P1racenews AI automatic summary:
An exciting qualifying session in Baku saw Charles Leclerc come out on top for pole position ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, narrowly defeating Oscar Piastri by three-tenths of a second. Lando Norris faced a disappointing Q1 exit, halting his pursuit for a third consecutive pole position. Leclerc clinched his third pole of the season in Q3, with Carlos Sainz taking third place. Sergio Perez out-qualified Max Verstappen, who struggled, resulting in a fourth and sixth placement. George Russell stood between the two Red Bull drivers, with Lewis Hamilton in seventh place, trailing Russell’s Mercedes head-to-head qualifying win this year. Fernando Alonso finished in eighth position, while Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10 for Williams. The session was marred by Albon’s mishap with an engine cooler attached to his car, preventing him from setting a final lap. Oliver Bearman narrowly missed out on Q3, finishing 11th, while Yuki Tsunoda secured 12th place for the upcoming race start. Pierre Gasly led the Alpine contingent in 13th place, with Lance Stroll in 15th for Aston Martin. Norris and Piastri found themselves in jeopardy during Q1, with Norris ultimately finishing in 17th place behind former teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou ended in 18th and 19th place, respectively, with Zhou set to drop to the back of the grid due to new power unit components. Esteban Ocon concluded the session in 20th place after grappling with a fuel pump issue earlier.
