2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Championship standings

Having won Monaco, Verstappen enters the round holding a four-point lead over Hamilton. Red Bull also lead the Constructors’ Championship by one point over Mercedes — the first time since the 2018 British Grand Prix that Mercedes have not led either championship, and the first time in Verstappen’s career that he has been the points leader.

Previous race

At Monaco, Leclerc took pole despite crashing at the end of Q3. The crash caused a driveshaft failure that prevented him from starting the race. Verstappen led from the front and controlled the race throughout; Bottas was forced out on lap 30 when the team could not remove his right-front tyre during his stop. Sainz took his first Ferrari podium in second, Norris third.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C3, C4, and C5 compounds.

Practice

Verstappen was fastest in FP1 ahead of Leclerc and Sainz; the Mercedes of Hamilton and Bottas were well off the pace in seventh and tenth respectively. Pérez topped FP2 ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. Leclerc hit the barrier at turn 15 in FP2, causing a yellow flag. Latifi brought out a red flag when his Williams engine failed. Hamilton and Bottas again struggled, finishing eleventh and fifteenth.