Russell seals dominant Baku pole as championship leader Antonelli crashes out in Q1

George Russell delivered a commanding qualifying performance at the Baku City Circuit on Saturday, setting a 1m42.526s lap to take pole position for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. The result was overshadowed by a Q1 crash for Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who tagged the barriers at the Turn 1 left-hander and sustained terminal front-left suspension damage, leaving him to start no higher than 16th.

Antonelli had already posted a time fast enough to advance to Q2 before the incident, but was unable to return his Mercedes W16 to the pits under its own power. The crash represents a significant setback for the Italian teenager, who heads into Sunday’s race as the title favourite but now faces a recovery drive from deep in the field.

Russell, who had shown strong pace throughout Thursday’s practice sessions, was briefly displaced in Q3 when McLaren’s Piastri and Lando Norris jumped to the top of the timesheets on their opening runs. Piastri’s 1m43.571s looked competitive, but Russell responded emphatically, going half a second faster with a 1m43.037s on his second attempt. His final run was even more decisive, stripping another five tenths from his own benchmark to leave the field with no answer.

Leclerc secured second after Ferrari opted for a delayed first run in Q3, with the Monegasque finding an additional tenth on his final lap — though he still finished eight tenths adrift of Russell. Piastri held on for third despite the late Ferrari charge.

Isack Hadjar marked his return from injury with an impressive fourth on the grid, while Norris slipped on his final Q3 attempt to settle for fifth ahead of Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Pierre Gasly took seventh for Alpine, and Max Verstappen could only manage eighth after being hampered by yellow flags caused by Norris running wide.

Carlos Sainz capitalised on Williams’ upgraded FW48 to claim ninth, continuing the team’s improved form in qualifying. Franco Colapinto rounded out the top ten after a late lap edged out Haas driver Oliver Bearman in the closing seconds of Q2.