Qualifying in Baku turned into a session of survival more than outright speed, as six red flags brought chaos and repeatedly reset the rhythm for the drivers. The combination of gusty winds, cool track temperatures, and unforgiving walls meant every flying lap felt like a gamble. Teams had to constantly adapt their strategies, with tyre warm-up proving tricky and timing the final runs becoming a lottery. The constant interruptions kept engineers and drivers on edge as they searched for the right window to set a clean lap.
Q1 delivered the first shocks of the day, with Liam Lawson stunning the field by going fastest despite multiple stoppages. Several big names were caught out early — Alex Albon clipped the wall and triggered a red flag, while Nico Hülkenberg limped back to the pits with floor damage that ended his session. Pierre Gasly spun under braking, narrowly avoiding contact with the barriers, and left Alpine with work to do overnight. The constant disruptions meant drivers had only one or two opportunities to put in a banker lap before the clock expired.
The drama escalated in Q3 as the fight for pole turned into a battle of attrition. Charles Leclerc crashed at Turn 15 before setting a competitive time, bringing out yet another red flag and leaving him at the back of the top 10. Oscar Piastri, who looked capable of challenging for the front row, overstepped the limit at Turn 3 and put his McLaren in the wall, ending his session with no lap on the board. These incidents reshuffled the order and left the door open for those who managed to keep it clean.
Max Verstappen seized the moment with a composed final lap, stopping the clock at 1:41.117 to claim pole position for Red Bull. Carlos Sainz delivered one of the standout performances of the day by putting his Williams on the front row, marking the team’s first front-row start in years. Liam Lawson kept up his earlier form and secured a sensational third on the grid for Racing Bulls, confirming his rising stock as one of the stars of the weekend.
Behind the top three, the grid was tightly packed. Mercedes locked out the next two spots with Kimi Antonelli in fourth and George Russell in fifth, while Yuki Tsunoda impressed with P6. Lando Norris could manage only seventh after his final attempt was compromised by yellow flags. The mixed-up grid sets the stage for a potentially explosive race day, with several title contenders—including Piastri and Leclerc—needing to carve through the field on Sunday to limit the damage to their championship hopes.
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