Verstappen takes Baku F1 pole after six red flags and late Q3 rain. Sainz starts P2 for Williams, Lawson P3. Full Q1–Q3 recap, lap times, and starting grid.
Azerbaijan GP qualifying at Baku City Circuit featured six red flags, late Q3 rain, and mixed tyre strategies.
Max Verstappen’s pole lap was 1:41.117, with Carlos Sainz +0.445s behind.
Updated: 20 September 2025, 18:45 local time. Added driver comments from Verstappen, Sainz and Lawson, plus team reaction from VCARB and Alpine.
Verstappen is now on back-to-back poles, holding his nerve while rivals faltered. Carlos Sainz produced a shock for Williams with a front-row start. Liam Lawson delivered the lap of his life to claim third.
Q1 – Red flags set the tone at Baku City Circuit
Qualifying started the way it meant to go on. With carbon fibre in the walls.
Alex Albon was first, clipping the Turn 1 barrier. Suspension gone, session over. Red flag one.
Nico Hülkenberg followed, locking up at Turn 4 and smacking the wall. He limped back minus his front wing. Red flag two.
Then came Franco Colapinto. The Alpine rookie carried too much speed and crashed heavily, bringing out red flag three. His car was destroyed but he walked away unharmed.
Yellow flags and aborted laps added to the chaos. Gasly went off, Ocon simply lacked pace. Norris just edged Verstappen at the top, but the damage tally told the real story.
Eliminated in Q1: Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Ocon, Gasly, Albon
Q2 – Bearman crash and Hamilton out in P12
Repairs delayed the restart. When the track went green, Ollie Bearman barely lasted a lap. A brush with the Turn 2 exit wall snapped his suspension. “So stupid,” came the gutted radio call. Red flag four.
Hamilton’s nightmare followed. After topping FP2, Ferrari looked strong. But a scruffy sequence under yellows left him stranded. He finished P12, nowhere near Q3.
Fernando Alonso was also out after struggling for grip. Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll failed to improve. Norris led the times again, Russell and Antonelli close behind, Verstappen lurking.
Eliminated in Q2: Alonso, Hamilton, Bortoleto, Stroll, Bearman
Q3 – Six red flags, rain, and Verstappen pole (1:41.117)
The final chapter was pure mayhem.
Charles Leclerc locked up at Turn 15 and went straight on. Ferrari hopes ended in the barrier. Red flag five.
Moments later, Oscar Piastri repeated the mistake at Turn 3. Heavy impact. His McLaren broken, his chance gone. Red flag six.
That made it official. The most red flags ever in a qualifying session.
Rain began to spit on the camera lenses. Grip levels vanished. Teams split strategies: Verstappen on mediums, most others on softs.
Sainz pulled out a flyer to put Williams on provisional pole. Lawson followed with a spectacular lap for third. Antonelli beat Russell in their private duel, Mercedes rookie rising to P4. Tsunoda slotted into sixth.
Norris brushed the wall on a messy run and could do no better than seventh. Hadjar took eighth. Piastri and Leclerc, both wrecked, were classified ninth and tenth.
Verstappen, cool as ever, produced when it counted. A 1:41.117 put him top. Pole secured in the most chaotic session of the season.
Standout stories
Carlos Sainz – Front row for Williams, a shock result that rewrites expectations.
Liam Lawson – P3 in a Racing Bull. Career-best and the biggest surprise of 2025.
Kimi Antonelli – Beat Russell in their head-to-head. Rookie status? Doesn’t matter.
McLaren – Both cars in the wall. Norris only seventh, Piastri a non-finisher. Title push dented.
Ferrari – Leclerc crashed. Hamilton eliminated in Q2. A bruising day for Maranello.
Driver reactions – Azerbaijan GP qualifying
- Max Verstappen: “It was a very long qualifying with all the red flags… In the end you just had to send it. I wasn’t even on the tyres I wanted, but I’m happy with how it worked out.”
- Carlos Sainz: “Honestly, we nailed qualifying today. Right tyre, right time, strong laps. If tomorrow we can keep it consistent, then a first podium for Williams is the target.”
- Liam Lawson: “I said it would be chaos, but I didn’t expect that. With the rain and so many red flags it was busy, but the car was good when it mattered.”
Team reactions – VCARB
- Liam Lawson: “It was one of the most crazy qualifying sessions I’ve been in… everything came together and starting third is a great position.”
- Isack Hadjar: “It was really tricky out there… a mistake at the final corner cost me time, but P8 is still strong.”
- Head of Vehicle Performance: “Liam delivered a fantastic drive for P3, Isack was also strong in P8. Both cars are in good positions to fight for points.”
Team reactions – Alpine
- Pierre Gasly: “It was very tricky with the strong winds. Sorry to the team for the mistake… We’ll try to get something tomorrow.”
- Franco Colapinto: “The car felt better today but a gust of wind spun me into the wall… Q2 was possible, which makes it frustrating.”
- Flavio Briatore: “Not a good day for us with both cars out in Q1… but we must be ready to capitalise on any opportunities in the race.”
Stewards’ decisions
- Esteban Ocon faces disqualification after post-session checks revealed his rear wing failed scrutineering.
- Kimi Antonelli received a reprimand for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags in Q1.
Starting grid – 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Here’s how the field lines up for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix:
Sunday ahead
Verstappen starts on pole, chasing momentum. Sainz is alongside in a Williams, a front row no one saw coming. Lawson sits third – his career best. Antonelli and Russell give Mercedes both cars in the top five.
McLaren are on the back foot. Ferrari are bruised. Baku always delivers, but this time qualifying alone was a race in itself.
Lights out for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is Sunday at 3pm local.
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