Leclerc takes pole for Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Lando Norris suffers Q1 exit

Written by Carl Hilliard, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc clinched pole position for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, beating out McLaren and Oscar Piastri by three-tenths of a second, as Lando Norris failed to make it into Q2.

Four poles in four years around Azerbaijan for Charles Leclerc | Credit - Formula One

Leclerc, proving a strong show of force all weekend long, managed to hold off McLaren’s Piastri, the Monegasque driver setting a lap time of 1m 41.365s, enough to claim pole position ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix. 

Carlos Sainz also showed significant signs of pace, managing to stake a claim for third on the day, beating out both Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, who both start fourth and sixth place respectively.

A fourth place start on Sunday for Sergio Perez continues to show his talent around the streets of Baku, with this occasion being the first time all season that the Mexican has out-qualified teammate Verstappen. 

However, the RB20 continues to show balance problems as the season progresses, so both RB drivers will be doing all the can to maximise points and enlarge the gap on McLaren.

Mercedes’ George Russell splits the two RB cars, as he put his W15 in fifth place. Lewis Hamilton seemed to struggle for any real form around the Baku streets, only managing to put his Mercedes in seventh, with Fernando Alonso behind in eighth.

Eliminated drivers in Q1

20. Esteban Ocon

19. Zhou Guanyu

18. Valterri Bottas

17. Lando Norris

16. Daniel Ricciardo

Williams rookie Franco Colapinto, who replaced Logan Sargeant just weeks before, impressed many by out-qualifying teammate Alexander Albon and claiming ninth place, his first Q3 appearance in his very first full length qualifying session. 

Albon was let out of the pit garage with his airbox still in place on the car, however still managed to set a lap in the closing seconds of the session and claim tenth on the grid.

Eliminated drivers in Q2

15. Lance Stroll

14. Nico Hulkenberg

13. Pierre Gasly

12. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Oliver Bearman

Image Credit: F1

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the session, was McLaren’s Norris, who was knocked out in Q1 due to a hand in hand mistake. Norris went into a slide on the turn 16 kerb, putting him on the back foot for the long straight in sector three. 

This was followed by his team mistaking a white flag for a yellow flag, due to a slow Esteban Ocon ahead. Norris slowed down in anticipation, but the mistake by his team caused the British driver to only manage 17th on the grid.

Haas newcomer Oliver Bearman showed some promising signs also, out-qualifying his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, only just missing out on a Q3 appearance as he put his Haas car in P11, with Hulkenberg further down in 14th place.

The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to kick off on Sunday, 15 September, at 12 pm BST (3 pm track time). Can Leclerc and Ferrari finally convert a pole position into victory in the Land of Fire? Join in on Sunday to find out! 

Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Results

1. Charles Leclerc (1.41.365s)

2. Oscar Piastri (1.41.686s)

3. Carlos Sainz (1.41.805s)

4. Sergio Perez (1.41.813s)

5. George Russell (1.41.874s)

6. Max Verstappen (1.42.023s)

7. Lewis Hamilton (1.42.289s)

8. Fernando Alonso (1.42.369s)

9. Franco Colapinto (1.42.530s)

10. Alexander Albon (1.42.859s)

11. Oliver Bearman (1.42.968s)

12. Yuki Tsunoda (1.43.035s)

13. Pierre Gasly (1.43.179s)

14. Nico Hulkenberg (1.43.191s)

15. Lance Stroll (1.43.404s)

16. Daniel Ricciardo (1.43.547s)

    17. Lando Norris (1.43.609s)

18. Valtteri Bottas (1.43.618s)

19. Zhou Guanyu (1.44.246s)

20. Esteban Ocon (1.44.504s)