F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Full qualifying results
Full qualifying results from the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
George Russell has taken his first pole since Austria after dominating a dramatic qualifying for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver has been on from all weekend at Baku, topping both sessions on Thursday, though he was beaten in FP3 by Max Verstappen, which looked to set up a tight pole battle.
However, that battle never materialised, as Russell topped every segment on his way to a 12th career pole by almost 0.9s over the rest of the field.
It could well be an important pole for George Russell, after Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed in Q1 and will start 16th. Heading into Saturday's race, Antonelli holds an 81-point lead over Russell.
Charles Leclerc was Russell's nearest challenger in second for Ferrari, while Oscar Piastri turned around McLaren's tough weekend to put his car third on the grid ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.
Lando Norris was fifth in the sister McLaren after a late Q3 mistake, the resulting yellow flag from which hampering Verstappen, who could do no more than eighth.
Pierre Gasly was one of two Alpines in Q3 in seventh, with team-mate Franco Colapinto 10th, while Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz made his and Williams' first Q3 appearance of the season in ninth.
2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying result
| 2026 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Qualifying results | ||||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m43.615s | 1m43.462s | 1m42.526s |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m44.360s | 1m43.780s | 1m43.363s |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m45.014s | 1m43.814s | 1m43.364s |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m44.161s | 1m43.880s | 1m43.500s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | 1m44.571s | 1m44.020s | 1m43.672s |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | 1m44.260s | 1m44.037s | 1m43.858s |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m44.489s | 1m44.106s | 1m44.047s |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m44.041s | 1m43.706s | 1m44.081s |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m45.104s | 1m44.629s | 1m44.566s |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m45.106s | 1m44.683s | 1m44.963s |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m45.228s | 1m44.775s | |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Racing Bulls | 1m45.535s | 1m44.860s | |
| 13 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | 1m45.031s | 1m45.001s | |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team | 1m45.039s | 1m45.016s | |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | 1m45.381s | 1m45.106s | |
| 16 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 1m45.504s | ||
| 17 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m45.799s | ||
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team | 1m45.920s | ||
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m46.593s | ||
| 20 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team | 1m46.658s | ||
| 21 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | 1m47.337s | ||
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team | 1m48.290s | ||
