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EXPRESS SPORT brings you all the updates from Baku on the opening day of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

"So why would the drivers with their IP rights and everything be capped, who actually bring the show and put their lives at risk? His public positions in support of relevant issues such as the environment, animal rights, Black people, women and human rights must also be remembered and highlighted." So it was good that we agreed so early with the contract.” The idea had been proposed by Brazil congressman Andre Figueredo last year in celebration of Hamilton’s love for the country. Mick Schumacher has also been issued a warning by Haas boss Guenther Steiner, claiming the German will face ‘serious conversations’ if he crashes this weekend. So the earlier the better. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes may still be struggling for pace on-track this weekend, but the seven-time champion enjoyed a big win overnight. Speaking ahead of practice, Perez said: "I certainly feel like as a driver you want certainty. It comes just months after a terrifying accident at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the start of the season. So for me, it’s completely wrong.” The Mexican signed a new two-year extension ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, a race he went on to win. The Mercedes star unfurled the Brazilian flag on the podium after securing victory in a heated battle with Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, F1 teams and drivers have raised their dissatisfaction at the FIA’s handling of the sport.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin says the team 'needs fundamental improvements' after struggling massively during Friday practice for ...

We're facing the same problems as in the last race. We did have some new parts on the car today, so we'll review whether those were contributing to our issues. "We've got a bit of work to do to find time on single lap and long run.

Lewis Hamilton has urged all his fellow Formula 1 drivers “to be more outspoken” in response to the FIA president initially seeming to question his and ...

“I'm proud to see what Seb does and to be an ally of his.” “I encourage all the drivers to be more outspoken in the future about things they care about. The seven-time champion added that regardless of the FIA president’s views, he would not ease off in his activism and that all F1 drivers should be similarly “outspoken” on issues close to their hearts. The Mercedes driver, who has previously said he wants to be “an ally” to the president in response to the clash over jewellery, suggested Ben Sulayem might have been taken out of context. “In the same way, I value the commitment of all drivers and champions for a better future.” “To me, it is about deciding whether we should impose our believes in something over the sport all the time.

While his Mercedes is uncompetitive, Hamilton has not let that slow him down in using F1 as a platform to speak out from.

Elsewhere, he is now a Brazilian citizen after after a bill passed by the country’s lower house of parliament. He clarified his recent comments on Twitter this week and said that sport should be “a catalyst of progress in society.” I had an epic win in São Paulo last year and my biggest following is in Brazil.” In Azerbaijan on Friday, Hamilton underlined he had no intention of stepping back and urged more drivers to become involved. After seven years of unprecedented Mercedes domination helped him to 103 GP wins, Hamilton’s 2022 car is not at the level of Red Bull or Ferrari. Once again, it looks like a supporting role for the seven-time world champion on the track in Baku this weekend. “For every single one of us here to do more, to speak out more, to spark more conversations.

Katie Milner on Female F1 drivers ... F1 doesn't have a female driver on the grid because there is a smaller talent pool of women than there is of men, according ...

I think the fact that people aren't willing to make the gesture to give her a seat after having won two W Series seasons blows my mind.” I think because it would have been great for her to reintegrate and prove that she’s not just limited within W Series, that she is a very talented driver. One of the important reasons W Series needs to exist is we need to create female role models for young girls so that their parents or whoever it may be, see the sport as a sport for women as well and start getting women involved at the grassroot levels.”

The Baku City Circuit represents a unique challenge for the teams, given the opposing requirements on downforce levels for the different parts of the track.

As a consequence, the front wing has new rearward elements to reduce their chord length and incidence level to help balance the car. Red Bull had already modified its front brake and caliper arrangement for Monaco and has made further changes in Baku to improve cooling. Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The F2 champion was overlooked for a seat in the top category this season, but might get to race after all with another driver facing the axe unless he ...

If they were to do so, Piastri is reportedly seen as a ready-made replacement to come in at short notice and grab his F1 opportunity with both hands. Haas found themselves with a late vacancy after sacking Nikita Mazepin in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but they preferred to bring the experienced Kevin Magnussen back into the fold. Despite that, he was overlooked for a spot in the premier series due to a lack of seats available.

Max Verstappen has voiced his opposition to a salary cap for Formula 1 drivers, and pointed out that it could make it harder for youngsters to attract ...

So I think that's one of the main points.” “So why would the drivers with their IP rights and everything be capped, [the people] who actually bring the show and put their lives at risk? “I think no one really knows where it's going to go.

