Full race results for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit, round four of the 2019 Formula 1 season.<doc-sep>Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Starting Grid 1. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 3. Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari 4. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda 5. Sergio Perez MEX SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team 6. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 7. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 8. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari 9. Carlos Sainz ESP McLaren F1 Team 10. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team 11. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 12. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team 13. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team 14. Romain Grosjean FRA Rich Energy Haas F1 Team 15. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team 16. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing 17. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing * Pit lane start 18. Robert Kubica POL ROKiT Williams Racing ** 19. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda *** 20. Kimi Raikkonen ITA Alfa Romeo Racing **** * 10-place grid penalty for changing power unit components ** Pit lane start due to set-up changes *** Pit lane start for missing weighbridge in practice two, five-place grid penalty for gearbox change and excluded from qualifying for exeeding fuel flow limit **** Pit lane start after being excluded from qualifying due to car failing front wing deflection tests<doc-sep>Clive Mason/Getty Images Ferrari posted the two quickest times in the second free practice on an eventful but limited day of practice sessions at the 2019 Azerbaijan Formula One grand prix in Baku. Charles Leclerc registered a quicker time than team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was third-fastest with a personal-best time on this circuit. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen split the Mercedes drivers, posting a time faster than Valtteri Bottas. The first practice session was stopped prematurely due to a dislodged manhole cover that damaged the Williams vehicle of George Russell, per James Galloway of Sky Sports F1. Leclerc wasn't going to be deterred in his bid to post the quickest laps, not even after he collided with the wall: The Monaco native was firing a warning to Mercedes about his team's capability to close the gap in the standings come race day. While Bottas was struggling to answer the challenge, Hamilton was at least doing his best to produce laps closer to Leclerc's speed: It wasn't all about Mercedes and Ferrari, though. Red Bull was managing a creditable showing, thanks largely to the efforts of Verstappen, who made the most of a smart tyre change: Video Play Button Videos you might like There was an interruption when Racing Point's Lance Stroll went into the barriers early on. After the events of the abbreviated FP1, red flags were becoming a familiar sight. After yet another red flag after Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat went into the barriers at Turn 7, Ferrari took the chance to get back on track first. Leclerc and Vettel went in pursuit of longer runs, opting for controlled driving, rather than choosing to put their cars through their paces. Leclerc was on the softs, but the choice didn't make much difference in terms of speed over Hamilton. The defending champion was travelling swiftly enough on the mediums. There was a late clash between Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen as the session drew to a close. The Haas driver appeared to cut across Hamilton, resulting in the front wing of the Mercedes car being clipped. While it wasn't a major incident, the slight coming together seemed like a fitting way to end a day littered with red flags and undone by an on-track hazard.<doc-sep>Round 4 of the 2019 season is also the fourth Formula 1 race around the streets of Baku in Azerbaijan. Here are a few of the key talking points to keep in mind this weekend: Ferrari's Vettel-Leclerc team-order dilemma Thursday's press conferences in Azerbaijan were dominated by questions on whether Ferrari would again use team orders to manage Sebastian Vettel's and Charles Leclerc's race — as the team did with very little success in China. Baku was the site of the first of several key errors by Vettel last season, as he ran wide late on while fighting for the lead It wasn't just Vettel and Leclerc getting grilled, even Lewis Hamilton was asked about the politics in a rival garage. He said that he could imagine Leclerc defying the call to move over, should it come again, recalling his 2007 rookie year experiences alongside Fernando Alonso at McLaren. "I understand how Charles feels, because in his heart he's the best, attempting to be the best, and it's almost like having your light dimmed," Hamilton said. "As a racer, as a fierce competitor, you kind of rebel. They say to do one thing, but they are fighting you, so it pushes you the other way. I have experienced that." Leclerc, for his part, said he had sought clarification on his status from team boss Mattia Binotto after China. He said he understood his junior status in just his second F1 season, and that he would continue to obey any team orders — provided they "make sense." Read more: F1: Twin 2019 terrors for Vettel in Hamilton and Leclerc Mercedes looking to continue perfect record So much for Ferrari looking like the favorites after preseason testing! Mercedes have kicked off the season with three 1-2 finishes. No team has managed that since Williams in 1992, in probably the most one-sided F1 season ever. Nigel Mansell had the drivers' championship wrapped up by August. Valtteri Bottas played down talk of a similar championship walkover, though, saying Mercedes had merely maximized their potential so far — despite possibly