Max Verstappen secured pole position in a dramatic and chaotic qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, marked by a record-breaking six red flags. The session, which lasted nearly two hours, saw multiple drivers caught out by the narrow Baku City Circuit, including McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
The qualifying was disrupted from the beginning, with four red flags in Q1 and Q2. Alex Albon, Franco Colapinto, and Oliver Bearman all crashed, contributing to the delays. Q3 saw further incidents, with Leclerc crashing at Turn 15, bringing out the red flags with just over seven minutes remaining. Rain began to fall during the delay, adding another element of unpredictability to the session.
As the session resumed, Piastri crashed at Turn 3, causing another red flag with less than four minutes on the clock. He got too deep on the brakes and slammed into the wall. With the clock ticking down, Verstappen capitalized on the opportunity, setting a blistering time of 1:41.117 to snatch pole position.
Carlos Sainz, driving for Williams, secured a surprising second place, marking Williams' best qualifying result since George Russell in 2021. Liam Lawson achieved a career-best third for Racing Bulls. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth for Mercedes, ahead of teammate George Russell. Yuki Tsunoda completed the top six.
McLaren, who showed strong pace in Friday practice with Lando Norris leading teammate Piastri in FP1, had a difficult qualifying. Piastri's crash in Q3 meant he qualified ninth, while Norris struggled to capitalize, managing only seventh after a scrappy lap where he glanced the wall. Both McLaren drivers had also hit the wall in FP2.
Lewis Hamilton, who topped the leaderboard in FP2, was knocked out in Q2 and will start 12th for Ferrari. Leclerc, a four-time pole winner in Baku, also crashed out in Q3 and finished in 10th.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race, with Verstappen starting from pole, Sainz in second, and Lawson in third. The McLaren drivers will have their work cut out for them, needing to make their way through the field from seventh and ninth respectively. The race is scheduled to start at 12pm on Sunday.