YUKI TSUNODA and Sebastian Vettel have spoken out against the FIA ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

But I hope things calm down and we find a way to work together, as in the drivers and the FIA. Tsunoda's comments have since been echoed by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who believes the sport would reap the rewards of having a more experienced race director following Masi's dismissal at the end of last year. Plenty of drivers have already criticised the FIA as a result of their inconsistent decision-making at Grand Prix weekends, with the problem having been highlighted after F1's latest outing on the streets of Monaco earlier this month.

Charles Leclerc went quickest in Friday practice for Ferrari at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Here's how and when to watch qualifying.

For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98 or a month membership of £33.99 per month. Coverage of Azerbaijan GP qualifying will start at 3:00pm BST on the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sounds app. Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK. In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of qualifying for the Azerbaijan GP at 10:05pm BST on Saturday. The full programme will run for 90 minutes, covering both qualifying and wrapping up the major talking points of the race weekend so far.

Talk of a new salary cap for drivers in the future has not gone down well with the world champion, who cited concerns about how it would affect the junior ...

"It's difficult enough to get into F1 at all, so as soon as you have a backer or investment as a driver, they obviously want their money back at some point. I think it's going to limit that a lot because they'll never get their return in money and if you get a cap, so it will hurt all the junior categories as well and I don't think you want that." If F1 bosses were to press ahead with plans to introduce a salary cap, drivers would find their earning potential limited.

In the wake of Mohammed Ben Sulayem's claim that drivers' activism risks F1 becoming too political, Lewis Hamilton has urged his fellow racers to speak out ...

Azerbaijan GP: Practice team notes - Ferrari Azerbaijan GP: Practice team notes - Haas Azerbaijan GP: Practice team notes - McLaren

Valtteri Bottas says his 15th place in Friday practice for Formula 1's Azerbaijan GP is not representative and that new parts will boost Alfa Romeo's ...

"There's a clear picture of where we need to improve and that just will gain so much more speed. "And I think today the main focus is that as a team, we need to just find some more speed. "It was a struggle, but we sort of like figured out what happened after the weekend. It's quite a sensitive track, but once you get the set-up right, then you can find quite a lot of laptime." "But I think we learned quite a bit with the set-up. We did quite a lot of set-up changes today, and towards the end, it was getting much better."

Everything you need to know as drivers fight for Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole position in Baku.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. - Nico Hulkenberg - 0 points - Mick Schumacher - 0 points

Mercedes are facing "big decisions" and must find their direction after a disappointing display in Azerbaijan GP practice, according to former world ...

"You've got lots of races coming up and still a lot of time, but they need to find a direction." "Luckily, I've not really had to deal with it, but clearly all the comments are saying that the drivers are suffering, and you saw it from Lewis, his back is hurting. "If we're totally on top of our tyres we're not going to fully close that gap, they're just too far ahead. "We're hitting some serious speeds at the end here and it's bouncing a lot. "For visibility as well, it's not great. "This is where you start to go, fundamentally have we gone wrong somewhere with our concept?

Baku plays host to the eighth round of the 2022 Formula 1 season. Here's how you can watch the 2022 Azerbaijan GP qualifying.

Viewers from selected countries can subscribe to F1 TV to stream qualifying on a device of their choice. - Denmark - TV3 / TV3 Sport / Viaplay Can’t find your country or region in the list?

EXPRESS SPORT brings you all the F1 updates ahead of this weekend's crucial Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the qualifying sessions.

At the moment, they just have an inherently faster car than us and we've done everything we can to try and catch up." Elsewhere, there's trouble in paradise for Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team. He added: "I'll get by. I'm a bit sore but yeah. Both Hamilton and Mercedes have been warned they may need to "take some big decisions" to give their Formula One season some direction again. The Silver Arrows looked to have turned a corner in Spain but struggled in Monaco and had a tough Friday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has admitted he would like more front-end grip from his Red Bull, as he faces an increased threat from Formula 1 team-mate Sergio Perez.

“I’d agree with Max that the cars have more understeer mid-corner,” he said. Our car is more neutral, maybe a touch more good-natured. “He needs a very strong front end.

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has admitted to some concerns over the appointment of a former Mercedes Formula 1 team executive to a senior FIA role.

