2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Valtteri Bottas kept his composure on Baku’s demanding streets to win the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton followed him home for a fourth consecutive Mercedes one-two, while Charles Leclerc‘s practice dominance gave way to a qualifying accident and a recovery race.

Pole position
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:40.495
Fastest lap
Driver	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Time	1:43.009 on lap 50
Podium
First	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
26 April 2019	Practice 1	13:00 – 14:30
26 April 2019	Practice 2	17:00 – 18:30
27 April 2019	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
27 April 2019	Qualifying	17:00 – 18:00
28 April 2019	Race	16:10

All times are local (UTC+04:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Hamilton led Bottas by six points after China. Ferrari had shown flashes of speed but was still without a victory, and Baku City Circuit‘s long straights looked a promising opportunity to change that picture. The weekend would test precision and patience as much as outright pace.

Race entries

All 20 regular drivers took part, with no practice substitutes. Red Bull Racing continued to develop its Honda partnership, while McLaren sought a cleaner weekend after both cars had been caught in the opening-lap incident in China.

Free Practice

FP1 was abandoned after George Russell struck a loose drain cover, badly damaging his Williams. Only the two Ferrari drivers recorded lap times, with Charles Leclerc quickest on a 1:47.497. The circuit needed inspections, and Russell required a replacement chassis.

Leclerc led FP2 with a 1:42.872 ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Lance Stroll and Daniil Kvyat both hit the barriers. Pierre Gasly missed a weighbridge summons, earning a pit-lane start, while Russell could not take part in the session.

Leclerc completed a practice sweep with a 1:41.604 in FP3, followed by Vettel and Max Verstappen. Ferrari‘s speed made it look a strong pole contender, but the narrow castle section would soon change the qualifying story.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP1, 26 April 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:47.497	5
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+2.101s	4
3	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	No time	1
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	No time	1
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	No time	1
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	No time	1
8	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	No time	1
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	No time	1
10	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	No time	1
11	63	George Russell	Williams	No time	3
12	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	No time	1
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	No time	1
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	No time	1
15	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	No time	1
17	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	No time	1
18	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	No time	1
—	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	No time	0
—	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	No time	0

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas did not complete any laps before the session was abandoned; they are included without a classified position.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP2, 26 April 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:42.872	28
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.324s	28
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.669s	31
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.921s	24
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.131s	31
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.305s	9
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.311s	27
8	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	+1.344s	33
9	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	+1.368s	24
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.423s	32
11	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.029s	25
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.494s	31
13	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+2.564s	28
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.610s	30
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+2.611s	15
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.746s	31
17	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+3.845s	24
18	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+5.003s	8
19	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+5.239s	27
—	63	George Russell	Williams	No time	0

George Russell did not run while Williams replaced his damaged chassis.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP3, 27 April 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:41.604	14
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.198s	14
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.248s	16
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.460s	19
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.572s	17
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.619s	18
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.690s	19
8	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	+1.696s	19
9	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.826s	15
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.933s	19
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.957s	20
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.033s	20
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.320s	20
14	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+2.374s	19
15	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.435s	16
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.439s	19
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.770s	16
18	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+4.396s	19
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+4.686s	20
20	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	+6.232s	22

Qualifying

Valtteri Bottas claimed pole with a 1:40.495, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.059 seconds. Sebastian Vettel was third and Max Verstappen fourth after a lengthy session interrupted by accidents for Robert Kubica and Charles Leclerc at the castle section.

Leclerc’s Q2 time was good enough to progress, but his damaged Ferrari could not run in Q3. Sergio Perez qualified fifth. Kimi Räikkönen and Pierre Gasly were excluded from qualifying for technical infringements, and both joined Kubica in starting the race from the pit lane. Antonio Giovinazzi also carried a power-unit grid penalty.

Qualifying Classification

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying, 27 April 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:42.026	1:41.500	1:40.495	20
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:41.614	1:41.580	1:40.554	21
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:42.042	1:41.889	1:40.797	23
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:41.727	1:41.388	1:41.069	15
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:42.249	1:41.870	1:41.593	17
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:42.324	1:42.221	1:41.681	23
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:42.371	1:42.084	1:41.886	23
8	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:42.140	1:42.381	1:42.424	21
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:41.426	1:41.995	No time	11
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:41.936	1:42.398	—	17
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:42.486	1:42.477	—	15
12	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	1:42.154	1:42.494	—	18
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:42.382	1:42.699	—	16
14	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:42.630	—	—	8
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:43.407	—	—	10
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:43.427	—	—	8
17	63	George Russell	Williams	1:45.062	—	—	9
18	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	1:45.455	—	—	8
DSQ	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:42.059	1:42.082	1:43.068	21
DSQ	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	1:41.335	No time	—	5

Antonio Giovinazzi received a ten-place grid penalty for using a third control electronics in his power unit.

Robert Kubica was required to start from the pit lane after making suspension changes to his car.

Kimi Räikkönen was excluded from qualifying after his car failed a front wing deflection test. He was permitted to race at the stewards’ discretion and was required to start from the pit lane after adjusting his front wing.

