Azerbaijan - Qualifying

The very first qualifying session provided the excitement that many fans have come to expect from the tight circuit on the streets of Baku. It started after a few minutes' delay and saw Isack Hadjar set the quickest early time out of all competitors. All drivers, save for Alex Albon, who went off track during his attempt, added times to the leaderboard and began their attempts at improving around the ever-evolving circuit when tragedy struck the Championship Leader, Kimi Antonelli. 

As he began his second timed lap, he hit the wall by the very first turn, puncturing his left front tire and significantly damaging his suspension. Although he begged his team to let him get the car to the pits in hopes of fixing it before Q2, he was informed that the damage was too severe. He had to thus retire from the session and watch his name tumble down the standings. In the meantime, the backmarkers did everything they could to try and secure a spot in the top 16. A few of them saw their attempts interrupted by brief yellow flags brought out by the two Aston Martins going off track. In the end, Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, and Lance Stroll made up the elimination zone. 

Q2, which began with an immediate yellow flag after Arvid Lindblad drove off track, provided a glimpse into the fight for pole that seemed to be brewing among the top competitors. Although at first it seemed that George Russell had an advantage that could not be made up, as time passed, the other drivers caught up to him. He still finished the session on top, but the differences were small, and with how hungry drivers like Charles Leclerc or Max Verstappen were for the pole, it became clear that there would be a tight battle going into Q3. On the other end of the leaderboards, Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, and Lindblad finished their day before the last session. The last spot of the elimination zone was occupied by Antonelli, who could not appear on track. 

The two McLaren drivers surprised everyone when they moved into an early Q3 lead, with Oscar Piastri taking the provisional pole and Lando Norris following close behind. Still, their happiness was short-lived as Russell quickly returned to the top. He went on to improve his time on his third timed attempt, securing the position and ensuring that no one could even come close. Charles Leclerc, always on form around the streets of Baku, did everything he could to catch up to him, but his efforts were only good enough for second position. 

After the qualifying hour ended, two grid penalties changed the order of the grid. Carlos Sainz fell five places down for having failed to slow down during one of the yellow flags, and Sergio Perez was sent back three places for driving at a reduced speed on the racing line and, as a consequence, impeding Oscar Piastri. The only thing that saved the latter from starting last was that the two Aston Martins were already pushed back due to exchanging multiple parts of their engines.

Order of the grid:

1. George Russell

2. Charles Leclerc

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Isack Hadjar

5. Lando Norris

6. Lewis Hamilton

7. Pierre Gasly

8. Max Verstappen

9. Franco Colapinto

10. Oliver Bearman

11. Liam Lawson

12. Alex Albon

13. Esteban Ocon

14. Carlos Sainz

15. Arvid Lindblad

16. Kimi Antonelli

17. Gabriel Bortoleto

18. Nico Hulkenberg

19. Valtteri Bottas

20. Sergio Perez

21. Fernando Alonso

22. Lance Stroll