Max Verstappen takes 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole as Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc crash

Follow us on Google Discover

A dramatic qualifying session for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saw six red flag stoppages and a number of drivers under pressure to put in one perfect lap.

Max Verstappen took pole position after a difficult session, which saw drivers fighting their cars against the heavy winds around the Baku City Circuit. The Red Bull driver pipped Carlos Sainz for the lead after an intense Q3.

The drivers’ championship continues to intensify with McLaren falling short in Q3. Norris was only able to take P7, after leading the pack round the final flying laps of qualifying.

McLaren could take the constructors’ championship this weekend if they outscore Ferrari by nine points, but a shocking Q3 crash for Oscar Piastri adds pressure to the Woking-based team this weekend.

Read More: F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: how to watch Baku race, schedule and weather as McLaren could clinch championship

Three red flags cause Q3 pressure for Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix started wide open, with mixed results during all three practice sessions, showing that pole position could be taken by a number of the top teams.

Alex Albon caused the first Q3 red flag just six minutes into the session, after clipping the inside wall of Turn 1. It was a ‘silly error’ according to the Thai driver, who misjudged the corner, and broke the front left suspension of his Williams.

It was a shame for Albon, who had put in a strong performance during the weekend’s practice sessions, with a top 10 finish in all three runs.

Kimi Antonelli will need to report to the stewards at the end of the session, after failing to slow under double yellow flags. The young Italian was unlucky to have passed the Williams of Albon at the start of his flying lap before being told to slow down by his race engineer, Peter Bonnington.

The first red flag caused slight pressure on championship leader Oscar Piastri, who was caught out by the stoppage towards the end of his first flying lap. Piastri and Antonelli both had to abort their first fast laps due to the Albon accident.

Just five minutes later in the session, Nico Hulkenberg caused a second red flag after hitting the barriers at Turn 4. The Sauber saw heavy damage to its front wing, with Hulkenberg forced to reverse back over the debris, as he got himself back on track.

The second stoppage increased the mounting pressure on Antonelli, who still didn’t have a time on the board after losing his one attempt due to track limits. Ahead of the race resumption, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told the rookie: “Kimi you have tonnes of time, six and a half minutes, just need a clean lap.”

The double stoppage meant pressure mounted on drivers to get a quick time in, with only the opportunity to get one flying lap. It was a difficult run with the potential of another stoppage, which was seen right at the end of Q3, with both Alpines off the track at Turn 4.

Pierre Gasly found himself in the run-off area at the corner, with Franco Colapinto finding the wall on the exit of the same corner shortly afterwards.

Joining Albon, Gasly and Colapinto in the bottom five for Q3 were Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon. Both the Sauber and Haas drivers have been outqualified by their rookie teammates, with Gabriel Bortoleto now beating Hulkenberg at 10 qualifying sessions.

Charles Leclerc under pressure with tricky track conditions

Isack Hadjar got off to a difficult Q2 start, also falling victim to the Turn 4 run-off area just a minute into the session. The Racing Bulls driver was able to reverse his car back onto the track and continue with the session.

Oliver Bearman caused Q2’s only red flag after hitting the wall around Turn 2. The Brit lost the rear out of the corner, knocking into the concrete wall and breaking the right rear suspension on his Haas.

Charles Leclerc saw a massive snap of oversteer into Turn 1, sending him off into the run-off area during his first flying lap, which came to a quick end, with 10 minutes of the session remaining. Fortunately for the Ferrari driver, there was still plenty of time to get a flying lap together.

The Monegasque struggled with the windy conditions during the session, having his lap time deleted with four minutes left of the Q2 session. Leclerc is the qualifying expert around the Baku City Circuit, having taken pole position consecutively in the last four Azerbaijan Grands Prix.

A heavy shunt at Turn 2 almost saw Leclerc’s Q3 hopes shattered, but he was able to catch the Ferrari to pull himself out of the elimination zone with a minute remaining.

After a relatively quiet Q2 compared to Q3, both Aston Martins, Bortoleto and Lewis Hamilton found themselves out of qualifying.

Carlos Sainz takes provisional pole after Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri cause red flags

Lando Norris saw his first lap halted by George Russell, who went off track at Turn 4. Norris was closely behind the Mercedes and was forced to abort his first flying lap, ahead of the Q3 session’s first red flag.

Verstappen had just complained about the rainy conditions when Leclerc found himself in the barriers at Turn 15. The Ferrari driver had been flirting with the walls during the entire qualifying session, so it felt almost inevitable that Leclerc was going to crash with the rainy, treacherous conditions.

The red flag meant only three drivers had set a lap time, with Carlos Sainz in the Williams holding provisional pole position as the rain appeared to get heavier before the restart.

Oscar Piastri caused the session’s second red flag, with just 3 minutes and 40 seconds of Q3 remaining. Piastri has struggled with his McLaren during the earlier practice sessions and was unable to pull himself towards the top of the leaderboard until the final few minutes.

Drivers had just one shot at a qualifying lap for the final part of Q3, with five cars yet to set a time during the session.