The brand-new Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan debuted in Formula 1 as it hosted the eighth round of the 2016 season.
The European Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2012, with Baku becoming the fifth track to host the standalone race.
FP1
Lewis Hamilton ended first practice for the European Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets, as drivers got to know the new Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.
Hamilton was one of the many drivers to suffer off-track excursions, even clipping the wall in the first sector. However, he managed to retain P1 with a 1m46.435.
His team-mate Nico Rosberg was three tenths behind in second place, with Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel next up. Sergio Perez, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Sainz narrowly avoided a crash but did clip the Turn 15 wall. Daniel Ricciardo was 13th despite bringing out the red flag after hitting the wall at the same corner.
FP2
Hamilton remained fastest in second practice at the Baku street track, beating team-mate Rosberg by almost seven tenths of a second.
The reigning world champion put in a 1m44.223 to end the session in the lead. Rosberg stopped on track towards the end of FP2 after losing drive.
The session began without delay despite earlier issues with the kerbs, which caused GP2 qualifying to be postponed. Perez was third for Force India, with Bottas and Hulkenberg next up.
Sainz, Verstappen, Vettel, Button and Ricciardo rounded out the top 10, with the Red Bull drivers making up ground after losing track time in the morning session.
Alonso and Romain Grosjean were next up. Kimi Raikkonen was down in 13th. Both Ferrari cars suffered issues during FP2. Kvyat was in 14th, with Massa down in 16th.
FP3
Hamilton made it a clean sweep in practice by putting in the fastest time during FP3 at the Baku City Circuit, with a late 1m44.352 on the super-soft tyre.
He finished three tenths clear of Rosberg, with Hulkenberg impressing in third place. Ricciardo and Vettel were fourth and fifth in final practice.
Perez was sixth but brought out the red flag just as the session concluded after hitting the wall at the exit of Turn 15.
Verstappen, Button, Kvyat and Raikkonen rounded out the top 10. Alonso and Sainz were 11th and 12th.
Grosjean and Massa were next up, with the second Williams of Bottas failing to set a time after a loose drain cover in the pits damaged his car.
Qualifying
Rosberg stormed to a clear pole position at the Baku street track, setting the pace in European GP qualifying while Hamilton crashed out in Q3.
The championship leader put in a 1m42.758 in the final few minutes before the red flags, following Hamilton’s contact with the Turn 11 barrier.
Sergio Perez was second but picked up a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. Ricciardo and Vettel were left to fight over the final front row spot and they set identical times.
Ricciardo picked up the net second place on the grid as he set his lap first. Raikkonen, Massa, Kvyat, Bottas and Verstappen were next up. Hamilton had yet to set a quick time when he crashed and will line up 10th.
Grosjean was the first to be eliminated in Q2 and was joined by Hulkenberg, Sainz, Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez and Felipe Nasr.
Rio Haryanto impressed in Q1 and qualified 17th, ahead of his team-mate Pascal Wehrlein. Button, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer completed the order.
Race
Rosberg started from pole position for the maiden F1 race in Baku, but could Hamilton bounce back from a disappointing qualifying to challenge at the European GP?
The revs rose, the lights went out and for the first time in Baku, F1 was racing. Off the line, Rosberg had a clean start to hold onto the lead into Turn 1. Ricciardo, Vettel and Raikkonen followed him through.
Palmer ran wide at the first corner and there was some minor contact in the middle of the pack. Hamilton remained 10th in the early stages. Rosberg opened up a small lead over Ricciardo on the opening lap, with Vettel chasing.
Perez and Verstappen were the big winners, making up two places. Meanwhile at the back of the field Gutierrez lost three spots, following small contact with Hulkenberg. Bottas breezed past Kvyat on lap three, moving up to eighth place.
The Toro Rosso driver then fell behind Hamilton and Grosjean. Bottas was on a charge and then overtook Verstappen for seventh. The Red Bull tried to fight back using the slipstream but he failed and ended up dropping behind Hamilton.
The combination of DRS and the slipstream meant Vettel was easily able to displace Ricciardo for second. Meanwhile Verstappen and Alonso were early stoppers for the soft tyre on lap six. Red Bull opted to do the same for Ricciardo on the next tour, as he came under pressure from Raikkonen.
Kvyat's car was pushed into the garage on lap seven. Just as the battle between Bottas, Hamilton and Massa started to take shape, the latter dived into the pits. Vettel was instructed to box but was sceptical, asking why Ferrari wanted to stop so early.
He stayed out for several more laps, while Raikkonen pitted on lap nine. Bottas and Hamilton stayed out but the battling duo swapped places on lap 11. Rosberg's lead was 13.7 seconds by the end of lap 12, with Vettel on his own in second place, while Perez and Hamilton battled for third.