Pierre Gasly was excluded from qualifying for exceeding the 100 kg/h fuel flow limit during qualifying. He was permitted to race at the stewards’ discretion and was required to start the race from the pit lane after failing to appear at the weighbridge when summoned during Free Practice 2 and changing standard electronic control unit parameters before the race. He also received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

What happened in the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton ran side by side through the opening corners, but Bottas held his position and established the lead. Their clean contest set the tone for a more controlled Baku race than some of the event’s earlier editions.

Sergio Perez briefly ran fourth before Max Verstappen reclaimed the place. Charles Leclerc recovered from a hesitant start and worked his way forward on medium tyres. As the leaders stopped, he inherited first place and tried to make the alternative strategy work.

The long opening stint eventually cost Leclerc track position as his tyres faded. Bottas caught and passed him, followed by Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. After stopping, Leclerc settled into fifth behind Verstappen rather than joining the fight for victory.

Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat supplied the race’s most unusual incident. Ricciardo ran down an escape road while attempting a pass, forcing Kvyat to stop alongside him. The Renault then reversed into the Toro Rosso, damaging both cars and ending both drivers’ races.

Pierre Gasly retired with a driveshaft problem, prompting a virtual safety car, while Romain Grosjean also stopped with brake trouble. Hamilton closed on Bottas in the final stages but could not force a decisive opening.

Bottas won by 1.524 seconds, with Vettel third and Verstappen fourth. Leclerc made a late stop for fresh tyres and took fastest lap in fifth. Perez finished sixth, followed by Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris in a productive double-points result for McLaren.

Lance Stroll and Räikkönen completed the top ten, the latter recovering from the pit lane. Bottas regained the championship lead by one point as Mercedes extended its perfect sequence of one-two finishes to four races.

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix race results

The 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was held on 28 April 2019, with a scheduled start of 16:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	51	1:31:52.942	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	51	+1.524s	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	51	+11.739s	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	51	+17.493s	12
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	51	+69.107s	11
6	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	51	+76.416s	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	51	+83.826s	6
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	51	+100.268s	4
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	51	+103.816s	2
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	50	+1 lap	1
11	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	50	+1 lap	0
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	50	+1 lap	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	50	+1 lap	0
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	50	+1 lap	0
15	63	George Russell	Williams	49	+2 laps	0
16	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	49	+2 laps	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	38	Driveshaft	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	38	Brakes	0
Ret	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	33	Collision damage	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	31	Collision damage	0

Charles Leclerc earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	50	17:44:53	1:43.009	209.795
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	50	17:43:45	1:44.024	207.748
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	48	17:40:17	1:44.166	207.465
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	46	17:36:52	1:44.629	206.546
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	39	17:23:39	1:44.794	206.221
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	43	17:32:52	1:45.394	205.047
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	49	17:43:13	1:45.524	204.795
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Red Bull Racing	34	17:15:10	1:45.712	204.430
9	23	Alexander Albon	Toro Rosso	49	17:44:02	1:45.754	204.349
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	43	17:32:42	1:45.807	204.247
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	45	17:37:00	1:45.969	203.935
12	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	38	17:23:12	1:46.009	203.858
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	48	17:42:12	1:46.479	202.958
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	42	17:31:56	1:46.682	202.572
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	29	17:07:01	1:46.767	202.410
16	63	George Russell	Williams	42	17:32:49	1:47.251	201.497
17	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	43	17:34:03	1:47.407	201.204
18	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	28	17:05:13	1:47.681	200.692
19	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	45	17:38:59	1:47.709	200.640
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	33	17:14:41	1:48.517	199.146

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2019 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

2019 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	87
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	86
3	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	52
4	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	51
5	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	47
6	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	13
7	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Red Bull Racing	13
8	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	13
9	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	12
10	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	8
11	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	6
12	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	6
13	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	6
14	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	4
15	Alexander Albon	THA	Toro Rosso	3
16	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	Toro Rosso	1
17	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
18	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
19	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
20	Robert Kubica	POL	Williams	0

2019 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	173
2	Ferrari	99
3	Red Bull Racing	64
4	McLaren	18
5	Racing Point	17
6	Alfa Romeo Racing	13
7	Renault	12
8	Haas	8
9	Toro Rosso	4
10	Williams	0

2019 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2019 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit , Melbourne	17 March
2	2019 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	31 March
3	2019 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	14 April
4	2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	28 April
5	2019 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	12 May
6	2019 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco , Monte Carlo	26 May
7	2019 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve , Montréal	9 June
8	2019 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	23 June
9	2019 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	30 June
10	2019 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit , Silverstone	14 July
11	2019 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	28 July
12	2019 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring , Mogyoród	4 August
13	2019 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	1 September
14	2019 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , Monza	8 September
15	2019 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	22 September
16	2019 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	29 September
17	2019 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	13 October
18	2019 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	27 October
19	2019 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	3 November
20	2019 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace , São Paulo	17 November
21	2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	1 December