The qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku delivered an unexpectedly interesting starting grid. There were some results I expected, but also quite a few surprises. In the end, George Russell secured pole position with a 1:42.526, followed by Charles Leclerc in second and Oscar Piastri in third.
What makes this starting grid so interesting is how different it looks from what we sometimes see in Formula 1. Several teams and drivers are represented near the front, making the race much harder to predict. For me, that always makes a race weekend more exciting.
Baku itself makes qualifying particularly challenging. The circuit features one of the longest straights on the calendar, followed by incredibly tight and narrow corners where there is almost no room for mistakes. Drivers have to find the perfect balance between pushing the limits and leaving themselves enough margin to avoid the walls.
Russell Takes Pole
George Russell put together a very strong qualifying session and delivered when it mattered most. His final lap was enough to put him comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.
He finished 0.837 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, which is a significant gap in qualifying. Russell had already looked strong earlier in the weekend, so pole position was not completely unexpected. The size of the gap, however, was still impressive.
Starting from pole gives Russell a great opportunity for the race, but it certainly does not guarantee that he will remain in the lead. Baku is not a circuit where starting first automatically means staying there. The long straight gives the drivers behind an opportunity to use the slipstream, especially on the opening lap.
That makes the start particularly important. Leclerc and Piastri are directly behind Russell, and if either of them gets a better launch, the pressure could be on immediately.
Leclerc and Piastri Were Incredibly Close
The battle for second place was one of my favourite parts of the session.
Leclerc qualified second with a 1:43.363, while Piastri was just 0.001 seconds behind him. That is basically nothing. It is crazy to think that such a tiny difference can decide whether a driver starts second or third.
This is exactly what makes qualifying so fascinating. A driver can put together an excellent lap and still lose a position because someone else was just a thousandth of a second faster.
Leclerc starting second gives him a clear opportunity to put pressure on Russell from the beginning. Piastri is in an equally interesting position, and being only one thousandth behind Leclerc shows just how close the battle was.
With all three drivers starting at the front, I am curious to see what happens when the lights go out.
Hadjar’s Comeback
For me, one of the best stories of qualifying was definitely Isack Hadjar.
This was his first race weekend back after missing the previous three races because of his wrist injury. Qualifying fourth on his return is an impressive way to come back.
His weekend did not even start perfectly. In FP1, he experienced a problem with the car and had very limited running. He then had more time in FP2 to get back into the rhythm, and by qualifying he looked much more comfortable.
And then he put the car fourth.
Honestly, I did not expect him to return and immediately qualify that high. It makes the result even more impressive considering he had to get back up to speed after being away for several races.
He will start directly behind Piastri and ahead of Norris, putting him in a fascinating position for the race. Of course, qualifying is very different from a full race, especially physically, so the race distance will be another challenge entirely.
But for now, his return could hardly have started much better.
Alpine Deserves Some Attention Too
Alpine also had a qualifying session worth talking about.
Pierre Gasly qualified seventh, while Franco Colapinto made it into Q3 and finished P10. Having both cars inside the top ten is a strong result for the team.
Gasly will even start ahead of Max Verstappen, which is particularly interesting considering how strong Verstappen looked earlier in the weekend.
For Colapinto, reaching Q3 and securing tenth is another positive result. It gives Alpine two cars in a position to fight for points during the race.
And honestly, results like this are what makes me even more curios about the race. It is not only the usual drivers at the front. Alpine, Williams and Hadjar’s Red Bull are all playing a bigger role inside the top ten, creating more potential battles throughout the field.
Of course, the important question now is whether Alpine can turn that qualifying pace into points. A strong starting position helps, but the race will be a completely different challenge.
Some Unexpected Results
There were also several results that caught me by surprise.
Max Verstappen qualified eighth despite being fastest in FP3. That was probably one of the biggest surprises of the session. It shows just how quickly the picture can change between practice and qualifying.
Lando Norris finished fifth, Lewis Hamilton sixth, and Carlos Sainz qualified ninth.
The top ten is particularly interesting because there is such a good mix of drivers and teams. It does not feel like a starting grid where you can immediately predict exactly how the race will unfold.
And honestly, I prefer that. It creates more possibilities and gives us more battles to watch.
Kimi Antonelli’s Difficult Qualifying
Of course, I also have to talk about Kimi Antonelli, because his qualifying was probably the most disappointing part of the session for me personally.
Kimi crashed in Q1 at Turn 1 and damaged his car, bringing his qualifying to an early end. He had already set a lap that was good enough to make it through to Q2, which makes the incident even more frustrating.
I was honestly quite sad when I saw it. I had really been hoping to see him further up the grid, especially after his performance in the practice sessions.
Instead, he will start from P16.
Obviously, that is not the position anyone wants, but I also do not think it is fair to judge his entire weekend based on one mistake. Baku is an extremely difficult street circuit, with the walls incredibly close to the racing line. Once you lose the car, there is very little room to recover.
The good thing is that there is still a full race ahead.
Starting from P16 is certainly not ideal, but Baku does provide opportunities to gain positions. The long straight makes overtaking possible, while a safety car could completely change the order.
So I am still hoping Kimi can have a strong race and recover some positions.
Why I Like This Starting Grid
Despite being disappointed about Kimi, I actually really like how this starting grid has turned out.
Russell, Leclerc and Piastri in the top three already make for an interesting combination. Then you have Hadjar returning from injury and immediately qualifying fourth, both Alpines inside the top ten, Verstappen starting eighth and Kimi down in P16.
There are so many different storylines to follow during the race.
I also like seeing a mixed top three. Different drivers fighting for the podium instead of always seeing exactly the same names in exactly the same positions makes the weekend feel much less predictable.
And that is one of the things I enjoy most about Formula 1.
What I’m Expecting From the Race
I think the opening laps will be especially important.
Russell will have to defend the lead from Leclerc and Piastri, while Hadjar will have a great view of the battle from fourth. Behind them, several fast drivers could also become involved if anything happens at the front.
For Hadjar, one of the biggest questions will be how he manages the full race after returning from his injury. For Alpine, the focus will be on whether Gasly and Colapinto can maintain their positions and turn them into points.
And then there is Kimi, who faces a completely different challenge.
He will have to work his way through the field from P16 without taking unnecessary risks.
That will be one of the things I will be watching most closely. I really want to see Kimi recover from this qualifying result, but at the same time, I would much rather see him have a clean race and gain positions step by step than try to do too much immediately.
Overall
Overall, Baku qualifying delivered exactly the kind of session that makes a race weekend exciting: strong performances, unexpected results and incredibly close battles.
Russell’s pole position was impressive, particularly considering the gap to Leclerc. The battle between Leclerc and Piastri was decided by just one thousandth of a second, while Hadjar’s fourth place was arguably one of the biggest positive surprises of the session.
Alpine also deserves credit for getting both cars into Q3 and putting themselves in a strong position to fight for points.
Personally, I was obviously disappointed by Kimi’s Q1 crash. I really wanted to see him further up the grid, and I think he had the potential to have a strong qualifying. But I am trying to look at the bigger picture.
The race is still ahead, and Baku is definitely not a track where everything is decided by the starting position.
What I like most about this grid is how unpredictable it feels. Russell, Leclerc and Piastri will fight at the front, Hadjar has made a very strong return, Alpine has two cars inside the top ten, Verstappen starts only eighth, and Kimi has a big challenge ahead of him from P16.
So even though qualifying did not go exactly the way I wanted it to, I am still really excited for the race.
There are enough different storylines going on that I genuinely have no idea how this race is going to unfold — and I think that is exactly what makes Baku so interesting.