Manama: Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen will start from pole position in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 17th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, after setting the fastest time in Qualifying today at the Baku Circuit, which was marked by a series of crashes and stoppages.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Verstappen, the four-time world champion, clocked 1:41.117 to finish ahead of Spain's Carlos Sainz of Williams, who recorded a time of 1:41.595, and New Zealand's Liam Lawson of RB, who posted a 1:41.707. This marks Verstappen's first pole at Baku, his sixth this season, and the 46th of his career.
After the session, Verstappen commented on the challenges of the day, stating: "It was difficult to put a lap together with so many red flags. On the final lap I gave it everything, and although I wasn't on the best tyres, I'm happy with the result."
The Qualifying session was notably extended to nearly two hours due to multiple red flags. These interruptions were caused by incidents involving Alexander Albon of Williams, Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber, Franco Colapinto of Alpine, and Oliver Bearman of Haas, alongside crashes by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Oscar Piastri of McLaren.
Britain's Lando Norris of McLaren ended up in seventh place after an error on his only flying lap in Q3. Meanwhile, his fellow Briton, Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, conveyed his frustration with the result, despite his confidence in the car's performance.