2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix team radio highlights: Qualifying

2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

Lance Stroll out-qualified his team mate for the first time in his career but thought he’d done a “bad lap”. Here’s what the drivers had to say during qualifying and final practice.

Third practice

After leading the way on Friday, car trouble struck Max Verstappen during final practice.

To Verstappen: “Try to clear Wehrlein if you can, Max.”

Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying in pictures
To Ericssion: “OK Marcus, three burnout again. And be careful there is yellow flag turn two, Palmer’s car is on fire.”
To Ericsson: “Can we do a cruise? CC2 gear four and CC3 gear five, please.”

To Kvyat: “Battery three, we need one more laps with the same scenario. Battery three now.”

To Perez: “Purple mode two. One cool lap and one push lap in this run.”

To Ocon: “Try third gear in turn 15.”

Ericsson: “The worst possible position for an out-lap.”

“You can keep pushing or we can box now and sort some stuff.”
Grosjean: “Box.”
“OK, keep pushing.”

To Vettel: “Box, same issue.”
To Bottas: “Strat nine, just charge the battery. Front temperatures really good now. So let’s keep them up there and push on the next lap.”
To Verstappen: “Bottas on his soft 43.7, his first lap on super-soft after a build was also a 43.7. He is commencing a new timed lap”

Verstappen: “There’s something wrong with the engine mate. All the time when I’m going close to the engine i hear a really weird sound.”
“Alright I’ll get back you you.”

“Fuel three position two mode nine, check it now down to turn 15.”
Verstappen: “Yep, feels OK.”
“OK.”

Massa: “I almost crashed, man.”

Verstappen: “Everything just switched off.”

To Hulkenberg: “Do not set a meaningful lap time.”

Go ad-free for just £1 per month

>> Find out more and sign up

Qualifying

Fernando Alonso was frustrated at being held up by Daniel Ricciardo during qualifying. The McLaren driver later suggested his rivals couldn’t tell when he was on a quick lap because his car’s straight-line speed was so poor.

To Bottas: “We’re on the wrong delta time so just ignore it for now.”
To Ricciardo: “Make a good gap to Max. Brake balance two clicks rearwards.”

Perez: “What do you want on the cool-down lap?”
“Cool the surface. Find space to build the bulk in the final sector. Massa and Stroll ahead.”

To Ricciardo: “OK we do think that lap is safe but we’re happy to go again.”

Alonso: “What? What we do, they [censored by FOM] my lap.”

After more frustrations during practice Romain Grosjean missed the cut for Q2. He was unhappy at losing time by being called to the weigh bridge.

“Sorry we couldn’t get through.”
Grosjean: “The scales in qualifying is not normal. We shouldn’t have stopped on the scales.”
To Ericsson: “OK Marcus box. P18 but it was a good lap.”
To Vandoorne: “OK Stoffel we’re P18. It’s a shame we caught Grosjean just before the final corner because that tow nearly worked out.”

“To Verstappen: “So to the start the lap more ten – sorry, correction – mode nine at the normal place, and reset balance.”

To Ricciardo: “OK so let’s make this lap count. It’s going to be mode nine and lift.”

To Ricciardo: “OK so keep up the pace now mate, keep pushing now.”

Red Bull were keen to keep their drivers ahead of the Mercedes when they left the pits.

To Ricciardo: “OK I imagine he’ll keep up his pace as well. Next car behind is Hamilton.”
To Bottas: “Strat one, turn seven to twelve.”

Lewis Hamilton slipped up on his first timed lap in Q3.

“OK Lewis gap behind Raikkonen nine seconds.”
Hamilton: “Mistake on that lap.”
“P2. Copy, we saw that. So let us know how bad that vibration is.”
Hamilton: “Have I got time to get some new tyres?”
“We have time to take new tyres and a two timed lap run. So pit confirm if you’re coming in.”
Hamilton: “It’s actually fine. The tyre’s actually fine.”
“OK, keep the temps up.”

Ricciardo: “In the barrier.”
“OK mate understood.”
Ricciardo: “Just lost the rear, exit of six.”
“Yeah understood mate we can see you on the right-hand side.”

To Verstappen: “If you get challenged by a car behind on the out-lap, put it into mode eight.”

Bottas: “What was the gap to pole?”
“Gap was four-tenths. Looked like we lost a little bit in turn seven.”
Bottas: “Well done guys for the car.”

Stroll: “Such a bad lap! Where are we, P7?”
“P8, Lance, P8. Good job.”
Stroll: “Yeah good job everyone.”

Verstappen: “I was three-tenths under my lap time.”
“Yeah, and Sebastian’s pipped you by four-hundredths. A 1’41.84. Shame. Should’ve been P3.”

2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    Browse all 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix articles

    Author information

    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

    Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

    6 comments on “2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix team radio highlights: Qualifying”

    1. These radio messages tell you everything that is wrong with F1

      1. Which is…?

        1. Are you asking because you don’t understand the transcripts or you haven’t read them?

    2. After getting pole, Hamilton asked if anyone else had improved. I thought that was interesting

      1. I assumed he was really asking if Vettel was was still P7.

    3. ILuvSoundtracks (@)
      25th June 2017, 10:42

      Alonso went “WHAT?!” in the angry way.

    Comments are closed.