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Baku pole for Leclerc for fourth year in a row

Reuters|Published

Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc celebrates his pole position after the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on September 14, 2024. Picture: Natalia KOLESNIKOVA, AFP

FERRARI’S Charles Leclerc took pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row on Saturday as McLaren’s title contender Lando Norris suffered a qualifying nightmare and will start 17th on the grid.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri joined Leclerc on the front row, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez together on the second row.

Red Bull’s world championship leader Max Verstappen, 62 points ahead of Norris with eight rounds remaining, qualified only sixth fastest with Mercedes’ George Russell ahead of him in fifth.

The pole was the 26th of Leclerc’s career, and third of the season, but he has yet to convert the top slot into victory in Baku, where champions Red Bull have won for the past three years.

“It’s one of my favourite tracks of the season, I really like it,” said the Monegasque, who won the previous race in Italy but crashed in Friday practice in Baku.

“It hasn’t been an easy weekend because of the crash in FP1. But it didn’t make me lose the confidence, I knew the pace was there.

“It was all about trying to stay away from the walls and then in that last lap I went for it a bit more and the lap time came very nice.

“The car felt really good, everything felt great and it’s amazing to be on pole.”

Leclerc’s time of one minute 41.365 seconds was 0.321 quicker than Piastri’s best effort.

The Australian had been third after the first flying laps, with Ferrari one-two, but found some extra speed with his final effort.

“I got a little bit close to the walls on the last lap; just tried to get the most out of it,” said Piastri.

“This track rewards commitment and the last lap in Q3, I knew I had a little less to lose, so just tried to maximise the car.”

Norris could only watch as a spectator after going out at the first hurdle when a yellow flag was displayed briefly at the end of the first phase and scuppered his last attempt to get out of the bottom five.

“Everyone did their second laps and I didn’t,” he told Sky Sports TV.

“It was unlucky, that’s all. I had to lift.

“There’s a long race ahead, we have some good tyres in the bank, I’m still hopeful we can get a good result. I think the car is quick. Bit frustrating, but nothing I can do.”

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh for Mercedes, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso eighth and the Williams’ of Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon ninth and 10th.

Albon’s hopes of moving up were wrecked when he left the pits with a bright yellow cooling fan still lodged in the car’s airbox behind his head.

He stopped, removed the bulky item and threw it onto the side of the track, but missed the chance of a final lap.

Reuters

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