As night fell in Baku , the drizzle began to set the stage for an electrifying qualifying session during the 2025 Formula 1 season. With just eight minutes left in Q3, the rain intensified shortly before Charles Leclerc triggered the session’s fifth red flag. At that moment, Carlos Sainz held the top spot with a time of 1:41.595, closely followed by Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar . Sainz humorously rallied his team, saying, “You can start dancing to make the rain a bit stronger.” This marked his seventh career pole position and his first since the last Mexican Grand Prix. However, his wishes fell on deaf ears as the sun peeked through, drying the asphalt just as Max Verstappen and Lando Norris started to push for the fastest times.
Almost immediately, Oscar Piastri found himself unable to navigate Turn 3, bringing out the sixth red flag of the day—setting a record for the F1 calendar. The crucial slowdown prevented Verstappen and Norris from completing their attempts to snatch pole from Williams, leaving just 3:41 on the clock for one final shot at glory.
That shot proved to be enough for Verstappen, who executed a precision lap of 1:41.117, besting Sainz by 47 milliseconds and Lawson, who came in third, by 59 milliseconds. This was Verstappen’s sixth pole of the year, outpacing Piastri’s count. In contrast, Norris underperformed, securing the seventh spot—merely two positions ahead of his McLaren teammate.
“I’ll Aim for the Podium”
Reflecting on his impressive second-place finish, Sainz noted, “We had an impeccable qualifying session, using the right tires at the right moments. This year I have been delivering strong performances in qualifying, and today we proved I have speed.” With the McLaren and Leclerc lagging, Sainz’s main rivals for podium contention on race day could be Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell , who secured fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Not to be overlooked, Yuki Tsunoda , who finished sixth, eliminated Fernando Alonso in Q2, sending the veteran to 11th on the starting grid, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton . The seven-time champion lamented to Sky F1, “Honestly, I thought today I would fight for pole,” reflecting on what he perceived as a strategic error from Ferrari for not utilizing medium tires in Q2.
The qualifying session turned out to be a marathon, lasting nearly two hours—longer than any of the previous 16 races of the season. This historic anomaly featured six interruptions due to accidents, including Leclerc’s fifth mishap at this track, where he had also secured four poles previously. Additionally, ferocious winds exceeding 80 km/h posed further challenges for drivers, complicating their every proximity to the circuit walls.
Alonso, during the last free session in Baku.
However, in the case of Alex Albon , his collision, which occurred with tailwind towards the finish line, was not due to a late braking error but rather a driving mistake that saw him veer too close to the inside of Turn 1, damaging his front suspension. The British driver would not return to the track, losing out to Sainz in Saturday’s battle, falling behind at 9-8.
Calamity for Alpine
Following nearly 15 minutes of red flag time to clear the debris and prepare the track, Nico Hulkenberg became the next driver to find the barriers, struggling to maneuver through Turn 4 before ultimately hitting the wall due to a slow-speed frontal impact. Although he returned to the track, the veteran from Sauber failed to move on to Q2.
The session that lasted 38 minutes—over double the scheduled 18 minutes—culminated in a farcical manner for Alpine. Just as Alonso managed to climb to ninth position, Pierre Gasly crashed at Turn 4. Following his wreck, Franco Colapinto encountered the stricken car and spun spectacularly as a result. The expression on Flavio Briatore’s face captured the disbelief in the Alpine garage, the team languishing at the bottom of the standings.
The situation extended even longer into Q2 due to Oliver Bearman’s accident as he grazed the barriers at Turn 2, severely damaging his rear suspension. Failing to post a valid time, the British driver placed 15th on the grid, right behind Lance Stroll .