Max Verstappen claimed a dramatic pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a record-breaking six red flags disrupted qualifying in Baku, denying Carlos Sainz what would have been a shock pole.
In a session full of drama and stoppages, Verstappen secured back-to-back poles with a 1m 41.117s lap in Q3, edging out Sainz by just under half a second as rain began to fall and grip levels dropped. The final red flag, caused by championship leader Oscar Piastri crashing at Turn 3, sealed the order and brought an end to one of the most chaotic qualifying sessions in recent memory.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had brought out the penultimate red flag after hitting the barrier at Turn 15 while already on a timed lap, with Sainz, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar having posted times in the early stages of Q3. As rain began to fall lightly, the session resumed with just minutes remaining.
While Lando Norris and Verstappen were on fast laps, Piastri’s crash halted the action again. With only a few minutes on the clock, conditions worsened, and no one could challenge Verstappen’s time once the session restarted.
Lawson improved to secure third on the grid, just ahead of Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Yuki Tsunoda claimed sixth for Red Bull, while Norris could only manage seventh after a scrappy final run, ahead of Hadjar, Piastri and Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton was a surprise elimination in Q2 after failing to put a strong lap together. He ended the session in P12, behind Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s Kick Sauber led Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, while Haas rookie Ollie Bearman crashed at Turn 2 without setting a time, bringing out the red flag and ending up 15th.
Franco Colapinto ended up 16th and was the final driver eliminated in Q1, having crashed at Turn 4. Nico Hulkenberg hit the same barrier earlier, causing another stoppage and finishing 17th.
Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon completed the order. Albon caused the first red flag of the session after hitting the wall at Turn 1 with 11 minutes still on the clock.
