The Azerbaijan Grand Prix delivered a qualifying session to remember. Amid a flurry of red flags and constant interruptions, Dutchman Max Verstappen used his experience to seize pole position, edging out Spain’s Carlos Sainz, who came agonizingly close to glory with his Williams.

A chaotic ‘qualy’

The qualifying session at the Baku street circuit stretched for more than two hours, with six red flags disrupting drivers’ rhythm and forcing last-minute strategic decisions. In the decisive Q3, Sainz had set a lap time that looked good enough for pole, but on his final attempt, Verstappen fully exploited the soft tires to post a 1:41.117, four-tenths quicker than the Spaniard.

The Red Bull driver, who thus secured his 46th career pole in Formula 1, acknowledged the challenge of the day: “It was tough to find rhythm with so many interruptions, but in the end we nailed a great lap. I’m very happy with the result.” With that time, the Dutchman will start from the front row alongside Sainz, who ended a six-race streak without points and now has hopes of fighting for the podium.

Sainz smiles again, Alonso misses out on Q3

It was a contrasting day for the Spanish drivers. While Sainz shone again in Baku with a strong performance that put him back among the frontrunners, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) failed to reach Q3 and will start from 11th place, just behind Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, who also struggled in the tricky session.

Young New Zealander Liam Lawson surprised everyone by securing third on the grid, his best result since joining Formula 1, while the McLarens of Piastri and Lando Norris were left down in ninth and seventh, respectively.

Expectations for the race

With 51 laps ahead on Baku’s narrow layout, tire strategies and chaos management will be decisive. Verstappen, third in the championship, still dreams of cutting the gap to leader Piastri, though his title hopes seem slim. Sainz, meanwhile, sees this as a chance to return to the podium and regain confidence in what has been a tough year.

What’s certain is that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises thrills from start to finish: on a circuit prone to incidents, the battle between Verstappen and Sainz may be just the beginning of an unpredictable Sunday.