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Agence France-Presse

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured pole for the fourth consecutive year at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
As title challenger Lando Norris of McLaren qualified only 17th, the Monegasque driver, who won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in his last outing, continued his supreme single lap form to wind up three-tenths of a second ahead of Piastri.
It was the 26th pole of his career at a track where he has yet to win. Carlos Sainz was third in the second Ferrari and Sergio Perez fourth for Red Bull ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
Three-time world champion and series leader Max Verstappen was sixth in the second Red Bull as his recent struggles continued.
Verstappen leads Norris by 62 points in the title race with eight races of the season remaining.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh for Mercedes ahead of two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Argentine new boy Franco Colapinto of Williams and his teammate Alex Albon.
As has been the case for most of the season, China’s Zhou Guanyu and his Sauber teammate Valtteri Bottas finished well down the field, and will start Sunday’s race 19th and 18th, respectively.
“It’s one of my favourite tracks of the season,” Leclerc said. “It hasn’t been an easy weekend for me with the crash in first practice and then a problem in second practice with a new part.
“I wasn’t worried, but the pace was already there and in my last lap I went for it a bit more. It is amazing to be on pole again!”
The session began in slanting sunshine across the old city by the Caspian Sea, the Mercedes duo quick to enter the fray on medium tyres for two exploratory laps of the slippery street track.
As the conditions improved, Leclerc produced a lap in 1:42.775 to go top while Mercedes switched to softs, Russell swiftly jumping to second and Hamilton to fourth.
But in a final scrabble for places, as Piastri went third behind Leclerc and Albon, Norris pitted and missed the cut, eliminated in 17th place ahead of only the Saubers and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. RB’s Daniel Ricciardo was also out.
It was Norris’s first Q1 elimination since the Las Vegas race last year.
“The lap was good enough, but it was a yellow flag so I had to back off,” Norris said.
Q2 saw Verstappen on top ahead of Leclerc with Perez and Sainz third and fourth.
After a final flurry, Alonso rose to fifth and Colapinto to sixth while Albon hung on to 10th to push Bearman out in 11th along with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg of Haas and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.
The top-10 shoot-out began with Leclerc, in 1:46.610, on top ahead of Sainz after an early lap by Russell.
As the final laps began, Albon left the pits with an airbox fan still attached to his Williams car. He pulled it off and threw it to a marshal.
This bizarre incident did not distract Ferrari or Leclerc, however, as he reeled off 1:43.365 to grab his fourth consecutive Baku pole.


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Formula One (F1)

Formula One: Ferrari’s Leclerc claims fourth straight pole in Baku, Verstappen sixth

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (right) shakes hands with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after the end of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Photo: AFP

Sauber pair Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu work their way around the Baku City Circuit during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo: EPA-EFE

Formula One: Sauber to put brakes on Zhou Guanyu’s career, Bottas ‘top of list’ for 2025

Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu steers his car during the second practice session ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Photo: AFP

Zhou Guanyu supporters pose for pictures in Baku. Photo: Xinhua

What Hong Kong can learn from how Singapore made a success of its Formula One grand prix

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jnr celebrates winning the Singapore Grand Prix last September. Photo: Reuters

Samantha Chen said Singapore kept its grand prix fresh by being responsive to local needs. Photo: EPA-EFE

SCMP’s Paul McNamara, CAA Sports’ Samantha Chen and the National Games office’s Paul Cheng. Photo: Eugene Lee

Sport

Motorsport

McLaren title challenger Lando Norris 17th, as teammate Oscar Piastri grabs second spot in grid


McLaren title challenger Lando Norris 17th, as teammate Oscar Piastri grabs second spot in grid.
