Bob: Very excited for the race today - Azerbaijan always concocts a fabulous race and even if there are few incidents, the layout of the track lends itself to overtaking. Come on Max & Alonso!

After qualifying Sergio Perez confessed he was pushing a little too much in the first runs of the pole shootout. "I hit the wall a couple of times," he said. "Luckily, we managed to survive - which is the key here, really."

Adding that a mistake in Baku means "that's it" for your race, he also tweeted: "I wanted pole today! We were not perfect, but we can fight for the win from P2! Vamooos!"

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On the plus side, Sergio Perez beat team-mate Max Verstappen into second spot to take his place next to Charles Leclerc at the front of the grid.

But the Monaco Grand Prix winner, who topped first and third practice, had to catch up on time after a miscommunication in the Red Bull team meant he missed out on a tow on the long Baku straight.

He wasn't even in the top five for the start of last year's race and still ended the day victorious. So all is not lost, Checo.

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It's Baku, so there is a high probability of a safety car, red flag, topsy-turvy podium finish.

Let me know:

• Your race winner
• Unexpected driver on the podium
• Outrageous prediction for the entire grand prix

I've unlocked the #bbcf1 hashtag, so send us your thoughts now.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

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Charles Leclerc won the latest of a string of pole positions this year with a dazzling lap that hinged on his pace through the middle sector of the Baku track. From Turn Five to 15, Leclerc was 0.327 seconds quicker than Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, including some acrobatic driving through the castle section. That was more than enough to compensate for the Red Bull’s straight-line speed advantage and clinch Leclerc’s sixth pole in eight races this year.

He has won only from two of those poles, however - even if two of those losses were no fault of his own - and the same question will define this race. Can Leclerc hold off a pair of Red Bulls that have a slight advantage on the straights - an advantage that will be exacerbated in the race, with the car behind and chasing benefiting from the DRS overtaking aid and the car in front not.

In Saudi Arabia and Miami, this ultimately proved decisive in Max Verstappen’s favour. On Saturday night, Leclerc was expressing hope his middle-sector pace will keep him far enough ahead to stay out of reach. And with less downforce, the Red Bulls may - although it’s not certain - wear out their tyres quicker, although the same could apply to the red car trying to use corners to generate its lap time. This is a grand prix intriguingly poised.

The pole lap caught the Monegasque driver a bit off guard, though. "All pole positions feel good but this one I did not expect it because I thought Red Bull were stronger," said a delighted Leclerc.

"Especially Q1 and Q2 I struggled to see we were faster but then in Q3 I managed to do a good lap, so extremely happy."

As for today's race, can Ferrari capitalise on the performance they have shown in qualifying? "I'm really excited for [Sunday]," said Leclerc. "Tyre management is a big thing here. In Barcelona and Monaco I think we were managing it well.

"Overall, our race pace has gone a step up since we brought the upgrades. It will be interesting."

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Charles Leclerc is the new 'Mr Saturday' thanks to a fourth consecutive pole position in Azerbaijan, which was also his sixth in eight races.

Being able to pull a stellar lap out of the bag when it counts has become a key weapon in the Ferrari driver's arsenal this season and as the final runs were completed, Leclerc edged out Sergio Perez by 0.282 seconds.

Hello again, folks. Little bit earlier than usual for today's Baku event.

Lights out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix are at 12:00 BST.

Luckily, just the one red flag in qualifying yesterday...

Another big smile on the face of Charles Leclerc after a Saturday qualifying session in Formula 1.

However, the Ferrari driver has failed to convert any of his last three pole positions in a row into a race victory.

Is today the day the odds finally fall in Leclerc's favour?

Image source, Getty Images