Jack Leslie F1: 2016 European Grand Prix In Pictures

The new Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan provided a unique backdrop as the European Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar.

Nico Rosberg dominated the race, with Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez completing the podium. Here is the first F1 race weekend in Azerbaijan in images.

Friday

Lewis Hamilton got his weekend off to a strong start by setting the pace in first practice at the Baku street track.

Daniel Ricciardo's FP1 session came to an early end after he lost the rear of his car and hit the wall at Turn 15.

Hamilton remained at the top of the timesheets in second practice on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile his team-mate Rosberg stopped on the track late in FP2 after losing drive.

The two Ferrari cars both suffered reliability problems in second practice, leaving Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in eighth and 13th.

Saturday

Hamilton's fine form continued into Saturday, with the British driver setting the pace in third practice.

Sergio Perez impressed in sixth place but his FP3 didn't end particularly well, after he crashed at Turn 15 just as the chequered flag emerged.

Valtteri Bottas failed to get much running in during third practice after a loose drain cover in the pitlane damaged his car.

Rio Haryanto was surprisingly one of the stars in qualifying, finishing Q1 17th, ahead of Pascal Wehrlein, Jenson Button, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer.

Romain Grosjean was the first driver to exit qualifying in the second segment, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz Jr., Fernando Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez and Felipe Nasr.

Raikkonen was a disappointing fifth, ahead of Felipe Massa, Daniil Kvyat, Bottas, Max Verstappen and Hamilton, who crashed out at Turn 11.

Ricciardo and Vettel set identical laptimes in third and fourth, with the Red Bull being placed ahead of the Ferrari as he set the attempt first.

With Hamilton out of the way, Rosberg set pole, with Perez second, although a five-place gearbox penalty dropped him to seventh.

Sunday

Rosberg had a strong start to retain the lead into the first corner, with very few changes in the order.

There were a few pieces of minor contact at Turn 1, with several drivers picking up damage - but nothing major occurred.

Ricciardo enjoyed some close battles during the race as he ultimately slipped back down the order.

Vettel soon dropped back from Rosberg, while Raikkonen and Perez chased the two leaders down.

The mix of old and new architecture at the Baku street circuit gave F1 a memorable and unique backdrop.

Hamilton's progress up the order from P10 was steady to begin with but the superior pace of the Mercedes soon became clear.

Kvyat was one of the drivers to lose ground in the early stages of the race, struggling more than others on the super-soft tyre.

Bottas and Hamilton enjoyed a good battle mid-way through the race, although the highlight for Williams came in the pits, with Massa's stop clocking in at a record 1.92 seconds.

Switching Ricciardo to a two-stop strategy meant he had to contend with traffic and slower cars in the mid-part of the European GP.

Fernando Alonso was one of the four retirements after more reliability issues for McLaren Honda.

Raikkonen briefly found himself ahead of Vettel but with the two Ferraris on different strategies, he reacted to team orders and let Vettel through.

Toro Rosso suffered a double DNF with Kvyat and Sainz both failing to finish due to suspension issues.

Button was the sole McLaren to reach the finish, in a disappointing 11th place - particularly after the team's strong Friday showing.

Rosberg was barely seen on TV as he stormed to a clear fifth win of the 2016 F1 season.

Vettel was second for Ferrari, while Perez completed the top three with his second podium of the year.

21 June 2016

2016 European Grand Prix In Pictures

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