George Russell took pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday, putting his Mercedes at the front of the grid for Saturday’s race in Baku. Max Verstappen, quickest in the final practice session, qualified eighth.
Russell’s final lap of 1 minute 42.526 seconds was 0.837 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc’s best effort in the Ferrari. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third, just 0.001 seconds behind Leclerc. Isack Hadjar will start fourth for Red Bull, with Lando Norris fifth for McLaren, according to the official qualifying results.
Verstappen’s afternoon was a sharp reversal from the morning, when he led the third and final practice session. The four-time champion said he lacked speed in qualifying and that his battery had not charged fully before his last attempt. His Red Bull teammate Hadjar outqualified him by four places.
Mercedes had mixed fortunes. While Russell secured pole, Kimi Antonelli was eliminated in the first part of qualifying and placed 16th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll hit a barrier in practice and later qualified 21st.
Formula 2 provided two races on Friday. Dino Beganovic won the morning sprint. Alexander Dunne took victory in the first feature race, which was halted by a red flag after a multiple-car collision. Martinius Stenshorne finished second and Beganovic third, according to the series results.
Saturday’s Formula 1 race starts at 3 p.m. Baku time. Russell has the best starting position, but Leclerc is alongside him on the front row and Verstappen faces a recovery drive through the field.