Charles Leclerc will begin this Sunday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the eighth round of the Formula 1 World Championship, on the iconic Baku street circuit after securing pole position with an outstanding lap. The Monégasque driver will share the front row with Mexican driver Sergio Pérez, driving for Red Bull.
Leclerc, 24, adds another pole to his growing tally, marking his fifteenth pole in F1 and his sixth in the current season. He clocked a best lap of one minute, 41 seconds and 359 thousandths on the 6,003-meter track through the Azerbaijani capital, topping the time sheets ahead of last year’s pole by 0.282 seconds. Perez will start second, keen to convert the front-row advantage into a strong result in Baku where he previously claimed victory.
The general classification of the F1 World Championship is being closely watched as the season unfolds across diverse circuits and demanding schedules. The Mexican driver led his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, the World Championship leader, in the qualifying session by a slim margin of 347 thousandths of a second, with nine points separating the pair at this stage. In the mix behind them, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari qualified fourth, while Fernando Alonso, the two-time world champion hailing from Spain, starts from the fifth row after a strong performance that highlighted his ongoing competitiveness.
Only a fraction of a second behind Leclerc, Alonso will line up alongside Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, who improved during the session and begins from ninth position. The British contingent is set to begin from the middle of the pack, with George Russell of Mercedes securing a spot in the top five and Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri rounding out the second row.
Immediately behind them, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth in the overall order, with Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri completing the lineup in a race that stretches over 51 laps on a 306-kilometer course. The start time local to the event is 3:00 PM, corresponding to 11:00 GMT for international viewers.
Where to watch Formula 1 races
Across the 2022 season, live coverage of Formula 1 is available on television networks within different regions. In Spain, Movistar+ and the DAZN platform provide full access to F1 content, with the Movistar+ F1 channel featuring extensive race coverage as part of the broader agreement that also impacts motorcycle racing enthusiasts.
The regional broadcasting landscape for Latin America includes Argentina, Colombia, and Chile, where major Grands Prix are available on Fox Sports. In Mexico, Televisa channel 9 carries the races. In the United States, Formula 1 is accessible through ESPN.
Azerbaijan GP race schedule
The race is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, with the green light at 13:00 CET for the 51-lap contest.