1 hr ago
George Russell Takes Azerbaijan Pole After Antonelli Qualifying Crash
George Russell drove the fastest lap in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
This means he will start the race from the best position.
He was much faster than Charles Leclerc, who qualified second.
Russell’s Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, crashed early and will start 16th.
Antonelli leads Russell by 81 points in the championship.
Other drivers also had problems or penalties that changed the expected starting order.
The race is held on the tricky Baku street circuit.
Only three of the circuit’s nine races have been won by the driver starting first.
George Russell secured pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a time of 1:42.526.
Russell beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds for his 12th career pole.
Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli crashed at the first corner and will start 16th.
Max Verstappen qualified eighth after power-unit problems and a yellow flag affected his final run.
Grid penalties for Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez further complicated the starting order in unpredictable Baku.
- Who
- George Russell took pole, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri; Kimi Antonelli crashed during qualifying.
- What
- Russell secured pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while several drivers faced crashes, car problems, or grid penalties.
- Where
- The event is at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
- When
- Qualifying took place on Friday, with the race scheduled for Saturday.
- Why
- Russell set the fastest qualifying lap, while Antonelli lost control at the first corner and crashed, breaking his suspension.
Key facts
- Pole position
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Qualifying time
- 1 minute 42.526 seconds
- Second place
- Charles Leclerc, 0.837 seconds behind Russell
- Third place
- Oscar Piastri
- Kimi Antonelli’s starting position
- 16th after crashing in qualifying
- Championship gap
- Antonelli leads Russell by 81 points after 14 rounds
- Baku circuit record
- Seven different winners in nine races; only three races won from pole
Quotes
George Russell
Mercedes driver who qualified on pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
“It’s a good way to come back to earth and to remind myself that I need to be on top of it every time because otherwise I do these mistakes and a very stupid one”
rediff.com
“It’s probably the biggest margin in my whole career, even including F2, F3 days. So, the lap felt really sweet.”
rediff.com
Sources
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