bring out the red flag. It's down at the tightest part of this into the barrier. It's Kubica. I can see Russell on the driver tracker. At the bottom of the castle section. This is what happened to Robert Kubica. Well, he was very committed to the inside curve there. I know they've all been jumping it, but he was almost touching the wall on the inside, wasn't he? That was a hard hit. Daniel Ricciardo just managed to get through. But joining Hülkenberg and out here, Robert Kubica, who's crashed, brought out the red flag. George Russell, Romain Grosjean and Lance Stroll. Once again, Vettel's not getting the best out of these medium tyres. Look, Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi swapping places there. Räikkönen getting a bit of a tow. And it's another big crash. It is Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari as his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, goes past and tries to avoid the debris. I am stupid. I am stupid. I switch off everything. We just see here, is he going to touch the inside? Oh, he's locked the front. Too much speed approaching the corner. Yeah, and he didn't bail out, did he? Charles Leclerc, you have to feel for the young man, 21 years of age. Bottas has just done a 41.5, so the track is still there. Although Bottas only managed to improve the middle sector, but overall on the lap, got the job done. What could Verstappen have done if he'd went out? I think he's probably the best bet at the moment to get pole position because the Ferrari look like struggling to switch on the tyres. Yeah, because the temperature change has altered things. Five places or fifth place for Sebastian Vettel. Giovinazzi makes it into the top ten. Räikkönen was already there, stays seventh. Norris goes into the top ten. Giovinazzi right on the cusp at the moment. Next to cross the line, Danny Kvyat, he's in ninth place. And we look back now to Daniel Ricciardo, still going for it on the track. Nobody looks like they're improving so far. The science is coming to cross the line any minute, but I don't think he's... No, Ricciardo pitted, Ricciardo pitted at the end of his lap. That is why I just hesitated a bit. I wonder what happened to Kevin Magnussen. And he might have been the man who brought out that yellow flag and hitting the wall, Danny Kvyat. Oh, that was a nasty hit. Look at the rear wing and the floor moving. Kvyat's through into Q3. Here's his teammate, Alex Albon. That got a little bit leery for him as he made his way down the hill. He'd easily say that's two three-tenths at least. More than kissing the wall today, aren't they? Here's Lewis Hamilton coming to get a pole position or a provisional pole position at the moment. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, will be the first of the Mercedes cars to cross the line, and Bottas will come up to it now and go faster than Max Verstappen by nearly three-tenths of a second. Hamilton next to cross the line. He takes provisional pole by half a second from his teammate. But can Sebastian Vettel confirm what everyone thinks? That Ferrari have the power advantage down the long straight here. Vettel will be next to cross the line. It's going to be tight. He's going to just miss out four-tenths of a second. Look at the difference between Hamilton and Vettel. It's Mercedes on top. Red Bull with Max Verstappen keeping going here. Another lap to warm up the tyres, recharge all the energy recovery systems, cool down what they need to cool down. Has it worked for Max Verstappen? DRS wide open. It's ten minutes to seven o'clock at night. He crosses the line to go onto the front row. He ended up about three and a half tenths behind Lewis Hamilton. But there's a Red Bull now on the front row. Vettel getting a car slowed down nicely in that. Only a tenth in it. He's going to use all he can. He got a good exit out of Turn 16. Now, this is where the Ferrari is at its strongest, arguably around this track. Will it be enough? And Bottas, only six hundredths in it. And Hamilton, after a brilliant middle sector. Back in the game. Back in the game again. It's Baku in the game, but who is going to win the game? Sebastian Vettel coming towards the line now. Can he snatch pole to at least give Ferrari a high? No, he's only on the front row. Missed it by nine one hundredths. Valtteri Bottas, fourth fastest. Lewis Hamilton is going to be on pole. Is he? Oh, no. Bottas goes quicker by two tenths. And Hamilton misses out by five one hundredths of a second. Valtteri Bottas has claimed pole. It is an all Mercedes front row and a time of 1.40.4 for Valtteri Bottas is an absolute lap record. So, Valtteri, that's pole position. Yes. Great job with a toe on that final lap. So Max Verstappen gets his best ever start in Baku of a fourth place, and he ties Red Bull's best start of the season. And the one, two, three, Bottas, Hamilton, Vettel are the same one, two, three that we had on the grid in China two weeks ago.