Formula 1. Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Qualifications. Number two, go!

When something does not work for the leaders of the teams, they are always ready to replace the second number. Therefore, in modern Formula 1 races, where a lot depends on cars, their teammates become their main rivals. Today’s qualifying at the Baku City Track was a triumph for those riders who have long been in the shadow of their luckier teammates. Thus, the first two rows of tomorrow’s race will be fully occupied by the “second numbers”, which will be headed by pole-winner George Russell at his Mercedes.

Two European capitals, Madrid and Baku, two different cities and two urban but very different circuits, temporarily created specifically for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. After faceless narrow metal-concrete “tunnels” of Spain, passing through which you hardly realize in which part of the world the race is taking place, the Azerbaijani circuit seems to have breathed the smell of the sea coast into the pilots’ lungs. The wide straight line along the promenade along Neftyannikov Avenue is not only the longest in the calendar of the Grand Prizes Championship, it also makes the surrounding urban landscape easily recognizable. And the narrowest point of the route along the ancient Baku fortress complements the overall image of the capital of Azerbaijan.

The Circuit in Baku, which is very demanding on cars and aerobatic skills, does not forgive mistakes in itself. And if you add to this the unexpected gusts of strong wind from the Caspian Sea, the waves of which splash only 100 meters from the track, it becomes clear why racing here, on the very edge of Europe, is rarely boring.

Safety car and medical car, according to forecasts, will have to work hard in Baku "Caspian Wings" George Russell After two consecutive victories Kimi Antonelli at the previous stages in Italy and Spain, the positive notes of the mood of George Russell seemed to evaporate at the same rate at which lost points and chances of the British pilot for the championship title. This is despite the fact that both riders have exactly the same cars, and the fastest this season on almost all tracks. But something must have happened on the eve of my arrival in Baku. Some jokers immediately noted that George’s success today coincided in a strange way with the absence of Totto Wolf, the Mercedes team leader, at the current Azerbaijani Grand Prix. The main manager of the German stable, given the large gap between his racing team and rivals in the Constructors’ Cup, chose to devote this weekend to his son, who on Sunday should host an important karting competition on the other side of the continent.

And in the absence of Mr. Wolf, the pilot "Mrs. Luck" somehow in the German team turned its face to the dull George Russell, naturally turning its back on the sparkling happiness of Kimi Antonelli's numerous victories. The result was not long in coming. Already from the first free races, the British rider seemed to find “wings” in the Caspian, leading for two sessions of free races yesterday, and only this morning lost the championship by less than 0.01 seconds to 4-time Dutch champion Max Verstappen. But it was an exception, just a momentary “weakness.” And already in the course of 3 qualifying segments, the Mercedes pilot did not allow anyone to doubt his leadership. Russell got his legally earned pole and the right to start in tomorrow’s race from the first place with such a large margin from the nearest competitor that surprised everyone, even himself. Never before in 12 qualifying wins has George been so convincing in his advantage. 0.837 seconds, which was behind him on a fast lap Charles Leclerc, who will share with the winner tomorrow the first row at the start of the race, is the best proof of this.

We’re used to a tight fight this season and it often happens that more than 10 drivers can fit in less than one second. Even here in Baku today, the five riders, who were placed in the final protocol after Russell, fell within 0.5 seconds. Against this background, the separation of the pole owner looks giant. Are the small upgrades brought by Mercedes to Azerbaijan so effective? Why then "failed" Kimi Antonelli, confidently leading in the championship? In free races, the Italian could never go faster than his partner, having barely reduced the gap almost per second in the first session to 0.35 seconds in the third.

Trying to run a lap at the pace of a partner, or at least close in time to his result, Kimi Antonelli decided to look for new trajectories. And it's unclear why he tried to get as close as possible to the inner left curb in the first turn. To be honest, I have had to take photos at the circuit in Baku more than once. I have my favorite spots there. Of course, the old city, where the cars look very beautiful against the background of an ancient fortress; the descent to the embankment, where the riders fight the gusts of the wind before optimally quickly turning to the longest straight championship; the view of the starting line from a large asphalt pocket, which is its continuation, from where the start of the Grand Prix shoots most photographers.

In addition, there is a very dangerous place on the outside immediately after the first turn. During the races and races, it is interesting to see how the drivers pass the first corner, which is actually a regular city crossroads under 90 degrees. The Baku circuit has a wide starting straight and a spacious first turn, where 3 cars in a row can easily fit on the first lap of the race. And most often, the trajectory of the pilots choose, without hitting the internal barriers of this turn. This trajectory then approaches the outside, where the aforementioned post for photographers is located. The cars fly so close to the fence at high speed that it seems as if you are on the runway of the airfield and from the shelter watching the take-off of the aircraft.

To shoot the car in these conditions, you have to turn on the shutter of the camera at the most rapid shooting mode, not yet seeing the car, directing the lens into the window cut out in the fence. And, without sticking it out, it is prohibited by safety requirements. But then when you realize how dangerous it is to just be in that place, it gets creepy. After all, any failure of the car from the trajectory and the impact of the car on the fence in this place threatens with unpleasant and even tragic consequences.

