Overview

• Max Verstappen secured pole, with Carlos Sainz starting second for Williams and Liam Lawson third for Racing Bulls.
• Qualifying stretched to about two hours with six red flags as gusts and brief rain caused multiple crashes and stoppages.
• Oscar Piastri crashed in Q3 and starts ninth, Lando Norris qualified seventh, and Charles Leclerc’s Q3 shunt ends his four‑year Baku pole streak as he starts tenth.
• Mercedes locked in Kimi Antonelli in fourth and George Russell in fifth, while Lewis Hamilton will start 12th; Antonelli is under investigation for a possible yellow‑flag infringement.
• Hours before qualifying, Formula 1 announced a multi‑year extension that keeps the Azerbaijan GP at the Baku City Circuit through 2030.