George Russell stormed to pole position in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying on Friday, lapping the Baku City Circuit in 1:42.526 to finish a huge 0.837 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. It was a day of contrasts for Mercedes: while Russell produced one of the most dominant qualifying laps of the season, his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed out in Q1 and will start 16th.
The session came a day earlier than usual because the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix moved to a Saturday race, with the grand prix starting at 3pm local time (7am ET) on Saturday, September 26.
Russell’s Baku pole lap
Russell’s margin over Leclerc was the story of the session. Nobody else got within eight tenths of the Mercedes, and the Briton said afterwards that it had been a while since his last pole, that it felt good and that the lap had felt “really sweet”, adding that the car had been feeling great all weekend.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third, ahead of Isack Hadjar, who put his Red Bull fourth on his return from a wrist injury. Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren and Lewis Hamilton sixth for Ferrari.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying: top 10
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:42.526
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
Verstappen will line up only eighth after having to back off for yellow flags when Norris went off the track, while Alpine got both cars into the top 10 with Gasly seventh and Colapinto tenth.
Antonelli’s Q1 crash and the other eliminations
Antonelli’s afternoon ended early when he clipped the inside wall at Turn 1 in the opening part of qualifying. The impact caused terminal suspension damage, he was told over the radio to park the car, and he could not set another lap, leaving the championship leader 16th on the grid.
Also out in Q1 were Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll. Q2 accounted for Ollie Bearman, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon and Arvid Lindblad.
What it means for the race
Baku’s long main straight usually offers overtaking chances, so Antonelli has a route forward, but starting in the midfield on a street circuit where safety cars are common leaves him exposed while his team-mate starts from the front. Lights out for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is at 7am ET (12pm BST) on Saturday, September 26.
