Shock in F1! ‘Checo’ Pérez and Fernando Alonso Are Eliminated in Q1
Por Carlos Rodríguez ·
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso of Spain—who, having been penalized for changing numerous components of his Aston Martin’s power unit, will start from the back of the grid—posted the 19th-fastest time, and Mexican driver Sergio Pérez (Cadillac), with the 20th-fastest time, were eliminated on Friday in the first round (Q1) of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix—the 15th race of the F1 World Championship—which is being held on the Baku street circuit.
Briton George Russell (Mercedes) set the fastest time of the session, covering the 6,003-meter track in the Azerbaijani capital—the fourth-longest on the World Championship circuit—in one minute, 43 seconds, and 615 thousandths, exactly 426 thousandths of a second slower than four-time world champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands (Red Bull), who, like Russell, set his time on soft tires.
Antonelli Crashes and Checo Pérez Is Eliminated in Q1
Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), the World Championship leader—with an 81-point lead over his teammate—broke the left front suspension on his car.
He crashed into the barriers on the first of the track’s 20 turns; and, although he advanced to the next round, he will not compete in Q2, which will take place next.
Eliminated in the first round (Q1)
17. Gabriel Bortoleto BRA Audi 1:45.799
18. Nico Hülkenberg GER Audi 1:45.920
19. Fernando Alonso ESP Aston Martin 1:46.593
20. Sergio Pérez MEX Cadillac 1:46.658
21. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 1:47.337
22. Valtteri Bottas FIN Cadillac 1:48.290 (Filed as: Checo Pérez Eliminated in Azerbaijan).
“We were expecting more today”
“We were expecting more today,” said “Checo,” who was born 36 years ago in Guadalajara (Jalisco) and has six Formula One victories to his credit, two of which came on the street circuit in the Azerbaijani capital.
Where, thanks to the penalty imposed on two-time Spanish world champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)—who will start 20th as a result—he was set to start 19th this Saturday.
But he was subsequently penalized with a three-place grid penalty for slowing down excessively while driving along the correct racing line.
“We needed everything to go our way, especially with the slipstream, which can be really powerful here—about six-tenths.”
“But the slipstream didn’t work out the way we had planned (with his teammate, the Finn) Valtteri (Bottas); it just didn’t work.”
“The brave driver from Guadalajara,” he explained, “with 39 podium finishes in F1, five of which came at what could be considered his ‘lucky track.'”
In which, in addition to winning in 2021 and 2023, he finished second in 2022 and third twice: in 2018 and in 2016, when Baku made its debut on the calendar; on that occasion as the European Grand Prix (Filed under: Checo Pérez is eliminated in Azerbaijan).
With information from EFE
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