Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes trails his teammate in the 2019 Drivers’ Championship, but he has another pole position going into Sunday’s Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The race is set to begin bright and early at 8 a.m. ET on ESPN2. It will also be live streamed via WatchESPN, ESPN App, and F1 TV Pro. Bottas finished just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, his teammate, while Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari once again has the third spot on the grid. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari failed to set a time after a qualifying crash, and will have to start from ninth on the grid. Carlos Sainz Jr. is behind Leclerc at 10th. “I deserve what happened today,” Leclerc told Sky. “I am very, very sad for what happened but I deserve it. I’ve been stupid as I said on the radio. I calmed down but I still think I’ve been stupid, this doesn’t change.” Leclerc felt he had a chance at pole position, and now will have some real overtaking to do to catch up to his teammate, let alone the two Mercedes cars. After Vettel, as usual, is Max Verstappen of Red Bull. The other Red Bull, though, will have to start the race from the pit lane after missing the weigh bridge in practice. That’s the car of Pierre Gasly, who also took a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change and was excluded from qualifying for exceeding the maximum fuel flow limit. Instead of Gasly, it will be Sergio Perez of Racing Point behind Verstappen. Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, Lando Norris of McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo round out the rest of the top 10 from qualifying. Mercedes utilized a tactic in the third qualifying session that they believe won qualifying for them. They sent their cars out near the end of the session and as usual, Vettel followed suit. But they stopped at the end of the pit lane and let Vettel and the rest of the pack go by, getting clear — and cooler — track at the back. “The tow effect is massive,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said. “Between minimum tow following other cars within a few seconds, which can gain you between one and three tenths, and the mother-of-all-tows that can gain you around Baku maybe six tenths, it is a real disadvantage. Cars in front of you that cut a hole in the air is really good around here and advantageous. “o it was a double whammy: [Vettel] was out [by] himself, no tow, and the ambient temperatures and track temperatures came towards us. “At the end our car got better the colder it went.” Below is all you need to watch the action on Sunday, including the full starting grid. How to watch the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Date: Sunday, April 28 Location: Baku City Circuit, Baku Time: 8 a.m. ET TV: ESPN2 Online Streaming: WatchESPN, ESPN App, F1 TV Pro<doc-sep>Back-to-back wins in Bahrain and China has given Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton the world championship lead for the first time in 2019. Now it's over to you, Ferrari. What time does it start? How can I watch it? This weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to get underway at 16:10 p.m. local time, 13:10 a.m. (BST) and 8:10 a.m. (ET). For U.S. viewers, all of this weekend's sessions are live on ESPN: Thursday Welcome to the Weekend - Thursday, April 25, 11:00am - ESPN3 Friday -- Practice Practice 1 - Friday, April 26, 4:55am - ESPN2 Practice 2 - Friday, April 26, 8:55am - ESPNU Saturday -- Qualifying Practice 3 - Saturday, April 27, 5:55am - ESPN2 Qualifying - Saturday April 27, 8:55am - ESPN2 Sunday -- Race Pit Lane Live - Sunday, April 28, 6:30am - ESPN3 On The Grid - Sunday, April 28, 7:30am - ESPN2 Race - Sunday, April 28, 8:05am - ESPN2 U.K. viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Check local listings for all other territories. The burning question... Can anyone stop Lewis Hamilton? Only once before has Lewis Hamilton tallied 68 points through the first three rounds of a season. He did it back in 2015, a year he went on to claim 10 race wins as well as the world championship. Hamilton has enjoyed an identical start this year with wins in Bahrain and China going along with a second place finish in Australia. After three rounds, he leads the drivers' championship by six points from Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, and we're all starting to wonder if the 2019 season is already going the same way as 2018 and 2017. What should really terrify his rivals is the fact he hasn't been at his best in the early part of 2019. Hamilton has had an unusually high amount of sessions where he's right off the pace, and Bottas seems to have had his measure at least half of the time. But on Sundays, when the trophies and points are handed out, Hamilton has stepped up and been in a position to capitalise. With Ferrari continuing to mess up race strategy and trip over themselves with team orders, Hamilton has been offered an early advantage in 2019. Every time he has won multiple races in the first five rounds he has gone on to win the world championship (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018). You've been warned. Lewis Hamilton celebrates with the winners' trophy after taking victory for Mercedes at the 2019 Chinese Grand Prix. Charles Coates/Getty Images Which car will suit the track? If there's one race which has been utterly unpredictable since being added to the Formula One calendar, it's the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. To highlight just how crazy racing in Baku has been, we've had eight different podium finishers in three races. For modern day F1, that is unbelievable. Still, we'll try and offer up some sort of form guide for this weekend, and all signs point towards Mercedes once again. The long back straight in Shanghai was really supposed to favour Ferrari's package, but it didn't. In qualifying the Ferrari still hit the fastest top speed, but in the race that advantage waned. One theory is that the Mercedes was able to carry more speed through the long Turn 13 ahead of the straight and that helped nullify the Ferrari advantage. Although a very different circuit to both China and Bahrain, Baku is likely to see a return to the speed advantage Ferrari enjoyed in the desert. Red Bull has always been competitive in Azerbaijan -- even if both cars failed to finish in last year's race after a dramatic accident -- and I expect that to continue this year, at least through Max Verstappen. Lastly, in 2018 the Racing Point cars were best of the rest in qualifying, so keep an eye on Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll this year. The stat files Sergio Perez - The only driver to finish on the Azerbaijan podium on multiple occasions (2016 and 2018). 