not boasting the quickest car in the field. Winning at least one of the season-opening flyaway races, before F1 returns to Europe next month for the Spanish Grand Prix, is imperative for Ferrari to keep in touch with their rivals. Unforgiving street circuit The city streets of Baku offer an excellent mixture of overtaking opportunities and merciless walls waiting to punish any driver who runs wide. Unlike the last two races in Bahrain and China, wide circuits with generous run-off areas where you have to work pretty hard to have an accident, Baku takes no prisoners. As well as the longest flat-out segment on the calendar, before and after the start-finish line, it also boasts the narrowest stretch of road drivers have to negotiate all year long, by the castle at Turns 9, 10 and 11. Not even Monaco's city streets give drivers as little space as this section at Baku In three visits, there have been three different pole-sitters and three different winners. The safety car was needed twice last year, and three times in 2017. Expect chaos at some point, with the slow and narrow Turn 2 an obvious candidate for trouble on the first lap. Happy hunting ground for Perez, Leclerc Racing Point (formerly Force India) might be quietly confident going into Sunday's race. Mexico's Sergio Perez, known as a driver with solid race-craft who thrives in difficult Grands Prix, is the only driver to have stood on the podium in Azerbaijan twice. Given the car at his disposal, that's a remarkable record. Another driver to thrive on these streets is Charles Leclerc. Not only did he finish sixth with Sauber in his rookie F1 season, 2017 was yet more memorable and emotional. On his way to winning the Formula 2 championship, then aged 19, Leclerc took the checkered flag in Baku from pole just days after his father's death, racing with the message "Je t'aime papa" (I love you dad) on his helmet and his car. Can Gasly find his rhythm at Red Bull? Red Bull have been struggling in the early races of the season, with both drivers complaining of a very unpredictable car with a lively rear end. But of the two drivers, there's no doubt that Max Verstappen is coping better with the problems. Verstappen has 39 points to Gasly's 13, Dutch media report that Verstappen has stopped paying any attention to his teammate's setup data and the specialist press is already speculating that Gasly may not see out his first season with Red Bull's senior team. "Looking at the data, I can see where I'm losing time," Gasly told French media outlet Auto Hebdo this week. "It's not at corner entry but rather at the exit … We are trying to find a solution with the setup, but I must also adapt my driving to better exploit the potential of the car." The French youngster will hope for progress, and fast, given that the Red Bull empire is not famed for patience with its drivers.<doc-sep>
Mark Thompson/Getty Images Valtteri Bottas will start the 2019 Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday after beating Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to top spot in a dramatic qualifying session. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took third place behind the two Silver Arrows, but team-mate Charles Leclerc will start down in 10th place after crashing in Q2. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen will start alongside Vettel in fourth, while Racing Point's Sergio Perez will start from an impressive fifth place on the grid. Here are the results from qualifying: Ferrari dominated the practice sessions and did the same early during the first qualifying session, as Leclerc became the first driver to duck underneath the one-minute, 42-second mark. Mercedes took some time finding their footing but eventually improved, bridging the gap there had been during practice. Red Bull also found some pace late in the session, with Pierre Gasly knocking the Monegasque out of the top spot. The Frenchman knew his eventual finishing position in qualifying wouldn't mean much, as he'll start from the pit lane: Video Play Button Videos you might like Renault struggled in FP2 and didn't have a great outing in FP3, either, and their start to qualifying was hardly ideal. Minutes into the first session, Daniel Ricciardo was told the team had no data, leaving him without crucial info on a busy track: The Australian eventually worked himself out of the drop zone after a difficult session, shortly before Williams' Robert Kubica shunted, bringing out the red flag. Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean were among the drivers to miss out on Q2. The shunt was a big one: Drivers were forced to wait while the track was cleared, adding an extra element of strategy. As the temperature dropped, Ferrari took a risk by opting for medium tyres, while everyone else ventured out on the soft compound. Leclerc's first time was reasonably close to that of the Silver Arrows, but Vettel was well off the pace. Once Perez went faster than the younger Ferrari driver, it became clear the Scuderia had made a tactical error. But things got much worse for the team shortly after. Leclerc, who had been the fastest man on track for most of the weekend, hit the wall in the same spot Kubica did, ending his session. The 21-year-old was furious with himself: The crash brought out another red flag and another delay. Liquid coming from the car made things more difficult for the marshals, and the lengthy break meant the end of the session would take place in the fading light. The session eventually restarted with Carlos Sainz, Ricciardo, Alexander Albon, Kevin Magnussen and Gasly all missing out on Q3. Ricciardo will start down in 12th place in the Renault: The final session saw Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas and Vettel all vying for pole position in a dramatic finish. Bottas was the man to come up with the goods, setting a new track record of 1:40.495 to secure top spot ahead of Hamilton and secure an all Mercedes front row.