Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024
\n Baku
\nLewis Hamilton will be forced to start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane despite qualifying in seventh place, after picking up a penalty.
\nThe Mercedes driver struggled for pace against the clock, with his quickest Q3 lap nearly a second slower than that of pole-sitter Charles Leclerc.
\nAfter the session, a fifth power unit of the season was installed into Hamilton\u2019s car meaning he will be forced to start the race from the pit lane. It will add to a topsy-turvy grid in Baku, with Lando Norris also starting near the back after being knocked out in Q1.
\nHamilton\u2019s penalty will see Norris promoted to 15th on the grid, having moved up two positions since the end of qualifying after Pierre Gasly was disqualified over a fuel flow infringement.
\nAn extended DRS zone on the home straight will provide plenty of overtaking opportunities for the likes of Hamilton and Norris. Safety car interruptions will also be a real possibility, given the unpredictable nature of the Baku City Circuit.
\nSpeaking after qualifying behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell yet again, Hamilton explained that he struggled to keep his tyre temperatures within the ideal operating window.
\n\u201cYesterday the car was amazing, it felt great and I honestly think it could have been at least second row today, but I came today and all of a sudden, the tyres didn\u2019t work all day,\u201d he said.
\nThe Baku event \u2013 with its track\u2019s long straights and the tyre management requirements of Sunday\u2019s race \u2013 meant Mercedes decided to take the penalty hit here after its disappointing qualifying on Saturday in Azerbaijan.
\nHamilton qualified seventh after failing to get his tyres working well at the start of his final lap in Q3, after being told to slow down late in his warm-up tour due to Alex Albon\u2019s Williams being temporarily stuck at the pitlane exit with its cooling fan still attached to its airbox.
\nThe delay in pushing on to start his final flier meant Hamilton\u2019s tyres \u201cwouldn\u2019t work\u201d \u2013 something Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said also impacted George Russell in the other W15, given the younger Briton was running just ahead of his team-mate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024 Baku Lewis Hamilton will be forced to start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane despite qualifying in seventh place, after picking up a penalty. The Mercedes driver struggled for pace against the clock, with his quickest Q3 lap nearly a second slower than that of pole-sitter Charles Leclerc. After […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-431494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n