Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix 2025: Max Verstappen braves Baku circuit to grab pole with surprise company in top three

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying session on Saturday at the Baku City Circuit was full of red flags, as several F1 drivers ended up hitting the barriers, with rain also making a surprise appearance.

In the end, it was Max Verstappen who managed to finish without crashing. Williams driver Carlos Sainz will be joining him on the front row, while Verstappen’s former teammate Liam Lawson, now driving for Racing Bulls, silenced critics by grabbing third place on the grid.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 Qualifying results

Rain arrived during the later stages of qualifying, with strong winds also playing a role in influencing team strategies before the showers hit.After Monza, Max Verstappen is hopeful of securing another victory after claiming pole position. Speaking after qualifying, he said, “A long qualifying to be honest, with so many red flags. It was hard to get the tyres into condition with all the stoppages. On the last lap you just have to send it. I wasn’t even on the best tyres, and with the red flags, you run out of them. We were definitely in the mix for pole, but I’m just happy because since Monza we are doing a better job.

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It will also be interesting to watch Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson starting among the frontrunners on the grid.

Disappointments at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Last year’s winner, Oscar Piastri, crashed into the wall in the final segment of qualifying and ended up ninth. He was spotted sitting beside a drinks cooler near the track after ending his promising session with the crash. Speaking later in the pit lane, he said, “I felt the car was in a good place, so a disappointing end.

The first two corners were really good, so I don’t know if I just tried too much or if the rain was around.

Ultimately, I need to go have a look… I just tried a little bit too hard. I think the win is ambitious, but let’s see how qualifying shakes out first.”

Charles Leclerc showed promise but broke his pole-winning streak in Baku this year after crashing into the wall in the final segment of qualifying. He ended up in tenth. Leclerc had been running fourth for quite some time until the incident.

His retirement ended a streak of four consecutive pole positions in Baku since 2021.His Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, who topped FP2 on Friday, also endured a disappointing Saturday, dropping out in Q2.Williams driver Alex Albon had a tough session, becoming the first to exit after hitting the barriers just minutes in. Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, along with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, also crashed into the barriers and retired in Q1. In Q2, Oliver Bearman bowed out after brushing the wall.