It was a crazy qualifying session replete with multiple red flags and redemption for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Leclerc crashed on the final run in Q3 at Monaco but it was his first run in Q3 in Baku that saw him secure pole position as the final runs were spoiled by Yuki Tsunoda’s crash. A total of four red flags during qualifying on Saturday made for a crazy and hectic session.
A herculean effort by Mercedes to methodically work on their car to get Lewis Hamilton up to second on the grid followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Ultimately Baku is ripe with overtakes and both Red Bull and Mercedes may have better tire wear on long runs so Ferrari will have a lot of work to do on Sunday.
Lando Norris secured a grid penalty for a red flag infraction moving him down into 9th for the start of the race.
Qualifying Result:
| Pos | Name | Car | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m42.241s | 1m41.659s | 1m41.218s |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m41.545s | 1m41.634s | 1m41.45s |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1m41.76s | 1m41.625s | 1m41.563s |
| 4 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1m42.288s | 1m41.932s | 1m41.565s |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1m42.121s | 1m41.74s | 1m41.576s |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m42.167s | 1m41.813s | 1m41.747s |
| 7 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull-Honda | 1m41.968s | 1m41.63s | 1m41.917s |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1m42.521s | 1m41.654s | 1m42.211s |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1m42.934s | 1m42.195s | 1m42.327s |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m42.701s | 1m42.106s | 1m42.659s |
| 11 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1m42.46s | 1m42.224s | |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1m42.426s | 1m42.273s | |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1m42.304s | 1m42.558s | |
| 14 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1m42.923s | 1m42.587s | |
| 15 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1m42.728s | 1m42.758s | |
| 16 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1m43.128s | ||
| 17 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1m44.158s | ||
| 18 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas-Ferrari | 1m44.238s | ||
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | |||
| 20 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari |
