News Summary
- George Russell beat Charles Leclerc by 0.837s to claim pole in Baku
- Championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed at Turn 1 and starts 16th
- Carlos Sainz, Sergio Pérez, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso received grid penalties
George Russell dominated Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying, but Friday in Baku also produced a major setback for championship leader Kimi Antonelli and four penalties that changed the final starting order.
McLaren admitted it faces a significant straight-line deficit, Max Verstappen blamed engine and battery problems for eighth place and Mercedes’ race advantage appears far smaller than its qualifying performance suggested.
Here are the main Formula 1 stories from September 25.
Russell delivers historic Baku pole
Russell secured pole with a 1:42.526, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.837s. Oscar Piastri qualified third, only 0.001s behind the Ferrari driver.
The Mercedes driver improved by 0.936s between Q2 and Q3, having deliberately avoided taking unnecessary risks during the opening stages.
Russell’s advantage was the largest recorded in qualifying held entirely under dry conditions since Nigel Mansell beat Riccardo Patrese by 0.859s at the 1992 Japanese GP.
Only 0.022s separated Russell’s margin from Mansell’s Suzuka benchmark. The full historical comparison is available in Russell records largest dry F1 pole margin since Mansell in 1992.
Antonelli crashes and starts 16th
Antonelli hit the wall at Turn 1 during Q1 after encountering more front-end grip than on his previous lap.
The championship leader reached Q2 with his existing time, but the damaged Mercedes could take no further part in qualifying. He will therefore start 16th, immediately ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg.
“A mistake from my side. Very unnecessary, to be fair. I’m very, very mad about it,” Antonelli said.
The Italian remains 81 points ahead of Russell, but that advantage would fall to 56 points if Russell wins and Antonelli fails to score.
Antonelli’s accident became the leading traffic story of the day, while his starting position creates another major question: Can Antonelli still win the Azerbaijan GP from 16th?
Four penalties change Azerbaijan GP grid
Sainz, Pérez, Stroll and Alonso received penalties that altered the final grid.
| Driver | Qualifying position | Final grid | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. SAINZ | 9th | 14th | Five places — yellow-flag infringement |
| S. PÉREZ | 20th | 20th | Three places — impeding Piastri |
| L. STROLL | 21st | 21st | 20 places — power-unit components |
| F. ALONSO | 19th | 22nd | 25 places — power-unit components |
Sainz’s penalty promoted Franco Colapinto to ninth, Oliver Bearman to tenth and Liam Lawson to 11th.
Pérez could not fall three effective positions because Stroll and Alonso carried larger power-unit penalties. Valtteri Bottas consequently moved ahead of all three and starts 19th.
The complete order is available in the revised Azerbaijan GP starting grid after four penalties.
Norris calls Baku podium “impossible”
Lando Norris qualified fifth after locking a front tyre on his decisive Q3 lap. Although he believed second place had been achievable, the McLaren driver said the car’s lack of straight-line speed would prevent him from fighting for the podium.
“Of course, I hope for a podium. But with my straight-line speed, it will be impossible,” Norris said.
McLaren recovered significantly from Thursday, when Norris finished almost 1.5s behind Russell. Piastri’s third place demonstrated that the car had sufficient cornering performance, but Norris expects the long Baku straight to restrict his attacking options.
Norris said he preferred to risk the result while pursuing pole rather than settle for an average lap.
Verstappen blames engine and battery problems
Max Verstappen qualified eighth after complaining that his Red Bull engine “was just not working”.
The Dutchman estimated that he was losing approximately 0.5s per lap through top-speed performance alone. He also reported that the battery failed to recharge correctly before one Q3 attempt, forcing him to abort the lap.
A yellow flag and insufficient tyre temperature then compromised his final run.
“We were in a really good place the whole weekend, and we had a disaster of a qualifying because of a lot of issues,” Verstappen said.
Red Bull must determine whether the problems can be resolved without replacing restricted components before the race.
Leclerc admits Ferrari could not match Mercedes
Leclerc secured a front-row start but admitted Russell’s advantage was significantly larger than Ferrari expected.
The Monegasque driver said his traditional strength in Baku has been the ability to place the car extremely close to the walls. Ferrari’s unpredictable handling prevented him from taking the same risks this time.
Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and blamed Ferrari’s Q3 plan for leaving him without a useful tow. Hamilton said the team changed from two planned attempts to a delayed single run, leaving him at the front of the queue.
Both Ferrari drivers also acknowledged that Mercedes held a major straight-line advantage.
Mercedes race pace is less dominant
Russell’s qualifying margin does not appear representative of Mercedes’ advantage over a full race distance.
Long-run estimates place Mercedes only 0.05s per lap ahead of McLaren, with Red Bull 0.30s behind and Ferrari at 0.34s.
| Team | Estimated race-pace gap |
|---|---|
| Mercedes | Benchmark |
| McLaren | +0.05s |
| Red Bull | +0.30s |
| Ferrari | +0.34s |
| Alpine | +0.99s |
Russell remains the favourite, but he must escape DRS range and manage his electrical deployment carefully along Baku’s 2.2km flat-out section.
Only three of the nine previous Formula 1 races in Baku have been won from pole. Russell must control the start, energy use and safety-car risk to improve that conversion rate.
Dry but windy race expected
Saturday’s race should remain dry, with a 0% forecast chance of rain. The air temperature is expected to reach approximately 26°C, while the track could climb to 43°C.
Northerly winds will average approximately 15.5km/h, with gusts potentially reaching 43.2km/h. Those conditions are calmer than qualifying but could still affect braking references, tyre temperature and energy management.
The race begins at 12:00 UK time, 07:00 ET, 16:30 in India and 21:00 in eastern Australia. The full international schedule is available in What time is the Azerbaijan GP?
GRANDE PRÊMIO follows the Azerbaijan GP LIVE and in REAL TIME.
FAQ
Who starts from pole for the Azerbaijan GP?
George Russell starts from pole after setting a 1:42.526 and beating Charles Leclerc by 0.837s.
