George Russell takes pole position in Azerbaijan. Immediately behind him Leclerc and Piastri. Antonelli, out in Q1, will have to make another comeback
George Russell it left no room for interpretation. He took the pole position of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a time of 1:42.526, the twelfth of his career, obtained with a superiority (the result of his own merits but also of a Mercedes clearly superior to the other cars) that is rarely seen so clearly in Formula 1 qualifying.
The summary of F1 qualifying
On the Baku circuit, the W17 is in another category, few stories. Russell he was perfect especially in the Castello area, the section that historically makes the difference on this track, and it was there that he built a large part of his advantage over the competition. A good eight tenths of a second left behind Ferrari Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque runs cleanly on a track that has often exalted him, but the difference between the Ferrari and the Mercedes is simply too much. The situation behind him is curious: just one thousandth divided Leclerc from McLaren’s Oscar Piastrithird.
The other Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamiltoninstead he finished sixth, penalized by a contact with the wall in the first attempt of Q3 and by the choice to complete the final lap without a slipstream. Fifth Lando Norrispreceded by Isack Hadjarauthor of a high-level qualification. Max Verstappen he stopped in eighth place: the Dutchman suffered from power unit problems during the entire session and suffered particular battery difficulties in Q3.
What a race Kimi Antonelli will have to do
The most bitter note at Mercedes comes from Kimi Antonellileader of the World Championship. The Bolognese exaggerated in the entry corner of the first corner, being eliminated already in Q1. He will therefore be forced to start from sixteenth position on the grid. He has already made a similar comeback, in Monza, in the “temple of speed”. Baku, in fact, historically offers good overtaking opportunities. But it won’t be easy.
The Grand Prix will start tomorrow 26 September, at 1pm. For Russellit will be a great opportunity to reduce the 81 point gap in the standings. Antonellifor his part, will have to confirm the talent and maturity widely demonstrated so far.
