Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022 Live: Perez leads from Leclerc on the streets of Baku

By | June 12, 2022
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2022 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as it happens: commentary and highlights

Lap 15: VERSTAPPEN LEADS! The Dutch driver puts in a mega lap and makes up over a second on his team mate. The pair head into the first corner side by side but the current world champion masterfully pulls into the lead on the inside. 

Lap 13: Vettel is now off the track as he looks to overtake Alonso down the back straight. He only loses one spot in the end but that’s a big error from the former world champion who should have kept patience in truth as he was so close to the Spaniard. 

Lap 9: SAINZ IS OUT! Yellow flags in sector one and the virtual safety car is deployed. Replays show that Sainz suffers a big engine problem and has to park up.

There’s a huge flurry of action in the pit stop now as most cars come in. Leclerc takes longer than he should due to a pit stop error whilst Sebastian Vettel jumps Hamilton. Perez and Verstappen opt to stay out.

Lap 8: Elsewhere then, Sainz remains P4 ahead of George Russell in P5. Pierre Gasly sits in P6 for AlphaTauri as he pulls more and more of a gap from Mercedes Lewis Hamilton who’s in P7 and seems to be struggling big time with his tyres. 

Lap 5: Verstappen is getting closer and closer to Leclerc every lap with DRS whilst Carlos Sainz in P4 continues to fall further away from the Dutch driver as a result. There’s still plenty of time left in this race and drama will ensue at some point but Perez, Leclerc and Verstappen seem substantially ahead of the rest of the pack pace wise. 

Lap 3: Perez has absolutely bolted away from Leclerc and already holds a 2.4 second lead over the Ferrari driver. DRS is now activated as Verstappen looks to make it a Red Bull one two down the straight. 

RACE START: And we’re off in Baku! It’s an amazing start from Perez as he snatches the lead away from Leclerc into the first corner. The Ferrari man struggled to get off the line before locking up as he attempted to stay in front. The rest of the grid basically remains as you were on the opening lap. 

2 mins to lights out: The cars are all out on track to begin their formation lap ahead of the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

15 mins to lights out: The other key area of this race as we all know is that phenomenally long straight where drivers can make up so much time.

As such, breaking that one second gap to shut off DRS for your opponents could be absolutely crucial in determining who will come out on top. 

Back on the track, all the drivers are now out of their cars as last minute preparations continue. Quite a few are wearing their cooling vests as Baku swelters in the sun.

30 mins to lights out: Lets talk strategy as the Azerbaijan GP is normally a one-stop race though the teams still have to decide what tyres will last best around this circuit.

It looks like most teams will opt for the soft compound tyres to start with a switch to hards after around 8 to 10 laps, however it looks like Ferrari could opt for a bold strategy of using a set of softs and then move onto the mediums. 

Given the track temperature is very high in Baku today and that we saw Verstappen, amongst others, suffer a huge tyre blowout last time out here, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on. 

45 mins to lights out: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc provided the entertainment for fans yesterday as he put his car P1 for today’s race. He saved his best until the last lap as he crossed the line nearly three tenths faster than Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in P2.

Current world champion Max Verstappen put his car into P3, though it extended the Dutch drivers recent underwhelming form as Leclerc continues to get the business done when it matters in qualifying this season. 

1 hour to lights out: Welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the eighth race of the 2022 Formula 1 calendar.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took the race win in an action-packed Monaco Grand Prix last time out, his first victory of the season, which lifted the Mexican driver up to third place in the current drivers’ world championship standings, behind teammate Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. 

Perez will be hoping for more of the same this year in Baku – especially as he won the 2021 race here – though it was Leclerc who proved fastest in qualifying yesterday, becoming the first driver to secure more than one pole position at this event as he starts today’s race at the front of the pack. 

With all five of the previously held Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s witnessing five different race winners and five different fastest lap setters, expect plenty of drama down the high speed straights and through the circuit’s tight corners. 

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Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022 starting grid

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put in a blistering lap in the final phase of qualifying yesterday to hold off Sergio Perez as the Monaco-born driver took his sixth pole position of the 2022 F1 campaign.

He’s now started from the front in six of the eight races this season, though with his team’s calamitous mess up in Monaco likely still fresh in the memory, there’s still plenty of work to be done here in Baku for Leclerc if he’s going to get back to winning ways for the first time in five races. 

Red Bull teammates Perez and Max Verstappen start P2 and P3 respectively with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in P4, the three drivers all separated by less than two tenths yesterday in qualifying. 

Elsewhere, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly secured his best qualifying result of the season by putting his car P6 on the grid, whilst it proved to be an afternoon to forget for Lance Stroll who’s Aston Martin car collided with the barrier in qualifying, leaving him towards the back of the grid as the pressure continues to build on the Canadian driver. 

Upon completing qualifying for Alpine on Saturday, former world champion Fernando Alonso also passed Michael Schumacher’s record of driving in the sport for the longest period.

The full line up for the race:

Position Driver
1 Charles Leclerc
2 Sergio Perez
3 Max Verstappen
4 Carlos Sainz
5 George Russell
6 Pierre Gasly
7 Lewis Hamilton
8 Yuki Tsunoda
9 Sebastian Vettel
10 Fernando Alonso
11 Lando Norris
12 Daniel Ricciardo
13 Esteban Ocon
14 Zhou Guanyu
15 Valtteri Bottas
16 Kevin Magnussen
17 Alex Albon
18 Nicholas Latifi
19 Lance Stroll
20 Mick Schumacher

What time does the Azerbaijan Grand Prix race start today?

  • Date: Sunday, June 12
  • Start time: 3 p.m. local time / 12 p.m. BST / 7 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. AEST

How to watch the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 

USA: The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2022 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports’ feed, with select races airing on ABC later in the season. You can also stream Formula 1 races live in the U.S. with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2022 F1 races in the U.S.

UK: Sky Sports F1, or online through Sky Go, is the place to catch all the F1 action in the UK.

Canada: In Canada, you can watch F1 via the English-language TSN or French-language RDS.

Australia: Fox Sports are the carriers of live F1 coverage in Australia.

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date May 29 May 29 May 29 May 29
Time 12 p.m. BST 7 a.m. ET 7 a.m. ET 9 p.m. AEST
TV Channel Sky Sports F1 ESPN TSN Fox Sports

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