The pole position of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the city circuit of the capital Baku belongs to the Monegasque Ferrari driver.
Second consecutive pole for Charles Leclerc and for Ferrari in qualifying in Baku. A double incident by Tsunoda and Sainz in the final stages closes the official practice early and delivers to the Azerbaijan GP a front row completed by Lewis Hamilton (+0.232) while Max Verstappen has to settle for the second row with the third time. For the other Ferrari driver Sainz third row together with Lando Norris.
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Like in Montecarlo, Leclerc scores pole position and – just like fifteen days from in the Principality – the Monegasque also succeeds … “thanks” to a red flag that closes the qualification when all the big names were in full swing in the last time attack at the time previously set by Leclerc himself, to whom two consecutive poles failed by the Spa-Monza double in 2019, then completed by the victory in both Grand Prix! The ninth pole of his career Charles “detaches” it at the end of a Q3 from the frantic final with the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda “on the wall” at turn 3, imitated a few seconds later by the other Ferrari driver Sainz who – sensing the accident of the Japanese and trying to avoid it – had to abort the curve, ending up in turn against the protections of the escape route. The Spaniard must therefore be satisfied with the fifth time and a place in the third row with Lando Norris and his McLaren.
The big loser of the Azerbaijani qualifications is however Max Verstappen who not only misses a pole that many took for granted already … on Friday, but it must also suffer the domineering return of Lewis Hamilton who – after a nightmare Friday for the Black Arrows – rolls up his sleeves earning the right to shoot alongside the SF21 number sixteen at the start of the sixth round of the World Championship. The Black King from Leclerc is 232 thousandths of a second behind while the Dutchman (leader of the general with four points over Hamilton himself) accuses 345, just two less than Pierre Gasly (more and more at ease on the city circuits that supports him second row.
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