George Russell takes Azerbaijan GP pole as Kimi Antonelli qualifies 16th in Baku

Russell claims pole at Baku

George Russell secured pole position for Mercedes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday, setting a benchmark time of 1:42.526 around the Baku City Circuit. The British driver finished ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds, securing his 12th career pole position and his fifth of the 2026 season. McLaren's Oscar Piastri qualified in third place, finishing 0.838 seconds off Russell's pace on the 6.003-kilometer street track. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar finished fourth with a gap of 0.974 seconds, while McLaren driver Lando Norris qualified fifth at 1.146 seconds behind the leader. Lewis Hamilton put his Ferrari in sixth place, with Pierre Gasly taking seventh for Alpine and Red Bull's Max Verstappen qualifying eighth.

Antonelli hits wall in Q1

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli suffered early elimination after hitting the wall at Turn One during the opening phase of qualifying. The 20-year-old Italian driver damaged the left-front suspension and tire of his Mercedes during the incident near the close of the Q1 session. Antonelli expressed over team radio that he wanted to continue running, but Mercedes engineers informed him that the damage could not be repaired in the limited time before the start of Q2. As a result of the impact, Antonelli was unable to participate in the remaining qualifying rounds and will start Saturday's race from 16th place on the grid. Following the incident, Antonelli sat behind the trackside catch fence with his helmet visor open while the rest of the field contested pole position.

Championship standings and Monza precedent

Antonelli enters the 15th round of the 23-race season holding an 81-point lead over his Mercedes teammate Russell in the drivers' championship standings. The Italian is in his second year in Formula 1 and is pursuing a bid to become the youngest world champion in the history of the sport, as well as the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. Nine races remain on the 2026 calendar, giving Russell an opportunity to reduce the championship deficit if he converts his front-row start into a victory. Antonelli previously overcame a low grid slot on 6 September, recovering from 19th position to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza earlier this month.

Grid order and revised race schedule

Behind the top eight runners, Carlos Sainz qualified ninth for Williams and Franco Colapinto took tenth place for Alpine. The midfield and lower grid positions saw Haas driver Oliver Bearman in 11th, followed by Liam Lawson, Alexander Albon, Esteban Ocon, and Arvid Lindblad in 15th place. Audi endured a difficult qualifying session despite introducing technical updates, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg managing only 17th and 18th positions. Fernando Alonso qualified 19th for Aston Martin, ahead of Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, with Lance Stroll completing the grid in 22nd. The Grand Prix takes place on Saturday instead of Sunday, scheduled for 13:00, because Azerbaijan observes its national Remembrance Day on Sunday.