The Mercedes driver secured pole position by 0.837 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Oscar Piastri claimed third place. Max Verstappen was left eighth after encountering yellow flags, and Kimi Antonelli’s qualifying ended with a crash in Q1.
By Open Chronicle Sports | 25 September 2026
George Russell delivered a commanding performance in qualifying for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, securing pole position at the Baku City Circuit with a final lap of 1:42.526.
The Mercedes driver finished 0.837 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, establishing a substantial advantage over his rivals on a circuit where precision, confidence and timing are essential.
Oscar Piastri secured third place for McLaren, finishing just 0.001 seconds behind Leclerc, while Isack Hadjar continued Red Bull’s competitive weekend by taking fourth. Lando Norris completed the top five, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly.
Max Verstappen, who had topped the final practice session earlier in the day, qualified eighth after encountering yellow flags during his final attempt. Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto completed the top ten.
For Mercedes, the result brought contrasting fortunes. While Russell converted his pace into pole position, championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed during Q1 and was unable to participate in the remaining stages of qualifying.
The Italian will start from 16th on the provisional grid, leaving him with considerable ground to recover during Saturday’s race.
A disrupted start to qualifying
Qualifying began four minutes later than scheduled as officials completed cleaning operations following the Formula 2 race.
With all 22 drivers using soft tyres, teams initially concentrated on preparing their compounds and finding sufficient space on the narrow streets of Baku.
The circuit’s long straights offered opportunities to benefit from a slipstream, but its heavy braking zones and unforgiving barriers left little margin for error.
Verstappen established an early benchmark of 1:45.168 before Hadjar moved ahead with a 1:44.702.
Russell and Antonelli also began their qualifying programmes, but the session soon took a dramatic turn for the Mercedes garage.
Q1: Antonelli crashes as Russell sets the pace
Antonelli’s qualifying effectively ended when he struck the inside barrier at Turn 1.
The Italian took a tight line into the corner and made contact with the wall, damaging the front left suspension of his Mercedes.
Although he attempted to return to the pits, the team informed him that the damage could not be repaired in time for him to continue.
His earlier lap of 1:45.504 was sufficient to secure progression to Q2, but the accident prevented him from taking any further part in qualifying.
Russell, meanwhile, continued improving.
After Verstappen recorded a 1:44.041, the British driver responded with a 1:43.615 to finish Q1 at the top of the timing sheets.
The closing minutes brought significant changes throughout the midfield as drivers searched for improvements on an increasingly competitive circuit.
Pierre Gasly moved into sixth, Alexander Albon climbed to eighth, and Oliver Bearman also escaped the elimination zone.
Gabriel Bortoleto was less fortunate.
The Audi driver had initially improved to 1:45.799, placing him ninth at that stage, but the rapidly evolving track left him vulnerable.
During his final attempt, Bortoleto encountered yellow flags after Lance Stroll went off at Turn 3. Unable to complete a faster lap, the Brazilian finished 17th.
His teammate Nico Hülkenberg was also eliminated, qualifying 18th with a 1:45.920.
Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez, Stroll and Valtteri Bottas were the other drivers eliminated in Q1.
It was the first time during the 2026 season that both Audi drivers had been eliminated in the opening qualifying segment.
Q2: Russell and Verstappen separated by just 0.020 seconds
With Antonelli unable to return to the circuit, Russell became Mercedes’ sole representative in the remaining qualifying sessions.
The second segment developed into a closely contested battle between Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
Verstappen initially moved ahead with a 1:44.282, but Hadjar responded with a 1:44.236.
Norris then put McLaren at the top with a 1:44.020 before Leclerc improved the benchmark to 1:43.835.
Russell answered with a 1:43.686, moving 0.149 seconds clear of the Ferrari driver.
Hadjar continued to demonstrate competitive pace, while Piastri and Hamilton also remained within reach of the leading positions.
As the session approached its conclusion, Verstappen improved to 1:43.706, finishing just 0.020 seconds behind Russell.
The narrow margin suggested that the battle for pole position could be considerably closer than the final Q3 result would eventually indicate.
Further down the order, Gasly produced a late improvement to secure his place in the final segment.
Colapinto also delivered an important lap for Alpine, moving into tenth and eliminating Bearman.
Sainz secured a place in Q3 for Williams, while both Alpine drivers advanced to the final qualifying session.
Bearman, Liam Lawson, Albon, Esteban Ocon and Arvid Lindblad were eliminated, with Antonelli classified 16th after failing to set a time in Q2.
Q3: McLaren takes the early advantage
The final qualifying session began with Russell and Verstappen among the drivers expected to challenge for pole position.
However, McLaren immediately demonstrated a level of performance that had not been evident throughout the earlier practice sessions.
Russell opened with a 1:43.713, but Norris moved ahead with a 1:43.672.
Piastri then improved to 1:43.571, placing the Australian at the top of the standings.
Verstappen’s opening representative lap of 1:44.487 left him some distance behind the leading group.
Russell remained on the circuit while the McLaren drivers returned to the pits.
On his next attempt, the Mercedes driver improved to 1:43.037, moving more than half a second clear of Piastri.
