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Charles Leclerc has secured the pole position for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Joining the Ferrari driver at the front of the grid tomorrow are Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz who will start from second and third position, respectively.

What happened during the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying session?

Q1

13 minutes to go: Sergio Perez sets the time to beat of 1:43.436 at a track where he is the most successful driver.

6 minutes to go: Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman both have close calls as they push, however, they both manage to avoid crashing.

1 minute to go: Max Verstappen is down in 12th position with just one more opportunity to get himself through to Q2.

The biggest shock of the session is the elimination of Lando Norris who was hampered by a brief yellow flag on his last flying lap! He will now start the race from the 17th position.

Out in Q1:

1. Daniel Ricciardo
2. Lando Norris
3. Valtteri Bottas
4. Zhou Guanyu
5. Esteban Ocon

Q2

10 minutes to go: McLaren's Oscar Piastri sets the time to beat of 1:42.598. However, it doesn't take long for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to knock the Australian driver off the top spot with times of 1:42.042 and 1:42.263, respectively.

4 minutes to go: Currently in the elimination zone are Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, and Lance Stroll.

2 minutes to go: Ferrari is attempting to pull off a tow between Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, however, the former has reported to the team that the Monegasque driver "keeps missing the tow."

Out in Q2:

1. Oliver Bearman
2. Yuki Tsunoda
3. Pierre Gasly
4. Nico Hulkenberg
5. Lance Stroll

Q3

7 minutes to go: Charles Leclerc puts in a time of 1:41.610 as Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz goes second.

6 minutes to go: Max Verstappen has a moment as he loses control of the rear of the RB20, however, he catches it and is able to continue. This impacts his flying lap though, leaving him in sixth.

4 minutes to go: It is currently Charles Leclerc in provisional pole position followed by Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri.

3 minutes to go: Alex Albon leaves the pits for the final time with an intake fan still attached to the car. He pulls over in the pit exit but this could be a disaster for the Williams driver as he tries to get the fan off himself and still have time to get another flying lap in.

Race control has now confirmed this as a potential unsafe release and will be investigated after the session.

0 minutes to go: Alex Albon is not able to get another lap in, which is terrible news for the Williams driver. A huge mistake from the team.

2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying Results

(Not including Zhou Guanyu's 20-place grid penalty)

1. Charles Leclerc
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Sergio Perez
5. George Russell
6. Max Verstappen
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Franco Colapinto
10. Alex Albon
11. Oliver Bearman
12. Yuki Tsunoda
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Nico Hulkenberg
15. Lance Stroll
16. Daniel Ricciardo
17. Lando Norris
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Zhou Guanyu
20. Esteban Ocon


This article first appeared on F1 on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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