In a tightly contested qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari claimed pole position after outpacing two Red Bull rivals in Baku. Carlos Sainz, also driving for Ferrari, secured fourth, while Fernando Alonso of Alpine lined up tenth on the grid. The session underlined Leclerc’s ongoing form this season, marking his sixth front-row start and his fourth in a row on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital.
Leclerc clocked a best lap of 1:41.359, leaving Max Verstappen of Red Bull in pursuit, just a few tenths behind. Verstappen, coming off a strong season, set the benchmark in the early stages with a 1:42.722 as the track evolved and the field found grip. The first runs carried no shortage of drama as Ferrari and Red Bull showed pace, with Sergio Pérez and the competition from the Mercedes and McLaren camps still lurking behind the top times.
During the weekend practice, Leclerc had been a constant presence near the front of the field, and that trend carried into qualifying as he put together a clean, fast lap that put him just ahead of the rest of the field. Pérez began the race from second on the grid, with Verstappen continuing to push for position two on the grid and Snai n z settling into fourth after a tense end to Q3. Alpine’s Alonso, who has shown flashes of speed this season, will start from the tenth row, a position that will require a bold strategy to climb through the field on race day.
Qualifying began with a slight delay due to the earlier free practice session, but the pace quickly picked up around the streets of Baku. Verstappen set the ceremonial early pace, while Ferrari immediately showed their intentions with both Leclerc and Sainz pushing hard to secure prime positions. An incident early in the session brought out a red flag, briefly interrupting the action and giving teams a moment to reassess tire strategy for the decisive laps.
As the seconds ticked away in Q3, Sainz surged to the top of the order with an audacious 1:42.088 on the soft compound over nine laps, only to be edged by Leclerc on the second run. Leclerc’s improved lap time of 1:41.359 remained unbeaten, securing him pole position and the honor of being the first driver to protect the pole in Baku on consecutive attempts this season. The margin between Leclerc and the rest of the grid remained razor-thin, underscoring the precision required to excel on this demanding circuit.
Behind them, Pérez captured second on the grid, while Verstappen lined up alongside Sainz in a tightly packed top four. The rest of the top ten featured a mix of veterans and rising talents, including George Russell, Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Sebastian Vettel, and Alonso, who completed the set of ten cars advancing to Q3. The session highlighted the balance of performance across teams and the ongoing chase to maximize qualifying pace ahead of a race that is often won and lost in the opening laps around the tight, twisty street course in Azerbaijan.