Championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Max Verstappen claimed pole in a chaotic session.
In an extraordinary qualifying which featured a record total of six red flags and lasted almost two hours, Verstappen clinched a sixth pole of the season by delivering a flawless lap at the end.
Piastri, who leads McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by 31 points with eight rounds remaining, smashed into the wall in the final stages of Q3 and will start lower than fourth for the first time this season.
That opened the door to Norris but he too clipped the wall on his final run, which was only good enough to put him seventh on the grid – two places above his team-mate. Williams’ Carlos Sainz capitalised on the chaos to qualify second, ahead of Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli.
There was bitter disappointment for Lewis Hamilton as he was knocked out in Q2, qualifying only 12th having looked in contention for pole for much of the weekend.
In another dismal session for the Scuderia, Charles Leclerc – who was bidding for a fifth successive pole in Baku – crashed in the final session to qualify only 10th.
Baku lived up to its moniker as the ‘City of Winds’ as 15mph gusts swept across the street circuit on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
That only added to the challenge of one of the most demanding, narrow, circuits on the calendar.
The first red flag came seven minutes in as Williams’ Alex Albon banged his left-front tyre against the wall at turn one.
Piastri had not yet completed a lap, putting the championship leader under pressure as the action resumed, and the Australian posted his only time just two seconds before a second red flag was waved as Nico Hulkenberg found the barriers.
Q1 ended with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in the wall, triggering a third red flag.
When Q2 got under way, the action was soon halted again as Oliver Bearman clipped the wall and his Haas ground to a halt. “Sorry guys, so stupid,” the British driver said.
Ferrari started the second session in error-strewn fashion and both drivers were under pressure as the time ticked down.
While Leclerc was able to string together a lap to see him safely through, Hamilton – fastest in Friday practice – could not deliver and was almost four tenths adrift of making it into Q3.
Verstappen led the way in Q2 as only two tenths separated the top five and light rain added to the drama as the battle for pole commenced.
George Russell ran straight on at turn four before Leclerc brought out the fifth red flag as he smashed nose-first into the wall at turn 15.
Sainz had set the leading time before Leclerc’s crash and the rain became heavier during the delay.
“You can start dancing to see if it rains a bit harder, no?” the Spaniard said on the radio.
The rain cleared and Verstappen and Norris were on course to better Sainz’s time but were thwarted by the sixth red flag as Piastri smashed heavily into the barriers at turn three.
The Australian walked away from the crash but his title hopes had taken a major hit.
But Norris could not cash in and both McLarens will have work to do on Sunday.
McLaren can clinch the constructors’ championship on Sunday with a record seven races to spare. The Woking-based team will guarantee the title with a one-two finish.
The race in Baku will remain on the calendar until 2030, with F1 bosses announcing a four-year extension ahead of qualifying.
