Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc secured his fourth consecutive pole position at the Baku City Circuit, beating Oscar Piastri to the top spot during Saturday’s qualifying session for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. There was drama for McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was eliminated in Q1.
Leclerc posted a blistering lap time of 1m 41.365s, finishing around three-tenths ahead of Piastri in the final Q3 session, adding to his pole positions from 2021, 2022, and 2023 at the track. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, completed the top three.
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Red Bull showed glimpses of speed during qualifying but ultimately settled for fourth and sixth places, with two-time Azerbaijan winner Sergio Perez outpacing Max Verstappen, while George Russell put his Mercedes in fifth.
Lewis Hamilton struggled to get his tyres up to temperature and finished in seventh, with Fernando Alonso taking eighth for Aston Martin. Williams drivers Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon rounded out the Q3 order.
Despite an otherwise excellent day for Williams, particularly for rookie Colapinto, Albon’s performance was hampered when he was sent out for his final lap with an airbox fan still attached. Albon managed to stop on track and remove the fan, throwing it to the waiting marshals, but the lost time meant he couldn’t complete another lap. Stewards are set to investigate the incident.
Ollie Bearman narrowly missed out on a place in the pole shootout, finishing a tenth behind Albon in Q2. Despite out-qualifying his experienced Haas teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, Bearman expressed frustration over team radio on his return to the pits.
RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly had to settle for 12th and 13th positions, respectively, with Tsunoda receiving a fine for speeding in the pit lane. Hulkenberg and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll were the slowest runners in Q2.
It was a disastrous session for title contender Norris, who will start in 17th, just behind RB driver and former teammate Daniel Ricciardo, after his Q1 elimination. Norris ran wide over the kerbs and encountered a slow-moving Esteban Ocon in the final sector.
The Kick Sauber duo of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finished 18th and 19th, respectively, with Zhou set to start from the back of the grid. Meanwhile, Ocon ended up 20th after his Alpine slowed again during the final moments of Q1.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying Results
2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying, 14 September 2024
2Pierre Gasly would be required to start from the back of the grid after being disqualified from qualifying due to a fuel flow breach
3Zhou Guanyu would be required to start from the back of the grid for use of multiple additional power unit elements.
4Esteban Ocon would start from the pitlane after exceeding power unit components in his car.
As it happened
Q1 – Leclerc fastest as Norris dramatically drops out
After a close final practice session on a slippery Baku City Circuit, excitement was high in the paddock ahead of qualifying. Many insiders believed Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull all had a shot at claiming pole position.
A change to the grid was confirmed between sessions, with Zhou incurring a penalty for exceeding the season’s power unit component allowance. Meanwhile, Leclerc breathed a sigh of relief as his alleged yellow flag breach in FP3 only resulted in a reprimand.
Most drivers opted for soft tyres from the outset in Q1, with Mercedes breaking the trend by using mediums. Perez set the early pace with a time of 1m 43.436s, leading Sainz, Leclerc, Verstappen, Piastri, and Norris.
Williams rookie Franco Colapinto surprised many by splitting the Ferrari drivers, posting a lap just a tenth slower than Perez. At the other end of the timesheets, the Kick Saubers, Alpines, and Ricciardo’s RB were all in danger of elimination.
As the track improved and drivers pushed harder, replays showed Colapinto brushing the wall, Bearman narrowly avoiding a similar fate as he rebuilt confidence after his FP3 crash, and Sainz taking an escape road.
Leclerc then set a commanding lap of 1m 42.775s, a significant 0.364s faster than Russell in second, with Perez in third, followed by Hamilton and Sainz. Stroll was bumped into the drop zone after Gasly’s improvement.
Following pit stops for tyre changes (with the top three staying put), a frenetic final sequence ended with Leclerc still leading, followed by Albon, Piastri, Gasly, Hamilton, and Verstappen. Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Russell, and Perez rounded out the top 10.
But the drama unfolded behind them as title contender Norris failed to make it out of Q1. He faced issues in the final sector, encountered yellow flags for a slowing Ocon, and received a radio apology from his race engineer, resulting in a disappointing 17th-place start for Sunday’s race.
Tsunoda, Sainz, Stroll, Bearman, and Alonso all advanced, while Ricciardo, the Saubers of Bottas and Zhou, and Ocon, who continued to struggle with his Alpine, were eliminated alongside Norris.
Knocked out: Ricciardo, Norris, Bottas, Zhou, Ocon
Q2 – Verstappen heads Leclerc ahead of pole shootout
As the remaining 15 drivers returned to the track for Q2, Verstappen and Perez shifted up a gear, securing a provisional Red Bull one-two, with Verstappen setting a time of 1m 42.042s. Piastri followed in third, ahead of Russell, Bearman, and Sainz.
At this stage, Albon, Hamilton, Leclerc, and Hulkenberg occupied the remaining top 10 spots, leaving Colapinto, Alonso, Gasly, Tsunoda, and Stroll needing improvements in the final runs. This phase saw a flurry of purple and green sector times as drivers pushed to advance.
Ferrari opted for a slightly different strategy, allowing Leclerc to jump into second and Sainz into fourth on a clear track. Meanwhile, Perez remained in the garage, watching the final moments as the chequered flag approached.
Despite the intense final laps, there were no further changes at the front, with Verstappen holding onto P1 ahead of Leclerc and Perez. Russell, Alonso, and an impressive Colapinto—who secured his place in the pole shootout in just his second race weekend—followed closely behind.
Sainz, Piastri, Hamilton, and Albon also advanced, while Bearman, who apologised over the radio for an apparent mistake, missed out alongside Tsunoda, Gasly, Hulkenberg, and Stroll.
Knocked out: Bearman, Tsunoda, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Stroll
Q3 – Leclerc adds to his Baku tally as Albon hits trouble
The focus shifted to the pole position shootout, with Leclerc setting the benchmark early on with a lap of 1m 41.610s, a couple of tenths quicker than Sainz. Piastri slotted into third, followed by Russell, Perez, and Verstappen, who lost time due to a slide in the final sector.
Hamilton was six-tenths off the pace, radioing his team to “get those temperatures up.” Albon, Colapinto, and Alonso completed the provisional Q3 order – but the drama was soon to unfold for the Williams team.
As the cars prepared for their final runs, Albon was strangely released from the garage with an airbox fan still attached to his car. This forced him to stop at the side of the track, remove the fan, and throw it to the marshals before attempting to complete another lap.
In the final run, Leclerc improved his time to 1m 41.365s, finishing three-tenths ahead of Piastri, who had a slight wobble out of Turn 15 on his last lap. Sainz secured third, fending off Perez, Russell, and Verstappen.
Hamilton and Alonso followed in seventh and eighth, respectively, with Colapinto delivering an impressive performance to take ninth. After his fan-related delays, Albon missed out on another lap and ended the session in tenth.
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