Hamilton was the first of the two scrapping drivers to pit, but he failed to get the undercut on Perez when the Force India switched tyres one lap later. Raikkonen was handed a five-second time penalty for crossing the pitlane entry line. He passed Ricciardo for fourth on lap 18.
Rosberg's lead was over 20 seconds by lap 20, unchallenged at the front as he stayed out on the super-softs. Vettel finally pitted on lap 21, returning to the street track behind his team-mate and ahead of Ricciardo.
Unusually Verstappen stopped for the second time and went for the rarely-used medium compound. Race leader Rosberg moved onto the soft tyre one lap later. Ricciardo continued to drop back and lost out to both Perez and Hamilton on the pit straight on lap 22, before immediately stopping for mediums.
On different strategies, Vettel started to close on Raikkonen and was just one second behind on lap 27. Massa was one of the drivers to stop early and he pitted again on lap 29, with several different strategies opening up as the race progressed.
Hamilton started to report issues and was struggling to make up ground on Perez. Hulkenberg was chasing down Bottas, while also keeping a close eye on the fast-approaching Red Bull of Ricciardo.
The problem on Hamilton's car was de-rates, lower than maximum electrical deployment. The new radio rules meant Mercedes were only able to tell him that a setting on his steering wheel was in the wrong place. He became increasingly frustrated as he searched for a solution.
Wehrlein completed over 30 laps on the soft tyre and eventually pitted while in 12th place for the mediums. Button made a move on Alonso on lap 38 at the first corner, advancing to 12th place. Hamilton continued to struggle for pace and was 13 seconds behind Perez by lap 40.
Wehrlein retired with brake problems on the next tour of the Baku streets. Alonso pitted with a potential gearbox issue a little while later. Perez caught up to Raikkonen and was right behind the Ferrari with two laps to go. However, with Raikkonen's time penalty, the Force India's podium was already secured.
Perez passed Raikkonen on the final lap at the first corner to move up to third place on the road. Meanwhile Rosberg crossed the line in Baku to win the first European GP in Azerbaijan and return to the top step of the podium.
Vettel finished second, with Perez in third and Raikkonen fourth. Hamilton was a distant fifth, ahead of Bottas, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Hulkenberg and Massa. Button just missed out on the top 10, with Nasr 12th and Grosjean 13th.
Magnussen, Palmer, Gutierrez and Ericsson were next up. Haryanto was the final classified finisher, while there were four retirements - Alonso, Wehrlein, Sainz and Kvyat.
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| © Red Bull Content Pool |
FP1
Lewis Hamilton ended first practice for the European Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets, as drivers got to know the new Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.
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| © Mercedes |
Hamilton was one of the many drivers to suffer off-track excursions, even clipping the wall in the first sector. However, he managed to retain P1 with a 1m46.435.
His team-mate Nico Rosberg was three tenths behind in second place, with Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel next up. Sergio Perez, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Sainz narrowly avoided a crash but did clip the Turn 15 wall. Daniel Ricciardo was 13th despite bringing out the red flag after hitting the wall at the same corner.
FP2
Hamilton remained fastest in second practice at the Baku street track, beating team-mate Rosberg by almost seven tenths of a second.
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| © Mercedes |
The reigning world champion put in a 1m44.223 to end the session in the lead. Rosberg stopped on track towards the end of FP2 after losing drive.
The session began without delay despite earlier issues with the kerbs, which caused GP2 qualifying to be postponed. Perez was third for Force India, with Bottas and Hulkenberg next up.
Sainz, Verstappen, Vettel, Button and Ricciardo rounded out the top 10, with the Red Bull drivers making up ground after losing track time in the morning session.
Alonso and Romain Grosjean were next up. Kimi Raikkonen was down in 13th. Both Ferrari cars suffered issues during FP2. Kvyat was in 14th, with Massa down in 16th.
FP3
Hamilton made it a clean sweep in practice by putting in the fastest time during FP3 at the Baku City Circuit, with a late 1m44.352 on the super-soft tyre.
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| © Mercedes |
He finished three tenths clear of Rosberg, with Hulkenberg impressing in third place. Ricciardo and Vettel were fourth and fifth in final practice.
Perez was sixth but brought out the red flag just as the session concluded after hitting the wall at the exit of Turn 15.
Verstappen, Button, Kvyat and Raikkonen rounded out the top 10. Alonso and Sainz were 11th and 12th.
Grosjean and Massa were next up, with the second Williams of Bottas failing to set a time after a loose drain cover in the pits damaged his car.
Qualifying
Rosberg stormed to a clear pole position at the Baku street track, setting the pace in European GP qualifying while Hamilton crashed out in Q3.
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| © Mercedes |
The championship leader put in a 1m42.758 in the final few minutes before the red flags, following Hamilton’s contact with the Turn 11 barrier.
Sergio Perez was second but picked up a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. Ricciardo and Vettel were left to fight over the final front row spot and they set identical times.
