Qualifying in Baku: POLE for Charles Leclerc, Norris OUT in Q1, SUPER Colapinto

by Letizia Ganci

Tight battle among the four top teams this season: Charles Leclerc emerged victorious in the Baku qualifying session, ahead of Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz. Plot twist as Lando Norris will start from P17.

At the end of the Formula 2 Sprint Race with our Gabriele Minì on the podium, it was time for the Formula 1 qualifying session at the Baku circuit. Charles Leclerc has been the pole man for the last three editions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. One hour to find answers to the questions left by the free practice sessions, where the certainty was that McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari were the favorites for pole position.

The two Williams drivers also made headlines with impressive performances throughout the weekend; it had been seven years since the Grove team last reached Q3 in Baku qualifying. Charles Leclerc will start from pole position once again in Baku, followed by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz. Rounding out the top 10 are: Sergio Perez, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Franco Colapinto, and Alexander Albon.

Franco Colapinto reaches Q3 for the first time in his career.

The report on the Baku qualifying session

Q1 begins — The two Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen quickly take the lead, setting the first and third fastest times respectively with 1:43.436 and 1:43.644. Between them, the SF-24 of Charles Leclerc, with a gap of +0.159 seconds. Behind this trio are the MCL38s of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Carlos Sainz, after setting his final lap time, stages a comeback and manages to secure the second-fastest time, ahead of his teammate.

With ten minutes remaining in Q1, Mercedes heads out on soft tires to improve on the 13th position of Lewis Hamilton and the 15th of George Russell. Russell manages to set an excellent time, securing P2 behind Charles Leclerc. A scare for rookie Franco Colapinto this season as he brushes the wall with his Williams, but despite this, he advances to Q2. Carlos Sainz also runs wide in Turn 2.

More trouble for Ocon’s car, which brings out the yellow flag at the end of the first part of qualifying. The first driver eliminated was Daniel Ricciardo, followed by Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, and Zhou Guanyu, who all failed to advance to Q2. Oliver Bearman finished with the fourteenth-fastest time.

Baku Qualifying: Shock elimination of Lando Norris from Q2.
Baku Qualifying: Shock elimination of Lando Norris from Q2.

Green light for Q2 — The first reference time was set by Carlos Sainz with a 1:43.225, before being surpassed by George Russell and Oscar Piastri. Piastri set the fastest time, +0.627 seconds ahead of Sainz’s SF-25, number 55. Oliver Bearman soars into the mix, placing himself between the Mercedes of Russell and the Ferrari of Sainz. However, the Red Bulls aren’t backing down, as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez continue to dominate the top of the timesheets, with Verstappen leading Perez. With five minutes remaining, all the drivers return to the pits except for the two Ferraris who want to improve. Leclerc manages to place himself between the RB20s, while Sainz positions himself behind Perez.

Just before the end of Q2, the drivers head back out onto the track to try for a better time, also taking into account the risk of possible yellow flags. George Russell manages to set the fourth fastest time. Franco Colapinto records the sixth fastest time with a 1:42.473, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and his teammate, who is in tenth position. Oliver Bearman, Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg, and Lance Stroll do not advance to Q3.

The clock starts for Q3, the moment of truth. George Russell is the first to attempt to secure pole position, setting the fastest time in the first sector and finishing with a 1:41.962. However, Oscar Piastri is quicker than car number 63. Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc do the same, with Leclerc setting a provisional pole position with a time of 1:41.610. Incredible oversteer from Max Verstappen, who manages to avoid hitting the wall. Meanwhile, with five minutes remaining, the two Mercedes cars, along with the rest of the drivers, head back to the pits. Disaster for Alexander Albon; the mechanics forgot the airbox fan on his car, and the Thai driver will be investigated for an unsafe release.

Foto: Formula 1, Williams Racing, Scuderia Ferrari HP.

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