Chapter 435: Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Qualifying II

{That timing was good. Let’s do that the same way next time,} Fatih said as he entered the pit lane, coming to a stop in front of the garage. The mechanics raised and pushed his car back into the garage once his first push was done.

{We will,} James said on the radio as the mechanics removed the tires, checking the car for any debris and small damage to allow for repair work to happen during the break following the end of Q2, leaving only the final qualifying session.

It was a surprise to no one that he managed to get through into Q3, since both the driver and their car were competitive enough to go through in the midst of the most competitive and closely matched midfield.

With the screen now placed in front of him, Fatih silently started going through the telemetry data prepared for him, focusing on Max’s telemetry to see if he was doing something interesting that he could add on top of what he was doing. To no one’s surprise, he found nothing that either he was already doing or was not doing for a deliberate reason to gain an advantage or be able to do something else in another part of the track that gave him a bigger advantage than doing that would have.

He had been operating with an asymmetric advantage which none of the other drivers had, and currently, the only reason he could go head-to-head with them and not be beaten by their immense experience.

........

"It is time for the third of three here in the city of Baku, and with only ten cars remaining, it is time for the pole shootout to decide who starts at the front of the grid for tomorrow’s race.

The most favorite is Max Verstappen, but AlphaTauri has shown incredible pace along with the Ferraris, so we are in a situation where a perfectly timed slipstream and good driving in the narrow parts of the circuit could give anyone pole position, and what an upset that would be! Martin, who do you think will be on pole at the end of this?" David Croft asked at the start of Q3, as the track was yet to be joined by anyone of the remaining ten.

"Max," Martin said without even thinking about it.

"I expected something interesting, not the boring option," David said while chuckling.

"The boring option is always the best option, but just like we were surprised in Monaco by the rookie, who knows what surprise is waiting for us at the end of the session? I would be very happy to be wrong," Martin said before the camera feed showed two AlphaTauri cars heading onto the track ahead of everyone.

..........

"There you can see the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in the distance, giving a tow to Leclerc as he starts his qualifying lap, while Leclerc finishes his, and Charles crosses the line at a time of one-forty-one-two.

Now that’s not a bad time out, as he matches pretty much what he did in his best time in Q1. He is now followed by his teammate, who crosses the line and is three-tenths down on him, second fastest. Lando Norris goes third fastest with a one-forty-one-seven, as Sergio Perez is only fourth fastest.

That tow that Leclerc got behind Hamilton really worked for him and put him ahead even of Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton is setting a thirty-five-five for the first sector, while Bottas sets a thirty-five-eight and then a forty-one-zero for the middle sector, as he is ahead of Hamilton.

So far, seven-tenths up, Hamilton on Bottas," David Croft commentated with excitement as cars went through the finish line and the feed changed constantly from one driver to another.

"I think Hamilton has got this, Crofty, if he manages to finish this lap off, because he’s always been very good in the last sector," Paul di Resta said when Croft took a breather as the feed now focused on Hamilton, who was starting his final sector.

"And he’s going to get the slipstream as well from Valtteri Bottas, leading the way for the two silver arrows down the main straight, with Hamilton following on behind. The speed there at the first speed trap is 200 miles per hour, but increasing all the way with DRS as well. Bottas goes seventh fastest, while Hamilton MOVES TO THE FRONT ROW IN P2 AND ONLY A COUPLE OF TENTHS BEHIND CHARLES LECLERC!"

"Yeah, but a time that we thought was competitive might be *very* competitive."

"Now it’s Charles Leclerc on provisional pole, while Pierre Gasly, whose best qualifying in Formula One was last year when he was fourth for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix... If I were Franz Tost, I’d be telling Yıldırım to give him the biggest tow you’ve ever given him on the back of your lap, but it is impossible to do that because Yıldırım is currently about a sector behind amidst his preparation lap.

But Gasly has shown he can perform, and their car was very competitive, as Gasly took pole in Q3. Can that be repeated here? Can he give us an upset?

P4 IS WHAT HE PUTS ON THE TABLE, EQUALING HIS BEST QUALIFYING POSITION IN HIS CAREER! AND JUST IN TIME FOR US TO SEE FATIH IN THE REAR AMIDST THE HAZE AS HE STARTS HIS LAP, HAVING TIMED IT PERFECTLY!

HE IS RECEIVING A TOW FROM VERSTAPPEN, WHO IS COMPLETING HIS LAP, AND HE WILL BE DRAGGING HIM ALL THE WAY TO THE START-FINISH LINE!