But the FIA is changing its structure and its organisation, and then the president has to make his decisions. He's certainly got a lot of competencies and experience. I think it's down to them [the FIA] to make sure that there will be no conflicts of interest at all, to behave properly, and it's down to the president to ensure it. “And we certainly shouldn't interfere into any of those decisions. She's got a lot of experience, she will certainly be capable of doing the job. “Yes, certainly it's a concern,” said Binotto when asked by Autosport. “I think she's a great person.

McLaren boss Andreas Seidl admits his team is expecting to breach the Formula 1 cost cap by the end of the season.

Everyone has an interest that we have a defined solution for this year." "I'm absolutely happy we have the cost cap in place. And so I don't have any concerns on that."

Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff says the team's lack of top speed in Baku is the result of a draggy 'parachute' of a car coupled with a return ...

So between the draggy car and the bottoming this is the main deficit that we are seeing here on the straight," Wolff explained. And as a consequence, the ride is not very good. "In Barcelona we had a big rear wing, and the car was pretty stable on the straight and we were among the quickest, but there is never one thing and certainly the engine is not the area I want to point at."

Daniel Ricciardo has headed back into the pits after being told by McLaren can still find five meters braking for Turn One. "You made a good step," says his ...

The Ferrari boys are trading blows for fastest lap time. The rules say qualifying cannot start less than two hours after P3. Have checked with the FIA that qualifying will now start 15 mins later than scheduled (so 1515 UK). They say yes. Daniel Ricciardo has headed back into the pits after being told by McLaren can still find five meters braking for Turn One. "You made a good step," says his engineer. George Russell is still in the top five on the timing sheets but the Mercedes man is not happy with his latest effort. Alpine were also running a low-drag set-up and Alonso was fastest of all down the main straight. Alpine have big upgrade this weekend, with new wings, different sidepods and a new beam wing.

Sebastian Vettel has suggested that Formula 1 team earnings should be capped rather than introducing a driver salary cap.

So I will leave it to you.” We are a huge part of that. The teams are earning more money than ever before. “I think maybe they should be capped in terms of having certain fixed earnings and everything beyond that should go to a certain pool to do great things with it and have a positive impact. But he turned the subject to the recompense he believes drivers should receive for their role in F1, which is enjoying a huge increase in popularity, and both Vettel and Alonso agreed. Although a driver salary cap is unlikely to be introduced in 2023 as initially suggested, F1 and the FIA are pressing on with discussions about it in the background.

The organisers of the Belgian Grand Prix say they are willing to make changes to ensure the race remains on the Formula 1 calendar.

“We are planning all sorts of entertainment, with DJs, exclusive events, fans zones and activations around the circuit. If we want to continue hosting races in the future, we have to modernise.” We have decided to listen and follow their new way of delivering F1 events.

Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff says the team's lack of top speed in Baku is the result of a draggy 'parachute' of a car coupled with a return ...

So between the draggy car and the bottoming this is the main deficit that we are seeing here on the straight," Wolff explained. And as a consequence, the ride is not very good. "In Barcelona we had a big rear wing, and the car was pretty stable on the straight and we were among the quickest, but there is never one thing and certainly the engine is not the area I want to point at."

'Never totally objective': Red Bull boss hits back at Max's dad — F1 Qualifying LIVE.

That’s why Checo got the call on the pit stop, Max wouldn’t even have had track position for example on that lap.” He’s got opinions and that’s absolutely fine, that’s his opinion. “Jos is his own person and personality.

Formula 1's qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will start 15 minutes later than originally scheduled as a consequence of earlier barrier ...

The slight delay to F1 qualifying will be of good news to some motorsport fans as it means there is no longer a direct clash with the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours race that begins in France. It said: "Following the delay to the start of FP3 which was due to barrier repairs after the F2 sprint race - the start of qualifying will be 15 minutes later than scheduled in accordance with Article 39 of the sporting regulations." But with the FIA electing to run the session for it full hour, rather than starting the clock at the original start time so it ended as scheduled at 4pm, it meant a finish time of 4.15pm local time.

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff believes it is untenable for a cost-capped F1 not to have a driver salary limit.

“Those teams that will be affected already have long-term agreements with their drivers. “Formula 1 is looking at it without an immediate solution to it,” Wolff continued. Major League Baseball has no salary cap but rather a luxury tax, in which teams are forced to contribute extra money if their payroll exceeds a certain threshold. “Now clearly drivers will have an opinion on that, and maybe as a driver, I’d say the same thing. And I think the talk about [even a] $30-40million salary allowance is inadequate when you take that perspective. They already are.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks the proposed driver salary cap should be lower than what F1's highest-earners Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen get.

