The Azerbaijan Grand Prix delivered a dramatic qualifying session as Mercedes driver George Russell secured pole position on the streets of Baku, continuing the strong pace he had shown throughout the weekend.
Russell had already dominated both Thursday practice sessions, finishing ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. In qualifying, however, the biggest surprise came when Antonelli crashed out in Q1, leaving Mercedes with only one driver fighting for pole.
Russell produced a spectacular final lap of 1:42.526 to finish ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who were separated by just 0.001 seconds.
Could Mercedes convert its qualifying pace into another victory?
The answer will come on Saturday, when Russell starts from the front and faces a demanding race on Baku’s narrow and fast street circuit.
With overtaking opportunities and long straights, the Azerbaijan GP could still produce major changes once the lights go out.
