George Russell took pole in Baku, while Carlos Sainz reached Q3 for the first time this season. Fernando Alonso will start last after a 25-place penalty.
George Russell's final lap stopped the clock at 1:42.526 in Baku. He beat Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds. Carlos Sainz reached Q3 for the first time this season and will start ninth after Williams' main upgrade delivered a clear step forward in qualifying.
Fernando Alonso's qualifying result did not change his grid position. A 25-place penalty already guarantees that the Aston Martin driver will start last. The Race described Russell's result as more than a narrow qualifying win. The gap to the rest of the field was substantial.
That was the opening.
Russell also benefited from Kimi Antonelli's early exit. The Mercedes driver crashed in Q1 and could not take part in Q2. Charles Leclerc took second, Oscar Piastri finished third and Isack Hadjar completed the second row.
The crash changed the fight. It opened a route for Sainz to reach the final qualifying segment. Motorsport.com reported that Russell's advantage over Leclerc reached 0.837 seconds.
Джордж Расселл проехал решающий круг за 1:42.526 и опередил Шарля Леклера на 0.837 секунды — один из самых крупных разрывов между первым и вторым местом в этой квалификации.
Williams made its move before the final runs. Sainz finished ninth and stayed ahead of Franco Colapinto, both Haas cars, the RB drivers and teammate Alexander Albon.
Bearman, Lawson, Albon, Ocon, Lindblad and Antonelli were eliminated before Q3. Sainz then secured Williams' first place in the top-ten qualifying shootout this season.
The Madrid driver still had work to do. Williams brought its main upgrade to Azerbaijan, with changes focused on the floor and aerodynamic downforce. The gain had already shown up in final practice.
Sainz set the 11th-fastest time there. He was 1.6 seconds behind Max Verstappen and only 13 hundredths slower than Colapinto.
The reason was simple.
Antonelli's crash altered the order, but Sainz still had to complete the lap and beat Colapinto. The Mercedes driver's absence removed one car that would otherwise have fought for the remaining places.
The result puts Sainz ninth and Colapinto tenth. The two Williams cars will start next to each other on the grid. Motorsport.com reported that the Baku upgrade centered on the floor and aerodynamic downforce. The effect was already visible in final practice, and Sainz turned that progress into the team's first top-ten qualifying result of the season.
Williams’ Baku upgrade concentrated on the floor and aerodynamic downforce. The effect was already visible in final practice, and Carlos Sainz converted that progress into the team’s first top-ten qualifying result of the season.
Alonso's weekend had already taken a hit before qualifying. An oil leak stopped the Aston Martin during the second free-practice session. The Spaniard completed only limited running.
Aston Martin also changed half of the Honda power unit. That triggered the 25-place penalty. His qualifying time could not alter the final grid position.
The penalty settled that.
Alonso used the session mainly to complete laps on soft tyres. The Aston Martin did not appear to have the pace for a strong starting position. His race will begin last on Saturday at 13:00.
Baku is running on an unusual timetable. Formula 1 began on Thursday, with qualifying held on Friday. Azerbaijan's national holiday falls on Sunday 27 September, so the race follows on Saturday.
Russell received the clearest reward. Sainz gained a real chance to race from the front half of the grid. His ninth place was helped by Antonelli's accident, but Williams' technical progress and Sainz's execution also mattered.
Alonso's penalty made his qualifying result largely irrelevant. Mercedes took pole. Williams gained an opportunity. Aston Martin lost the value of the session before the race began.