So from this place it is good to watch how different pilots pass the first turn. And frankly, rarely one of the pilots “cuts the corner” on the internal ridges. But this time, during the free runs, Lance Stroll hooked the inside side. The result is a broken suspension. Canadian's fine. His Aston Martin is so far from the leaders that Lance has to find the most incredible trajectories to somehow save a few tenths of a second on the lap. Stroll's risky maneuver failed.

But when Kimi Antonelli similarly damaged his Mercedes, only in the course of qualifying, I was very surprised. This is later, experienced colleagues in discussing the causes of the Italian accident suggested that during the passage of a long straight along the embankment, the brakes and tires cool down so much that braking from 340 km / h to 60 km / h becomes a very complex maneuver that carries a great risk. Especially when you need to calculate the trajectory in the vicinity of the barriers.

In general, if we sum up the above, then in an attempt to at least approach the time of his partner, Kimi took a risk, and he was unjustified. Antonelli tried to reach the boxes with a damaged suspension, but the circle in Baku is very long - 6003 meters. In addition, as a result of touching the fence wall, the Mercedes pilot not only damaged the left front wheel of his car, but “destroyed” the front suspension. It would still not have had time to fix it in a few minutes, which separates the first segment of qualification from the second. And from the command bridge of the German stable, the pilot was ordered to retire in any safe place, so as not to receive a fine from stewards for unsafe piloting a damaged car. So for the leader of the championship ingloriously ended his qualification, where, judging by the pace of his car, he was quite capable of getting into the top three at the start of tomorrow's race.

The conditions of the Baku circuit do not allow the rider to quickly reach the boxes, as can be done on stationary circuits. And Kimi had to wait until the end of the qualifications, then go to his management for a report about what happened. At this time, his partner, glowing with happiness, was already signing, along with another celebrity invited for this role, a miniature copy of the Pirelli tire, which is transferred to the pole owner for memorable storage.

As a result, Antonelli, although he went to the second segment with the 15th result, will start in the 16th position. With his mistake in piloting, Kimi created intrigue. As you know, to create a break from the pursuers in the championship is much easier than to keep it later. The first is unexpected and fun, and the second is tense and stressful. And we know a lot of examples. That’s why even the biggest gap in world motorsport disciplines like F1, as long as there are purely theoretical chances for rivals to seize the lead, may not be enough for a championship title.

Esteban Okon in Baku announced that he is a free agent in the pilot market “Second” numbers ahead of “first” for next season. Baku track rightly weeded out the outsiders in the first segment of qualification. Behind the further fight were pilots "Cadillac", "Aston Martin" and "Audi". From the second segment failed to get out in full force pilots "Haas" and "Racing Bulls". In addition to them, the above mentioned Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes and Alex Albon for Williams came off the qualifying distance. But the partner of the Thai-British rider Carlos Sainz not only reached the final, but also took 9th place there. It seems that the legendary British stables promised for Baku gave a positive result. However, the time pole Spanish rider gave 2 seconds, which in modern times looks too far behind the leaders.

Two attempts, which were conducted by the pilots in the final segment, allowed to place all the remaining by rank. And it turned out that the first two rows were the pilots of the 4-team leaders: George Russell (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferarry), Oscar Piastry (McLaren) and Isaac Hajar (Red Bull). It is not difficult to notice that all of them are inferior to their partners in the personal standings of the championship, that is, they are actually “second” numbers in their teams.

The third row of the grid in tomorrow’s race ended up with two British champions: Lando Norris (McLaren) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari). Pierre Gasly showed himself well, who managed to beat Max Verstappen’s Red Bull on his Alpin (with a Mercedes engine). The Dutchman on his decisive attempt was prevented by yellow flags, the appearance of which caused a congress in the pocket of security in the first part of the distance Franco Collapinto. For the Argentinian, even a 10th qualifying result was already a big success, so he wasn't very upset with his failed attempt to improve time.

As for Verstappen, his successful 3rd session of free runs and the first two segments, where he both showed the second result, were unexpectedly interrupted in the qualifying final. Max managed to complain that his car does not obey the steering wheel, jumping on bumps, for which the Dutchman even managed to give her the nickname “kangaroo”. And before the final attempt, the generator of the electric motor on his Red Bull did not have time to fully charge. Therefore, the Dutchman had to go on an additional fast lap, and in the tail. And this often involves the risk that someone will make a mistake in front of you, and yellow flags will not allow you to improve the result. That's how it came out this time.

The start for Verstappen from the 8th place, despite the fact that the teammate will start the race from the 4th position, is an extra motivation to fight hard and break into the leading group. Add to that Kimi Antonelli’s anticipated breakthrough from 16th place and we’ll have a good cocktail for tomorrow’s race. It will begin tomorrow, Saturday, at 14.00 Minsk time.