Max Verstappen braved rain and relentless drama to claim F1 Azerbaijan GP pole position ahead of Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson, as chaotic Baku qualifying set new Formula 1 record for red flags.
The Dutchman’s pole was his sixth of the season and his first at this particular track, demonstrating exceptional skill and composure amidst the extreme challenges presented by the weather and street circuit conditions.
The qualifying unfolded under increasingly unstable weather conditions with rain drops beginning to fall as the session progressed, making the already narrow and unforgiving Baku streets even more treacherous.
This compounded the complexity for the drivers contending for good grid positions, resulting to a total of eight spectacular crashes and six red flags involving some big names such as McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, which dramatically shaped the final grid order.
Albon, Hulkenberg, Colapinto among the first to suffer Baku qualifying crashes
The first red flag was triggered just four minutes into Q1 by Alex Albon who hit the inside wall at Turn 1, damaging his Williams front suspension which forced his early elimination.
Albon started the Azerbaijan weekend strongly with top 10 practice times but was unable to carry this momentum through qualifying due to the costly mistake.
Subsequent red flags in Q1 included incidents from Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg who locked up at Turn 4 and damaged his front wing, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto suffered a heavy crash at the same spot moments after Pierre Gasly’s near miss.
Moving into Q2, the session faced further disruption when Oliver Bearman clipped a wall and broke the right-rear suspension of his Haas, triggering the fourth red flag.
The stoppage interrupted drivers’ attempts to improve their times in tricky conditions, highlighting the difficulty of balancing aggression and precision on the demanding street circuit.
Notably, Lewis Hamilton, who had posted the fastest time in Friday practice, struggled to replicate the pace in qualifying and ended up getting eliminated in 12th.
Joining him were Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Bearman, as Yuki Tsunoda made it into Q3.
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Leclerc and Piastri crash as Verstappen claims F1 Azerbaijan GP pole
The final Baku qualifying segment, Q3, was a test of nerves and skill against the backdrop of worsening weather which claimed Charles Leclerc who crashed nose-first into the barriers at Turn 15 with seven minutes remaining.
Leclerc’s crash triggered the fifth red flag, preventing any other drivers from improving their times as Carlos Sainz sat impressively on provisional pole ahead of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.
Shortly after the session resumed, championship leader Oscar Piastri lost control at Turn 3 and crashed his McLaren heavily into the barrier, prompting the sixth and final red flag of the session.
Piastri’s error was uncharacteristic, coming after a generally strong qualifying campaign and it dropped him to a ninth-place start, leaving him with a challenging race ahead.
Title rival Lando Norris was unable to capitalize on his teammate’s misfortune, managing only a scrappy seventh place despite showing competitive sector times prior to the red flag stoppage.
When the session finally resumed with just over three minutes remaining, the rain had intensified, making the track slippery and very difficult to find grip.
Nevertheless, Max Verstappen ultimately delivered an impeccable lap of 1m41.117s, snatching pole position from Carlos Sainz by nearly half a second.
Meanwhile, Liam Lawson secured third place, marking an exceptional qualifying result for Racing Bulls.
Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell followed in fourth and fifth position, respectively, but Antonelli’s lap came under scrutiny due to a potential overtaking infringement during yellow flags.
READ MORE: Full 2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying Results
