Max Verstappen Claims Pole in Chaotic Azerbaijan Qualifying

Max Verstappen took the pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a chaotic qualifying session that was slowed by six red flags. Carlos Sainz will start second, followed by Liam Lawson. Kimi Antonelli and George Russell complete the top five starters.

Following an early crash from Charles Leclerc, Sainz was the man on top and, for a moment, dreamed of pole position. Rain, Oscar Piastri’s following crash, and little time on the clock by the end certainly fueled the dream, but the flying Dutchman does not give up.

The qualifying session matched the Brazil 2024 record for the most red flags in one of the most intense sessions of the season.

Four-time consecutive pole sitter, Leclerc, showed strong pace in Azerbaijan, but the streets of Baku were unforgiving, and he was the protagonist of the fourth red flag of the session.

If you enjoyed the show, you will be happy to hear that a four-year extension was officially confirmed for the Baku Circuit, and Formula 1 is set to race there at least until 2030.

Q3

It was the last session of the Baku ordeal, but goodness, if you thought the chaos was left behind, you were in for a show. In the first two minutes of the session, multiple drivers reported rain was pouring down as Sainz was on provisional pole, with almost all drivers yet to clock any fast laps.

But luck be a rainy day, Sainz started dreaming of a pole position as he saw the red flags waving again. Leclerc, after winning four consecutive pole positions in a row since 2021, lost the car and went head-on into the wall in turn 15; the front of his SF-25 was absolutely ruined.

As all the cars returned to the pits, Sainz didn’t dare blink in case it stopped raining. His hopes, however, were short-lived. The clouds passed through, and with just 7:07 left in the session, all drivers were desperate to go out.

All drivers ran their warm laps, and with less than four minutes left, the game was on for Baku’s pole position. Piastri flew through the streets of Baku with full purple sectors but lost his MCL39 and had the biggest crash of the day. He went straight into the wall at full speed in turn 3, and the fifth red flag of the day started waving again.

So far, only three drivers had put up times in the session, with Hadjar in third, Lawson second, and Sainz first.

After the red flag, there was 3:41 left on the clock, just enough for one fast lap.

With Sainz still on the provisional pole, Verstappen blistered through the streets of Baku, and with one purple sector after the other, the reigning champion crossed the line in Pole position with a stunning 1:41:117.

Yuki Tsunoda qualified a solid 6th, with Lando Norris behind in 7th and Isaack Hadjar in 8th. Piastri and Leclerc start ninth and 10th, respectively, with no time set following their spectacular shunts on the track.

Q2

Qualifying resumes in Azerbaijan, but the streets of Baku remained unforgiving. Shy of one minute into the session, the red flags were waving again.

Oliver Bearman clipped his rear right after a short slide in turn 2 and came to a halt in the middle of the following straight, most likely with his rear suspension totaled.

The cars went back on track with a new green flag, and all drivers seemed to agree on keeping it tidy for the rest of the session.

The unspoken agreement seemed to work, and the remainder of the session carried on without any flags. Aston Martin lost its two cars in Q2, with Fernando Alonso out on 11th and Lance Stroll out on 14th.

Lewis Hamilton had to surrender his last lap because he had no battery remaining and was out on 12th, with rookie Gabriel Bortoletto following behind in 13th. Oliver

Q1

In the first qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, we could already tell why Leclerc is king in the streets of Baku. The Monegasque has claimed four straight pole positions on this track, and was already nailing full purple sectors just before the red flag.

Alex Albon clipped his front left wheel at turn 1 and collapsed his front suspension, being forced to retire with 11:33 remaining on the clock.

The green flag was back, but didn’t last long. With 6:36 left on the session, Nico Hulkenberg couldn’t make turn 4 and went straight to the wall, putting up more red flags. Thankfully, he wasn’t going fast, so he just lost his front wing.

After clearing the debris, Hulkenberg went to the shop for a new front wing, and the track was cleared for racing. Everyone rushed back in, as many drivers were unable to set good times amid the chaos.

But the chaos was not over yet. During the last lap, both Alpines wanted a new red flag at turn 4, too. Pierre Gasly went long and out on the exit as he couldn’t turn, while Franco Colapinto was behind him on full throttle, also missed the turn and went hard sideways against the wall.

When all the smoke was cleared, those responsible for the chaotic session were out as well.

The F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will begin on Sunday, Sep. 21, at 9:00 a.m. ET. Television coverage in the United States will be provided by ESPN.

Maximo Brignardello

F1 Newswriter | maximobrignar@gmail.com | Website