AS MAX CROSSES, THIRD IS THE BEST HE COULD DO WITH THIS LAP, BUT WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR MINUTES TO GO, AND HE CAN GO FOR ANOTHER ONE AS FATIH STARTS HIS LAP!

HE MOVED SMOOTHLY TO THE RIGHT, TIMING HIS BRAKES PERFECTLY BEFORE TAKING THE NINETY-DEGREE RIGHT-HANDER AS HE BARRELS DOWN THE SHORT STRAIGHT BEFORE BRAKING AGAIN FOR ANOTHER NINETY-DEGREE LEFT-HANDER!

I HOPE WE STAY FOLLOWING HIM THROUGH THIS LAP, AS HE IS NOW ON THE SECOND LONG STRAIGHT, OPENING THE DRAG REDUCTION SYSTEM TO SHED MORE DRAG AND GAIN MORE SPEED AS FATIH IS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE LEFT, TRYING TO CATCH A TOW FROM THE FERRARI IN FRONT OF HIM, BUT CHARLES MOVES ASIDE AND SLOWS DOWN TO NOT AID AN ENEMY, BUT THE ADVANTAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN GAINED AT THE END OF THE STRAIGHT INTO TURN THREE, KEEPING THINGS TIGHT FOR TURN FOUR!"

...........

Fatih, in the middle of his qualifying lap, focused fully as he went through Turns 5 and 6 as if they were a chicane, not looking at what sector time he had made, as he wasn’t sparing even a single bit of brainpower other than focusing on his lap. He was arriving in the most complicated part of the track, through Turn 7, into Turn 8, then 9, 10, 11, and 12, before he finally had a moment to have a breather on the short straight through Turn 13, then 14, before braking for Turn 15.

As the car approached Turn 16, he had two options: take it at high speed or sacrifice it to set himself up for the upcoming third sector. He chose the second option as he braked earlier and took the corner, which allowed him to get back to full throttle faster than anyone. It was as if luck was on his side because as he started accelerating, he could see Alonso ahead of him, who seemed to be finally starting his lap, and Fatih didn’t waste the opportunity, tucking in behind him as he benefited from the drag reduction for the entirety of the more than two-kilometer straight.

...

"Alonso, as he starts his lap, accidentally helps YILDIRIM, who has a great first sector and a good middle sector, but all of that will be dwarfed by the advantage he gained from Fernando, who can’t abort his lap and has to drag him with him for the rest of the straight!

AND AS HE CROSSES THE LINE, WHERE DOES THIS PUT HIM? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, HE MISSES BY A HAIR’S BREADTH AND HAS TO SETTLE FOR P3, DROPPING VERSTAPPEN DOWN TO P4!

AND IT IS LECLERC, HAMILTON, YILDIRIM, THEN VERSTAPPEN, FOLLOWED BY GASLY, WHO HAS BEEN DROPPED TO P5! BUT THERE IS STILL TIME TO IMPROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! OH, WE HAVE A RED FLAG! IT IS CARLOS SAINZ WHO CRASHES, AND THAT’S IT! THAT’S A WRAP FOR QUALIFYING IN BAKU!

AS IT IS A RECREATION OF WHAT HAPPENED IN MONACO, BUT THIS TIME IT IS HIS TEAMMATE WHO BRINGS OUT THE RED FLAG, BUT IT IS CHARLES WHO ENDS UP BENEFITING FROM IT AS HE MANAGES TO KEEP HIS POLE POSITION WITH THE SESSION COMING TO AN END!

A GREAT POSITION FOR WHAT WE WILL BE HAVING TOMORROW! IT IS CHARLES AHEAD OF HAMILTON, WITH YILDIRIM COMPLETING THE PODIUM, AS THE MAIN RED BULL DRIVER, VERSTAPPEN, FINDS HIMSELF HAVING TO SETTLE FOR THE SECOND ROW IN P4, CURRENTLY SANDWICHED BY CARS FROM THE SISTER TEAM, WHILE THE ROOKIE KEEPS THE RECORD OF HAVING NEVER QUALIFIED OUT OF THE TOP THREE SINCE HIS DEBUT!

PEREZ IS DOWN IN P8 BEHIND SAINZ AND NORRIS, AND THAT LEAVES FERNANDO ALONSO AND VALTTERI BOTTAS TO COMPLETE THE TOP 10! A RED FLAG HAS KILLED ANY CHANCES FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVED A FASTER LAP COULD BE SHOWN, BUT THAT SETS US UP FOR AN INTERESTING TOMORROW, SINCE OVERTAKING IS POSSIBLE HERE..."