Colapinto‘s Qualifying Ends in Crash, Will Start 19th at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
baku, Azerbaijan – A chaotic qualifying session at the azerbaijan Grand Prix ended prematurely for Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who crashed at the end of Q1 and will start the race from 19th position. The incident occurred amidst a series of crashes and interruptions that dramatically reshaped the grid.
Colapinto’s crash followed a similar issue experienced by teammate Pierre Gasly, who lost control and collided with the wall. “We both had a similar problem with rear tires. I was following Pierre and,obviously,in such a situation you loose the focus a little,” Colapinto explained. The Argentine was 16th in Q1 when the incident occurred.
The session saw multiple drivers fall victim to the challenging conditions and tight circuit. Alexander Albon (Williams) was the first to collide in the same corner, followed by crashes involving Oliver Bearman (Haas), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and Oscar Piastri (McLaren). Leclerc and Piastri were eliminated in Q1, while Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Lewis Hamilton (ferrari) failed to progress beyond Q2. Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) also had an incident but was able to return to the pits.
Amidst the disruptions, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) ultimately secured pole position with a late flyer, edging out Carlos sainz (Ferrari). Liam Lawson (RB) and Oliver Antonelli (Mercedes) will start from the second row.
The qualifying session was marked by a record number of interruptions and red flags,leading to an unpredictable grid for Sunday’s 51-lap race,scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM Argentine time.