“So while I understand the point, while we understand the importance of it, I don’t think that anyone today got a solution. It’s not only a tricky one I think it’s even not an urgent one. Maybe as a driver I would say the same thing but the U.S. American leagues that are the most successful in the world have introduced salary caps 15 years ago. “F1 is looking at it without an immediate solution to it,” he added. “But we have a cost cap. “It certainly has come up as a controversial topic,” Wolff said in Azerbaijan. “We can see that we are facing a very difficult situation in F1 overall.

QUALIFYING is underway at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.Max Verstappen will be looking to extend his title lead after crashing at 200mph in last year's ra.

I have been out to the paddock and it is very warm out. And as a consequence, the ride is not very good. it looked like we couldn’t drive straight. The Finn makes a mistake at Turn 3. So, it's not that bad. “But it's not all very dramatic. The track temperature is up to 48.4 Celsius and the wind has dropped compared to yesterday. The repairs to the crash barriers, following a heavy crash in the F2 race, have been completed. FP3 is always a gamble of being able to dial in the car for qualifying and getting it wrong and causing an shunt that rules you out. He's kept his Alfa Romeo out of the barriers, but failed in an attempt to spin his car out of trouble. "And this can cost several tenths and yesterday we were losing a second on the straights to Ferrari and Red Bull." He said: "We have a car that is too draggy, so the drivers made the comment that it seems like we have a parachute behind the car.

The time has come: qualifying for the Baku Grand Prix is about to begin. From 15:00 UK time, 20 drivers will compete to start from pole position on Sunday.

Ferrari will need to make gains in qualifying in the slower corners, while Red Bull will excel in the final sector. The Ferrari's seem to be favourites in qualifying compared to Red Bull Racing so far this weekend. The time has come: qualifying for the Baku Grand Prix is about to begin.

Pirelli has defended its wet weather Formula 1 tyres in the wake of strong criticism from Sebastian Vettel and Jos Verstappen after the Monaco Grand Prix.

"We need to test, otherwise we cannot develop a new tyre for the future. "We don't have a lot of opportunities to test the wet and intermediate tyres," he explained. "I believe that Monaco is not the right track to make a proper assessment of the wet tyres.

Perez, Leclerc, Sainz, Verstappen, Gasly, Hamilton, Vettel, Russell, Alonso, Tsunoda. That's the top ten going into Q3. Replays show that Hamilton almost ...

Perez clipped the wall in his first run, definitely slowed him down. Doesn’t look to be any damage. Charles Leclerc was fastest in practice on Friday only for Sergio Perez to come out on top in FP3 by 0.07 seconds. Hamilton more than four tenths down on his teammate. He will, as ever, fancy his chances in qualifying, which begins at 3.15pm BST. World champion Max Verstappen was third fastest, while Carlos Sainz rounded off a Red Bull-Ferrari top four.

Pirelli has defended its wet weather Formula 1 tyres in the wake of strong criticism from Sebastian Vettel and Jos Verstappen after the Monaco Grand Prix.

"We need to test, otherwise we cannot develop a new tyre for the future. "We don't have a lot of opportunities to test the wet and intermediate tyres," he explained. "I believe that Monaco is not the right track to make a proper assessment of the wet tyres.

Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position for the Azerbaijan F1 GP while Lewis Hamilton was facing an investigation for 'driving unnecessarily ...

Stroll was forced to park his wounded machine as race director Niels Wittich deployed the red flag. Russell will start fifth on Sunday, two places ahead of Hamilton, who could drop further down the field if he is penalised for his qualifying misdemeanour. Q1 was red-flagged with two and a half minutes remaining after Lance Stroll crashed out. The Monégasque saw off Sergio Pérez, who took advantage of Leclerc’s flat-footed Ferrari team in Monte Carlo to claim his third career win, by 0.282sec. After claiming his sixth pole of the season and fourth in succession, Leclerc said: “All poles feel good but this one I did not expect because I thought the Red Bulls were stronger. He responded by saying: “I don’t know what you expect from me, man, sometimes.”

Max Verstappen heads into the eighth round of the 2022 Formula One season with a nine-point lead in the Drivers' Championship over Charles Leclerc.

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