Charles Leclerc wins second straight pole position as Azerbaijan qualifying race sees four red flags

Another qualifying race, another pole position. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc claimed the top spot at his second successive qualifying race on Saturday in Baku. It was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying race. Much like the Monaco GP, this one too had its fair fair share of drama and controversy. However, the glory yet again went to French diver Leclerc who, this time, finished the race in first place. Despite his pole position at the Monaco qualifying, he had crashed right at the end and the race was ended. Had it gone on, it is possible that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen might have overtaken him.

The race saw title challengers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen finish second and third respectively behind Leclerc. The Frenchman set his fastest time thanks to a slipstream from Hamilton. It was the ninth pole position of his career. A red flag on the final run sealed his second consecutive pole in qualifying. Hamilton staged an inspiring recovery after what was a difficult weekend for Mercedes, while Red Bull’s Verstappen was left frustrated at the end of the race. Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly ended up claiming the fourth spot, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

It was a race rife with drama as the Baku circuit saw four red flags after a series of crashes. On paper, Red Bull was the fastest team heading into the trace but they failed to perform in what was a pretty disruptive session. Q3 was halted with only a minute to go as Alpha Tauri driver and Gasly’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda crashed at turn three. The following Sainz had no choice but to take evasive action at the last second. The Ferrari driver ended up locking his wheels and smashing into a safety barrier.

NOT A MONACO REPEAT FOR LECLERC

Leclerc will be hoping that the Azerbaijan GP turns out to be better than him than the Monaco GP. The Frenchman had grabbed pole position at the Monaco GP qualifying as well and started the race at the front of the pack. However, he suffered a heartbreaking crash at the beginning of the race and was forced to retire. Verstappen ended up winning the Monaco GP, moving four points ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’ championship table.

Sainz will start from the third row in the Azerbaijan GP, alongside McLaren’s Lando Norris. However, Norris might be hit with a grid penalty for failing to obey red flag protocol.