George Russell Secures Friday Pole in Baku as Kimi Antonelli Crashes and Carlos Sainz Benefits from Williams Upgrades

George Russell delivered a sweeping performance against his rivals in this peculiar Friday qualifying in Baku. The British driver will start from pole after stopping the clock at 1:42.526, which means he went eight tenths faster than the second-placed driver, which will be Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

Russell will have an excellent opportunity to gain points since his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, will start sixteenth. The World Championship leader crashed in the first corner, damaged his tire and had to retire from qualifying, being eliminated in Q2. He will have to fight his way back as in Monza.

Carlos Sainz Breaks into Q3 for the First Time in 2026

Russell has secured one of the most dominant dry-weather pole positions seen in the recent Formula 1 era. The British driver has put more than eight tenths between himself and second place, taking advantage of his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, messing up at the first corner. The Italian touched the wall, ruined his tire and will have to climb back up.

Antonelli clashed in Q1, yet his time was enough to make the cut. However, in Q2 he failed to set a time. So the World Championship leader will have to push through to minimize damage against a Russell who will have his last chance to rejoin the fight. The Mercedes in Baku is proving to be exceptionally strong.

The proof is that six of the ten Q3 entrants were powered by Mercedes engines. Oscar Piastri will start from third on the grid with his McLaren, just one thousandth behind Leclerc in second. It fared worse for Lando Norris, who made an error on his final flying lap, overshooting the braking zone and finishing fifth.

In Baku, something strange has happened in today’s Formula 1. The teammate of Max Verstappen has comfortably outqualified his team leader. In fact, Isack Hadjar has secured P4 on the grid, while Verstappen will start eighth, more than half a second off, and behind even Pierre Gasly’s Alpine.

Alpine has placed both of its cars in the fight for pole, with Franco Colapinto in tenth. Yet the big surprise of qualifying has been the improved Williams driven by Carlos Sainz. James Vowles had said not to expect much from the new Williams, but Sainz has broken into Q3 for the first time this season and will start ninth.

Things got even worse for Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso was eliminated again in Q1, leaving only his teammate and the Cadillacs between him and the back of the grid. Alonso finished nineteenth, but will start from the back anyway, since both he and Lance Stroll will apply Honda engine changes and have already exceeded the component limits.

F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying Results

Images | Ferrari,