7 - Lance Stroll's current streak of Q1 exits. 68 - The equal most points Hamilton has banked in his career after just three rounds. 1992 - The last time a team started a season with three consecutive one-twos (Williams). 33% - Pole position has only won once in Baku (2016). Sergio Perez celebrates on the podium after finishing third at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Dan Istitene/Getty Images Tyre talk Available compounds: Hard C2 (white), Medium C3 (yellow), Soft C4 (red) Mario Isolo, head of car racing -- "The main challenge in Baku lies in balancing the front and rear axles, keeping both the front and rear tyres in the right operating window. It is quite a varied track, with a very long two-kilometre straight and also some more technical corners. The frequency of the Safety Car often causes a headache -- or maybe an opportunity -- for the strategists. The tyres that we have nominated from the middle of our range should be well suited to the mixed demands of Baku, but it's always one of the most difficult races of the year to predict. This is often the case for a street circuit, but Baku is the most unconventional street circuit on the calendar, with the high speeds of a conventional track as well as a very long lap." Minimum starting pressures: Front 21.5 psi, rear 20.5 psi Weather forecast The sun will be out in Baku this week, but don't expect it to be too warm. Temperatures are expected to peak on Sunday when it hits 19C, while it will be a fraction cooler on Friday and Saturday. But in the sun the dark tarmac should reach some relatively high temperatures, which will help with keeping the tyres in the correct operating window. The chance of rain, however, is zero percent. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes drives his car during the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Clive Mason/Getty Images ESPN's prediction If form tells us anything it's that Hamilton will win once again, but something tells me we'll see the other Silver Arrow saluting in Baku. Winner: Valtteri Bottas<doc-sep>
What a start the 2019 Formula One season has got off to, especially for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have recorded a one-two finish in each of the three races we’ve had so far. When will the trend end? Here’s our guide on how to catch his weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix action, including channels and UK times for practice races, qualifying and, of course, the main event. Hamilton enters Baku at the top of the charts, a smidgen ahead of his teammate. Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and Charles Leclerc, who’ve all made the podium once each so far this season, are the chasing pack. Leclerc recorded the fastest time in the second and third practice sessions, with Vettel coming second twice. Hamilton was third quickest in practice two, and Verstappen took third place in practice three. Unfortunately for Ferrari, Leclerc crashed in the qualifying session. Bottas ended up securing pole position, with Hamilton and Vettel right behind. That all came after the first practice session was cancelled following a bizarre series of incidents. George Russell’s Williams was badly damaged by a loose manhole cover, and then the truck carrying the car back to the pits collided with a bridge. Hopefully the rest of the event goes a little more smoothly. Azerbaijan Grand Prix Schedule: What time is F1 on TV this weekend? The fourth stop on the 2019 Formula One world tour is Baku, with the main action taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You’ll be pleased to hear that there are no early morning starts this weekend. Here’s this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix race schedule (all times BST): Friday April 26 9:45am − Azerbaijan GP Practice One build-up 10am − Azerbaijan GP Practice One 1:45pm − Azerbaijan GP Practice Two build-up 2pm − Azerbaijan GP Practice Two Saturday April 27 10:45am − Azerbaijan GP Practice Three build-up 11am − Azerbaijan GP Practice Three 1pm − Azerbaijan GP Qualifying build-up 2pm − Azerbaijan GP Qualifying 3:45pm − The F1 Show Sunday April 28 11:30am − Azerbaijan GP Pit Lane 12:30pm − Azerbaijan GP On the Grid 1:10pm − THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 3pm − Azerbaijan GP Paddock 4:30pm − Full race replay Azerbaijan Grand Prix: TV channel and live stream details Sky now has exclusive rights to F1 in the UK, but you’ll be able to catch the highlights via Channel 4. If you’re a Sky subscriber, you can tune in – in 4K, no less – on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports F1 and Sky One. You can also tune in using the Sky Go mobile app, at no additional charge. Here are some quick-links to help you: If you’re not a Sky customer, but desperately don’t want to miss this season’s opener, you can watch the action by picking up a NOW TV Sports Pass, which will set you back either £8.99 (for a Day Pass) or £14.99 (for a Week Pass). The Week Pass is obviously the best value for F1 fanatics, especially if you’re completely free on both Saturday and Sunday morning. To catch Channel 4’s highlights from 7pm on Sunday, you’ll need to head to the normal broadcast channel or the All 4 website linked below for an on-demand service: Alternatively, you can watch the action using the All 4 mobile app: Share your Azerbaijan Grand Prix race predictions with us on Twitter @TrustedReviews.