Formula 1 in Baku

Russell Speeds to Pole, Antonelli Wrecks His Car

George Russell clinched pole position in Baku.(Bild: AP/Pavel Bednyakov)

Mixed feelings for the Mercedes Formula 1 team! While George Russell confidently raced to pole position at the Baku City Circuit, qualifying was already over for his teammate Kimi Antonelli after Q1. In a left-hand turn, the Italian hit the wall and damaged his car so badly that it could no longer be used.

George Russell is well-positioned to make up ground in the race for the Formula 1 world championship title. The Englishman secured pole position on Friday during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, while his Mercedes teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli hit the wall, was unable to continue after Q1, and finished in 16th place. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will start Saturday’s race (1 p.m.) in second place.

The starting grid:

  Russell was the fastest in all segments of qualifying amid strong winds; in the final segment in particular, he made a strong statement with a time of 1:42.526, leaving the competition in the dust. Leclerc finished 0.837 seconds behind. It is the largest margin in a qualifying session since Canada 2023. Back then, Max Verstappen held a 1.244-second lead in the rain. The Dutchman was among the frontrunners in each practice session but ultimately could not get past eighth place (+1.555). The second Red Bull driver, Isack Hadjar, fared better, finishing fourth (+0.974) in his comeback qualifying session. Just ahead of him was McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (+0.838).

“The car feels great”
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in such a good position; this is probably the biggest lead of my entire career—the car just feels great,” said Russell. In Q3, he was able to put in the “perfect lap.” “I got a little slipstream from Hadjar on the back straight—that was great.” The 28-year-old will start the race from pole position for the fifth time this season. On the street circuit, that could be half the battle on the way to victory. “The starting position is great,” Russell emphasized. The 81-point deficit to 20-year-old Antonelli—who crashed his left front wheel into the wall—could therefore be significantly reduced due to that mistake.

Leclerc spoke of a good lap, but immediately qualified his assessment in light of the large gap to Russell. “Then the lap probably wasn’t that good after all.” In terms of position, he said, they’re where they’d hoped to be, but the gap is damn big. “We would have thought things looked better.” Piastri, on the other hand, was completely satisfied, especially since they’d once again been trailing behind in free practice. “It wasn’t the first time this year that’s happened. It’s nice to see that we’re back in the mix in qualifying.” Qualifying started a few minutes late because debris still had to be cleared from the track.

Verstappen Fastest in 3rd Practice
Verstappen had already complained about his stubborn Red Bull during the final practice session, but still managed to set the fastest time. “If only this damn car wouldn’t hop around like a kangaroo, my God!” the four-time world champion grumbled during the one-hour session, before he was able to push the car to its limit and set the fastest time of 1:43.922, ahead of Russell. The latter had touched the track barrier with the front of his car shortly before the end of the session. Russell had previously been the fastest in the first two practice sessions. The 15th race of the World Championship will take place on Saturday, as Sunday in Azerbaijan marks the national day of remembrance for the victims of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.