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Chaos in Baku. Six red flags. And then Max Verstappen banged his Red Bull on pole, which is an act filed under ‘G’ for genius.
In the wet, his car stuck to the road like glue during a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix that lasted two hours – and which Lando Norris flunked.
Norris should have been up at the front of the grid, but instead Williams’ Carlos Sainz starts second and Racing Bulls’ Carlos Sainz third. Don’t adjust your glasses. The Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell come next.
Norris’s chance came as Piastri thudded into the wall at Turn Three during the closing stages of the pole shootout.
Rain intensified at this stage, having been no more than spots before.
Sainz joked he wanted a rain dance, for his name led all the rest at this stage, pre-Max’s unfurling of splendour. Norris could not improve his time, so will start eighth, only a place above Piastri, who leads Norris by 31 points with eight races including Sunday’s remaining.
Max Verstappen drove a sensational lap to secure pole position in Baku after a chaotic session
Championship leader Oscar Piastri will start ninth after hitting the wall at turn three
Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari into a wall at turn 15 and will start the Grand Prix from 10th
More comic turns from Ferrari, though you could hardly laugh. This is a peak show.
Charles Leclerc went straight on at Turn 15 during one of his over-exuberant charges for pole. He had gone purple on the timing screens. Next thing, he was in the barrier. Red faces at the scarlet team.
The Monegasque is so quick – he landed pole here in Baku in each of the last four years – and a natural on city circuits. But is prone to end up with his car needing surgical repairs.
And another awful day for Lewis Hamilton, eliminated in Q2. Not only knocked out, but blitzkrieged. He qualified 12th but was four-tenths off progressing. Worse, he was seven-tenths behind his Leclerc at the point of his departure.
Hamilton’s implosion is getting hard to watch. He is doing himself reputational damage every weekend.
No wonder his trudge back to the garage was despondently slow. Is this the stuff of £60million-a-year salaries?
A silly mistake ended Alex Albon’s participation early on. He brushed the wall turning into the first corner, bringing out a red flag in Q1. It was a shame for the London-born Thai because he promised much in his Williams during practice – and see what Sainz did. He instead starts today’s 51-lap race from the back.
It was one of several early delays, the second coming when Nico Hulkenberg lost control of his Sauber, again a scratch rather than a hefty bang on the testing Baku City Circuit, where the race will stay after signing a new deal announced on Saturday to take the country’s involvement up to 2030.
Lando Norris tried to take advantage and boost his title chances but could only qualify seventh
Flavio Briatore, who first brokered the race coming here for a pile of Azerbaijani Manats, is now running Alpine. He had the hurt of seeing both his men exit in Q2, Pierre Gasly out and Franco Colapinto’s Alpine responsible for the third of the Q1 prangs. The next section of qualifying was delayed as a barrier was mended.
You could have played the first half of the Merseyside derby by the time the lights went green again.
When Q2 struck up, another red flag – the fourth – as Ollie Bearman tickled the wall on the exit of Turn Three. ‘Sorry, guys,’ the Englishman told the Haas pit wall. ‘Stupid.’ Yes, he can be prone to giddy turns. But, more importantly, he is fast and just 20 years old.
But he is no Verstappen yet. Who is?