Ricciardo picked up the net second place on the grid as he set his lap first. Raikkonen, Massa, Kvyat, Bottas and Verstappen were next up. Hamilton had yet to set a quick time when he crashed and will line up 10th.
Grosjean was the first to be eliminated in Q2 and was joined by Hulkenberg, Sainz, Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez and Felipe Nasr.
Rio Haryanto impressed in Q1 and qualified 17th, ahead of his team-mate Pascal Wehrlein. Button, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer completed the order.
Race
Rosberg started from pole position for the maiden F1 race in Baku, but could Hamilton bounce back from a disappointing qualifying to challenge at the European GP?
The revs rose, the lights went out and for the first time in Baku, F1 was racing. Off the line, Rosberg had a clean start to hold onto the lead into Turn 1. Ricciardo, Vettel and Raikkonen followed him through.
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| © Red Bull Content Pool |
Palmer ran wide at the first corner and there was some minor contact in the middle of the pack. Hamilton remained 10th in the early stages. Rosberg opened up a small lead over Ricciardo on the opening lap, with Vettel chasing.
Perez and Verstappen were the big winners, making up two places. Meanwhile at the back of the field Gutierrez lost three spots, following small contact with Hulkenberg. Bottas breezed past Kvyat on lap three, moving up to eighth place.
The Toro Rosso driver then fell behind Hamilton and Grosjean. Bottas was on a charge and then overtook Verstappen for seventh. The Red Bull tried to fight back using the slipstream but he failed and ended up dropping behind Hamilton.
The combination of DRS and the slipstream meant Vettel was easily able to displace Ricciardo for second. Meanwhile Verstappen and Alonso were early stoppers for the soft tyre on lap six. Red Bull opted to do the same for Ricciardo on the next tour, as he came under pressure from Raikkonen.
Kvyat's car was pushed into the garage on lap seven. Just as the battle between Bottas, Hamilton and Massa started to take shape, the latter dived into the pits. Vettel was instructed to box but was sceptical, asking why Ferrari wanted to stop so early.
He stayed out for several more laps, while Raikkonen pitted on lap nine. Bottas and Hamilton stayed out but the battling duo swapped places on lap 11. Rosberg's lead was 13.7 seconds by the end of lap 12, with Vettel on his own in second place, while Perez and Hamilton battled for third.
Hamilton was the first of the two scrapping drivers to pit, but he failed to get the undercut on Perez when the Force India switched tyres one lap later. Raikkonen was handed a five-second time penalty for crossing the pitlane entry line. He passed Ricciardo for fourth on lap 18.
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| © Red Bull Content Pool |
Rosberg's lead was over 20 seconds by lap 20, unchallenged at the front as he stayed out on the super-softs. Vettel finally pitted on lap 21, returning to the street track behind his team-mate and ahead of Ricciardo.
Unusually Verstappen stopped for the second time and went for the rarely-used medium compound. Race leader Rosberg moved onto the soft tyre one lap later. Ricciardo continued to drop back and lost out to both Perez and Hamilton on the pit straight on lap 22, before immediately stopping for mediums.
On different strategies, Vettel started to close on Raikkonen and was just one second behind on lap 27. Massa was one of the drivers to stop early and he pitted again on lap 29, with several different strategies opening up as the race progressed.
Hamilton started to report issues and was struggling to make up ground on Perez. Hulkenberg was chasing down Bottas, while also keeping a close eye on the fast-approaching Red Bull of Ricciardo.
The problem on Hamilton's car was de-rates, lower than maximum electrical deployment. The new radio rules meant Mercedes were only able to tell him that a setting on his steering wheel was in the wrong place. He became increasingly frustrated as he searched for a solution.
Wehrlein completed over 30 laps on the soft tyre and eventually pitted while in 12th place for the mediums. Button made a move on Alonso on lap 38 at the first corner, advancing to 12th place. Hamilton continued to struggle for pace and was 13 seconds behind Perez by lap 40.
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| © Force India |
Wehrlein retired with brake problems on the next tour of the Baku streets. Alonso pitted with a potential gearbox issue a little while later. Perez caught up to Raikkonen and was right behind the Ferrari with two laps to go. However, with Raikkonen's time penalty, the Force India's podium was already secured.
Perez passed Raikkonen on the final lap at the first corner to move up to third place on the road. Meanwhile Rosberg crossed the line in Baku to win the first European GP in Azerbaijan and return to the top step of the podium.
Vettel finished second, with Perez in third and Raikkonen fourth. Hamilton was a distant fifth, ahead of Bottas, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Hulkenberg and Massa. Button just missed out on the top 10, with Nasr 12th and Grosjean 13th.
Magnussen, Palmer, Gutierrez and Ericsson were next up. Haryanto was the final classified finisher, while there were four retirements - Alonso, Wehrlein, Sainz and Kvyat.
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