Azerbaijan GP: Max Verstappen on pole from Carlos Sainz after six crashes in thrilling Baku Qualifying | F1 News

Max Verstappen took pole position in a thrilling Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which featured a record six red flags after several crashes, including a shunt for championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen snatched pole from Williams’ Carlos Sainz with his last flying lap following two red flags in Q3 alone for crashes from Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Piastri will start ninth but his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris was unable to fully capitalise as he could only qualify seventh with a scruffy lap where he glanced the wall.

It means the McLaren duo, who are split by 31 points in the Drivers’ Championship, will need to come through the field in what’s set up to be a spectacular 51 laps around Baku on Sunday when the lights go out at 12pm (build-up from 10.30am), live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event.

Liam Lawson qualified a career-best third for Racing Bulls and Kimi Antonelli in fourth, ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Yuki Tsunoda enjoyed his best qualifying as a Red Bull driver in sixth, with Isack Hadjar in eighth, splitting title protagonists Norris and Piastri.

Ferrari showed plenty of promise on Friday but Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 in 12th and Leclerc crashed early in Q3, so will start 10th.

Hamilton, who is yet to finish on the podium this year, thought he would be in contention for pole but both Ferrari drivers struggled in the windy conditions.

Williams’ Alex Albon caused the first red flag of a qualifying that lasted two hours when he hit the wall at Turn 1, then Nico Hulkenberg damaged his Sauber and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashed out in Q1 too, before Haas’ Oliver Bearman slapped the barriers at Turn 2 in Q2.

How Norris missed opportunity and Verstappen delivered

Qualifying in Baku is always exciting given the close proximity of the walls and a track which rewards bravery. There had already been four red flags prior to Q3 and the surprise of Hamilton’s fifth failure to reach the last part of Qualifying showed how difficult it was to get the tyres in the right window in tricky conditions.

On the first runs, Russell went down the escape road at Turn 4 and caused yellow flags which compromised Norris, forcing him to abort his lap.

Then, Leclerc crashed at Turn 15 so only three drivers were able to set a lap time – Sainz, Lawson and Hadjar – in that order.

Light rain started to fall while the marshals cleared Leclerc’s car, which would have given Sainz pole, but the track remained dry enough when the drivers came back out for their second Q3 laps.

Verstappen was slightly down on Sainz’s pole time after the middle sector and Norris setting a purple first sector, when Piastri dramatically crashed his McLaren at Turn 3 which caused a record-breaking sixth red flag of qualifying and denied anyone from setting a lap.

“I think I just braked a little bit late. Disappointing obviously, I felt like the car was in a good place, but a disappointing way to end,” Piastri told Sky Sports F1.

There were still three minutes on the clock to allow the drivers to have a final attempt but the pressure was all on Norris to take advantage of his team-mate’s accident.

The British driver was visibly fighting his McLaren though throughout the lap, losing nine tenths to what would be Verstappen’s pole lap in the middle sector alone, while glancing the barriers at Turn 15.

Even without that touch, Norris likely still would not have challenged the front two rows as he settled for seventh. Meanwhile, Verstappen delivered a stunning lap and showed why he’s a four-time world champion with a brilliant lap to take pole from Sainz by nearly half a second.

“Long qualifying with so many red flags, so it was very difficult to get your lap together because most of the time your tyres were not really ready, or a red flag happened,” said Verstappen, who is 94 points behind championship leader Piastri.

“Especially Q3, with also a bit of rain around, it was a very difficult session. In the final lap, you just have to send it. I wasn’t even on the best tyres that I wanted, because of all the red flags you basically run out of tyres.”

With Hadjar expected to become Verstappen’s new Red Bull team-mate in 2026 and Formula 2 driver Arvid Lindblad in line to join Racing Bulls, Tsunoda and Lawson are fighting for potentially the last seat in the Red Bull stable.

Even though Tsunoda qualified sixth, Lawson’s third place will catch the eye of Helmut Marko, particularly if he can finish in the top five on Sunday.

“Honestly, I can’t even remember what happened, it was so busy. I said it would be, but I didn’t expect it to be like that.

“The car’s been good all weekend, and when it needed to be in qualy it was good, so a massive thanks to the guys and girls, the team’s been amazing this weekend so far, but obviously tomorrow is the important day.”

Sainz was the other star of qualifying after a challenging campaign with Williams this year, having not scored points since the Canadian Grand Prix in June and is 18th in the Drivers’ Championship.

The former Ferrari driver showed his class by joining Verstappen on the front row and is targeting the podium.

“Very happy. Honestly, we have nailed the qualifying today. Every time being on the right tyre on the right time and putting together some very strong laps,” he said.

“Obviously the moment a top car was going to put a lap together we were always going to be those four-five tenths behind like we are always, but it was only one of them – Max, not surprised.”

Sky Sports F1’s Azerbaijan GP schedule

Sunday September 21
7.55am: F2 Feature Race
10.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up*
12pm: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX*
2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction
3pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is in Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with lights out on Sunday at 12pm and build-up from 10.30am, live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime