George Russell clocked 1:42.526 on his final lap in Baku, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds. Carlos Sainz reached Q3 for the first time this season and will start ninth after Williams’ basic 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, calling the 0.837-second gap to Leclerc one of the largest between first and second in the session.
Russell also benefited from Kimi Antonelli’s early exit. The Mercedes driver crashed in Q1 and could not take part in Q2. Leclerc took second, Oscar Piastri finished third and Isack Hadjar completed the second row.
The crash opened a path for Sainz to reach the final qualifying segment. Williams made its move before the final runs: Sainz finished ninth, 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 secured Williams’ first place in the top-ten qualifying shootout this season.
The Madrid driver still had work to do. Williams brought its basic upgrade to Azerbaijan, with changes focused on the floor and aerodynamic downforce. The improvement was already visible in final practice, where Sainz set the 11th-fastest time, 1.6 seconds behind Max Verstappen and only 13 hundredths slower than Colapinto.
Antonelli’s crash altered the order, but Sainz still had to complete the lap and beat Colapinto. The Mercedes driver’s absence removed a car that would otherwise have contended for one of the remaining places.
Sainz will start ninth and Colapinto tenth, with the two Williams cars alongside 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 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, limiting the Spaniard’s running.
Aston Martin also changed half of the Honda power unit, triggering the 25-place penalty. His qualifying time could not alter his final grid position.
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.
Antonelli’s accident helped Sainz secure ninth, while Williams’ technical progress and Sainz’s execution also played a part.