Leclerc responded with a 1:43.472 to move into second, while Hamilton and Gasly also improved their times.
The session was now approaching its decisive final minutes.
Russell delivers the decisive lap
With the final qualifying attempts underway, McLaren faced a different preparation programme from some of its rivals.
Norris and Piastri returned to the circuit without sufficient time to repeat their earlier two lap tyre preparation procedure.
Norris subsequently went straight on at Turn 3, triggering yellow flags.
Verstappen was completing a fast lap at the time and encountered the yellow flag signal, preventing him from improving his position.
Russell, however, found considerably more performance.
The Mercedes driver completed his final attempt in 1:42.526, improving his previous benchmark by more than half a second.
It was a decisive lap that established a substantial advantage over the rest of the field.
Leclerc improved to 1:43.363, securing second place for Ferrari.
Piastri crossed the line in 1:43.364, missing the front row by just one thousandth of a second.
Hadjar also improved in the closing moments, recording a 1:43.500 to secure fourth place.
Norris remained fifth, ahead of Hamilton and Gasly, while Verstappen had to settle for eighth.
Sainz qualified ninth, with Colapinto completing the top ten.
Russell had converted Mercedes’ strong practice performance into pole position, but the circumstances of the session left several of his rivals facing very different challenges ahead of the race.
Mercedes faces contrasting fortunes
Russell’s pole position completed a weekend of strong qualifying pace for Mercedes.
The British driver had led the first two practice sessions before finishing second to Verstappen in FP3, just 0.099 seconds behind the Red Bull driver.
His final qualifying lap demonstrated how effectively he had adapted to the circuit’s changing conditions.
However, Antonelli’s accident means Mercedes will approach the race with its drivers starting from opposite ends of the grid.
Russell will have a clear track ahead of him at the start, while Antonelli faces the challenge of recovering from 16th.
The Italian’s position is particularly significant in the context of the Drivers’ Championship, as he arrived in Azerbaijan leading the standings.
His recovery will depend on race pace, tyre management, traffic and the opportunities created by incidents or strategic developments.
Verstappen faces a recovery from eighth
Verstappen’s qualifying result was another notable development.
The Red Bull driver had ended FP3 at the top of the timing sheets with a 1:43.922, finishing ahead of Russell and Hamilton.
He also remained competitive during Q2, finishing only 0.020 seconds behind the Mercedes driver.
However, the yellow flags triggered by Norris during Q3 prevented him from completing his final qualifying attempt without interruption.
His eighth place leaves him facing a more complicated race than his practice performance had suggested.
Hadjar, meanwhile, will start fourth, having delivered a strong qualifying performance in the other Red Bull.
The two drivers will approach Saturday’s race from different positions, with Hadjar starting immediately behind Piastri and Verstappen needing to recover places through the midfield.
Ferrari and McLaren secure positions near the front
Leclerc’s second place gives Ferrari a front row starting position, although the gap to Russell was substantial.
The Monegasque finished 0.837 seconds behind the Mercedes driver, but his advantage over Piastri was just 0.001 seconds.
Hamilton qualified sixth, placing both Ferrari drivers inside the top six.
McLaren will start with Piastri third and Norris fifth.
Piastri’s performance during Q3 demonstrated that McLaren could compete near the front despite the team not leading any of the three practice sessions.
Norris, however, was unable to improve on his opening Q3 time after his final attempt was disrupted by his mistake at Turn 3.
The close margins between Leclerc, Piastri and Hadjar leave several teams competing for positions immediately behind Russell.
Audi faces a difficult race from the midfield
Audi’s qualifying performance represented a setback after a weekend devoted partly to evaluating aerodynamic updates.
Bortoleto had finished tenth in FP1, while the team used the practice sessions to compare different aerodynamic configurations.
The Brazilian finished FP3 in 13th, ahead of Hülkenberg, but neither driver progressed beyond Q1.
Bortoleto will start 17th, with Hülkenberg immediately behind him in 18th.
Their starting positions leave Audi needing to find opportunities through strategy, tyre management and race incidents.
Baku’s long straights offer opportunities for overtaking, but the circuit’s narrow sections and heavy braking zones can also create difficulties for drivers attempting to recover positions.
Both Audi drivers will therefore need to balance an aggressive approach with the risks associated with racing between the barriers.
Russell leads the field into Saturday’s race
Russell’s final qualifying lap established a clear advantage over his closest rivals, but the opening stages of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will present a different challenge.
Leclerc will start alongside the Mercedes driver, with Piastri and Hadjar occupying the second row.
Norris and Hamilton will line up immediately behind them, while Verstappen begins his recovery attempt from eighth.
Further down the grid, Antonelli faces a difficult task from 16th, while both Audi drivers will attempt to move forward from the opening qualifying elimination positions.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Saturday, 26 September, with the race scheduled to begin at 08:00 Brasília time.
For Russell, the objective will be to convert pole position into victory. For his closest rivals, the challenge will be to close the gap demonstrated by Mercedes during qualifying and take advantage of the opportunities offered by Baku’s demanding street circuit.