F1 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying schedule, start time and updates as Lando Norris goes for pole in Baku

The Mercedes boys put on the softs and get themselves safe – Hamilton P4. Russell P2.

Current bottom-five (16-20): Stroll, Ocon, Botas, Ricciardo, Zhou

Ollie Bearman in P14 right now, he’ll have to go quicker…

3:00 to go. Here they all come for their final laps.

Impressive lap from the rookie, who goes third-fastest for Williams!

Current bottom-five (16-20): Bottas, Ricciardo, Gasly, Zhou, Ocon

George Russell teetering above the drop-zone in P15 on his medium tyre run.

8:00 to go. Plenty of time yet…

Perez goes quicker than Verstappen early on with a 1:43:436, with Leclerc splitting the Red Bulls.

Interestingly, both Mercedes cars are on mediums to start with – and the rest of the field is on softs!

Bit strange… are they trying to save a pair of softs for Q3?

Lewis Hamilton among the numerous cars straight out on track as qualifying begins in Baku!

18 minutes for Q1, where we will lose the slowest five drivers from the rest of qualifying…

In contrast to this morning’s cold practice session, the sun is out and the track temperature is up to 38C!

After his crash in third practice, it’s touch and go for Bearman’s Haas car and its condition!

They should have it fixed and ready to go for Q1 at 1pm!

We’re just 10 minutes away from qualifying in Baku!

And it’s very open! Eight cars are in the mix for pole – that includes Sergio Perez, who has been flying around a circuit he’s won at twice before – with Charles Leclerc perhaps the favourite given his run of three consecutive pole positions here!

It’s tight and twisty – and we can expect some drama in the forthcoming hour!

1. Max Verstappen – 303 points

2. Lando Norris – 241 points

3. Charles Leclerc – 217 points

4. Oscar Piastri – 197 points

5. Carlos Sainz – 184 points

6. Lewis Hamilton – 164 points

7. Sergio Perez – 143 points

8. George Russell – 128 points

9. Fernando Alonso – 50 points

10. Lance Stroll – 24 points

11. Nico Hulkenberg – 22 points

12. Yuki Tsunoda – 22 points

13. Daniel Ricciardo – 12 points

14. Pierre Gasly – 8 points

15. Oliver Bearman – 6 points

16. Kevin Magnussen – 6 points

17. Alex Albon – 6 points

18. Esteban Ocon – 5 points

19. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points

20. Logan Sargeant – 0 points

21. Franco Colapinto – 0 points

22. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points

Asked ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix whether he was disappointed that Newey will not be joining the Scuderia, Hamilton replied: “Honestly, no.

“While I have said before that it would be an honour to work with Adrian, I have been part of two championship-winning teams that didn’t have Adrian.

“I think any team would have been happy to have him. At the end of the day he had to do what is right for him. It doesn’t change my goal or my focus for my next move. I still believe 100 per cent that there is lots we can do.”

In turning down Ferrari – and a partnership with Lewis Hamilton in the process – Newey has committed to Lawrence Stroll’s ambitious Aston project. Newey will become a shareholder in the team, in addition to his £20m-a-year contract.

“Adrian Newey is a big name obviously in Formula One,” Sky F1 pundit and former driver Brundle told Sky Sports News on Tuesday.