George Russell Takes Azerbaijan GP Pole as Liam Lawson Qualifies 11th

Liam Lawson Fights Back to 11th Following Red Bull Stint

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson returned to his regular seat after a successful three-race stint filling in for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, where he collected 14 points. Adapting back to the Racing Bulls car proved demanding after spending nearly a month handling a different machine. Lawson stated that the team had been slow all weekend and noted a lack of a tow during his final flying lap.

“We’ve just honestly been slow this weekend,” Lawson said after qualifying. “We made a step [up] for quali, which was good. The lap was really good up until turn 16. I just had no tow as well. I tried to start close to Max, but his out lap was too quick. By the end of the lap he’d pulled away. It’s super frustrating watching your delta climb, and you lose all the time you’ve made up.”

Lawson initially posted the 12th-fastest time in the session. He was subsequently upgraded to 11th on the grid after Williams driver Carlos Sainz received a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow down under yellow flags. Racing Bulls remains engaged in a fierce battle with Alpine for fifth place in the constructors’ championship.

George Russell Takes Pole as Kimi Antonelli Crashes Out

At the front of the grid, George Russell capitalised on prime conditions as Mercedes exploited the long straights of the Baku circuit. Russell claimed pole position by nearly a second over the rest of the field after championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed into the wall during the first part of qualifying.

“When I crossed the line and I saw the gap. I was shocked. I knew the lap was great,” Russell said. Despite his advantage, Russell warned against discounting his teammate, noting that Antonelli previously won from 19th on the grid at the Italian Grand Prix earlier in the month. Antonelli holds an 81-point lead over Russell in the standings heading into the weekend.

Antonelli clipped the wall, inflicting heavy damage to his front suspension and wheel. Although his earlier lap time was sufficient to advance him to Q2, the damage prevented him from taking any further part in the session, leaving the 20-year-old to start the race from 16th place.

Grid Shake-ups and McLaren’s Struggle

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished second, ending 0.837 seconds off Russell’s pace, while Oscar Piastri took third for McLaren just 0.001 seconds further back. Piastri’s strong grid position followed a chaotic practice session where McLaren mechanics were forced to use cable ties to secure bodywork components on his car.

“It’s been a little bit of a tricky one for us, but it’s not the first time this year,” Piastri observed regarding the team’s setup hurdles. “I feel like we get to qualifying, we take all the fuel out and the car just comes alive more.”

Isack Hadjar claimed fourth place for Red Bull on his return from injury. Further down the order, Lando Norris managed only fifth for McLaren, Lewis Hamilton took sixth for Ferrari, and Max Verstappen qualified eighth for Red Bull. No driver outside the top three managed to finish within a second of Russell’s benchmark time.