Leclerc secures fourth consecutive Baku pole, Piastri surprises, Norris stumbles in Q1
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
BAKU, Azerbaijan — Charles Leclerc continued his dominance at the Baku City Circuit, securing a fourth consecutive pole position for Ferrari at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver posted a scorching lap time of 1m 41.365s, finishing three-tenths of a second clear of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who delivered an impressive performance to claim second on the grid. Leclerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, rounded out the top three.
While Red Bull appeared competitive throughout the session, they ultimately settled for fourth and sixth places. Sergio Perez, a two-time winner in Azerbaijan, edged out teammate and reigning champion Max Verstappen. Mercedes’ George Russell split the Red Bulls with a strong fifth-place finish.
Lewis Hamilton struggled to find pace during the session, particularly in getting his tires up to temperature, and will start in seventh position. Fernando Alonso placed eighth for Aston Martin, while Williams had a mixed result—rookie Franco Colapinto delivered a standout performance to take ninth, but teammate Alex Albon encountered a bizarre issue.
Albon’s session was hampered when his car was sent out for a final lap with an airbox fan still attached. He was forced to stop on track, detach the fan, and hand it to the marshals. The delay prevented him from completing another lap, with stewards now investigating the incident.
Further down the order, Ollie Bearman narrowly missed a place in Q3. The British rookie outpaced his Haas teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, but vented his frustration over the radio after missing the pole shootout by just a tenth. Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda finished 12th but was slapped with a fine for speeding in the pit lane, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took 13th.
It was a disappointing day for Lando Norris, who suffered a shock elimination in Q1. The McLaren driver will start from 17th after running wide over the kerbs and encountering a slow-moving Esteban Ocon in the final sector. Norris’ former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, placed 16th in the other Red Bull.
Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will line up in 18th and 19th, respectively, though Zhou is already facing a back-of-the-grid start due to earlier penalties. Ocon completed a tough session for Alpine, finishing 20th after his car faltered again in the closing moments of Q1.
With Leclerc on pole and several contenders down the order, Sunday’s race promises to deliver plenty of action on the streets of Baku.
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