Qualifying Report - Leclerc claims fourth consecutive Baku pole, Norris stumbles

Charles Leclerc
© Ferrari

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc delivered a dominant performance to secure his fourth consecutive pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, fending off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by three-tenths of a second. Leclerc’s pace was unmatched in Baku, as both of his Q3 laps would have been good enough for pole, further solidifying his prowess at this street circuit.

Leclerc’s consistency in Baku stands out, especially as Ferrari seeks to bounce back from a season filled with struggles. The Monegasque driver’s pole streak at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix gives Ferrari a glimmer of hope as they look to challenge for victory in Sunday’s race. Behind him, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri put in a stellar qualifying performance to secure second place, his best starting position of the season, holding off the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who will start third.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez showed strong form once again on the streets of Baku, outqualifying teammate Max Verstappen for the first time this season. Perez will line up fourth on the grid, with Mercedes’ George Russell impressively splitting the two Red Bulls to claim fifth. Verstappen, the championship leader, struggled to find the pace needed to compete for pole and will start from sixth.

In a qualifying session filled with drama, one of the biggest surprises came from rookie Franco Colapinto, driving for Williams in only his second Formula 1 outing. Colapinto reached Q3 and delivered a sensational lap to outqualify his more experienced teammate Alexander Albon, securing ninth on the grid. Albon, meanwhile, faced a bizarre incident during his final Q3 run when the airbox fan was left attached to his car. Albon managed to remove it himself and set a lap, but his efforts were only good enough for tenth place.

Lewis Hamilton could not quite match the pace of the frontrunners, qualifying seventh with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso securing eighth, while rookie Colapinto continues to build his reputation with an impressive performance for Williams.

One of the most notable disappointments of the day was McLaren’s Lando Norris, who failed to make it out of Q1 after a costly mistake on his final flying lap. Norris, who is chasing championship leader Max Verstappen and attempting to close a 62-point gap, misjudged the Turn 16 kerbs, sliding wide and then aborting his lap when a yellow flag due to Esteban Ocon’s stricken Alpine was displayed. Norris was forced to pit, leaving his best time only good enough for 17th on the grid. This result puts Norris in a tough position for the race, where he will need to mount a significant recovery to salvage his weekend.

Ocon, who had already endured a difficult weekend with mechanical issues in both practice sessions, will start last after touching the wall during his final Q1 run. Meanwhile, Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu also had disappointing sessions, qualifying 18th and 19th, respectively.

As Leclerc prepares to lead the field from pole, all eyes will be on Norris, who faces a crucial comeback race if he hopes to maintain his championship challenge.