George Russell Takes Dominant Azerbaijan GP Pole as Antonelli Crashes in Q1

Baku, Azerbaijan, September 25, 2026: George Russell claimed his fifth pole position of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a dominant performance in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by a remarkable 0.837 seconds around the Baku City Circuit.

Russell delivered a stunning 1:42.526s lap in Q3 to put Mercedes at the front of the grid, while Leclerc edged McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.001s for second place.

What had initially looked like a closely fought battle between Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull turned into a one-driver show in the final stages, as Russell found substantial improvements on both of his final Q3 runs.

The result was particularly significant for Mercedes because championship leader and Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli crashed out in Q1 and will start the race from 16th.

Russell Produces Huge Final-Lap Improvement

Russell had already been competitive throughout qualifying, but his advantage became clear in Q3.

McLaren initially appeared to have the upper hand, with Lando Norris and Piastri moving ahead of Russell on their opening attempts. Piastri set a provisional benchmark of 1:43.571s, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar subsequently moved into third.

Russell responded with a 1:43.037s lap on his second run before finding another five tenths on his final attempt.

His eventual 1:42.526s lap was enough to secure pole by more than eight-tenths of a second.

“It’s been a while, so it definitely feels good,” Russell said after qualifying. “It’s probably the biggest margin of my whole career, even including F2, F3 days, so the lap felt really sweet.”

“The car’s been feeling great this weekend, and on a track like this, when you can hook it up like that, it feels really amazing.”

Leclerc took second with a 1:43.363s, while Piastri finished third on 1:43.364s.

Hadjar Impresses on Red Bull Return

Isack Hadjar marked his return to competition with an impressive fourth place for Red Bull.

The Frenchman had shown strong pace throughout qualifying and was only 0.194s off Russell after the opening Q2 runs. He eventually posted a 1:43.500s to secure fourth.

McLaren’s Norris qualified fifth in 1:43.672s, ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in sixth.

Alpine continued to show strong one-lap pace, with Pierre Gasly taking seventh in 1:44.047s, while Max Verstappen could manage only eighth for Red Bull after a difficult session.

Carlos Sainz placed the upgraded Williams ninth, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completing the top 10.

Antonelli Crash Disrupts Q1

The biggest setback of qualifying came for Antonelli.

The Mercedes championship leader lost control of his car at Turn 1 during Q1 and hit the barriers. Although he initially attempted to return to the pits, his race engineer Pete Bonnington instructed him to stop safely after it became clear that the suspension damage could not be repaired in time.

Antonelli therefore failed to set a qualifying time and will start from 16th.

The incident came during a tense opening segment in which drivers battled a warm and windy Baku track.

Max Verstappen also complained about his Red Bull, saying the car was “bottoming like crazy” and that he was struggling under braking, while Russell reported front locking.

At the other end of the order, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg were eliminated for Audi, while Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll also failed to progress.

Lawson, Lindblad and Albon Miss Q3

Russell topped Q2 with a 1:43.462s, finishing around two-tenths ahead of Verstappen.

Hadjar again impressed, while Gasly moved into the top seven after benefiting from a tow from Alpine teammate Colapinto.

The fight for the final Q3 places was extremely close, but Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were unable to progress.

Oliver Bearman, Williams driver Alex Albon and Haas’ Esteban Ocon were also eliminated.

Bearman eventually qualified 11th, followed by Lawson, Albon, Ocon and Lindblad.

Aston Martin Penalties Alter Grid

The qualifying classification does not represent the final starting grid.

Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are facing grid penalties for power-unit component changes. As a result, the two Cadillac drivers will be promoted on the final grid, with Sergio Pérez ahead of Valtteri Bottas.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will therefore see Russell start from the front, with Leclerc and Piastri alongside him on the first two rows, while Antonelli faces a major recovery drive from the back half of the field.

2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Qualifying Results

Note: Alonso and Stroll are subject to grid penalties for power-unit component changes, so the final race starting order will differ from the qualifying classification.