Charles Leclerc beats the lap record in Baku
The Monegasque driver signed the pole position on Friday for the starting grid of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He improved the lap record by over two tenths.

In a new weekend format, with the introduction of the “Sprint Shootout” on Saturday, the qualifying session to determine the starting grid for the GP took place on Friday. Charles Leclerc secured pole position with a lap time of 1’40.203. He improved the previous record by 0.292. An impressive performance since the implementation of the new regulations in 2022.
Heavier single-seaters
This new regulation, which appeared last year, brought significant changes to the design of cars. Starting with their weight: they switched from 13-inch wheels to 18-inch, increased the weight of the engine, added safety parts, etc. On average, the vehicles gained 25 kg. This decrease in speed could lead to a loss of several seconds per lap depending on the circuits.
Empty, these new single-seaters weigh nearly 800 kg, to which you have to add the 110 kg of fuel carried at the start, plus the weight of the driver. Once all these elements are put together, we realize that a car weighs over a ton.
Faster lap times than in 2022
If the drivers had to adapt in 2022, they seem to have tamed their cars, at least for the top teams. Even though during a qualifying session, Formula 1 cars do not carry the 110 kg of fuel like they do on Sundays. In fact, we mentioned that the fastest lap times were quicker at the beginning of this season compared to those of last season (in the first 4 races).
This performance did not prevent him from succumbing to the might of the Red Bulls in the race. He finished on the third step of the podium, thus securing his best result since the beginning of the season.
The previous qualifying lap record was held by Valtteri Bottas, who set a time of 1’40.495s to secure pole position during the 2019 edition.