Lewis Hamilton nightmare as Lando Norris gets title boost – Baku qualifying winners and losers

Six red flags set a new Formula 1 record for the number of stoppages in a Grand Prix qualifying session as the likes of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc fell victim to the Baku track

Qualifying in Baku is always something of a spectacle as drivers search for all the marginal gains they can get on a tight and testing street circuit. The walls that surround the Azerbaijan Grand Prix circuit have claimed many cars over the years and it was never likely to be any different this year.

Just six minutes had passed when the red flags flew for the first time, caused by Alex Albon who will be gutted to have missed out on another Q3 opportunity. Before the first part of qualifying was over, there were another stoppages. The first came when Nico Hulkenberg buried the nose of his Sauber into the wall, though he was able to get his car going again.

The second was caused by both Alpine cars when one took the run-off and the other crashed out at the same corner within seconds of each other. That was an almost comical moment, but there was nothing funny for Lewis Hamilton who failed to make it to the top 10.

And Oscar Piastri also suffered a potential blow to his Formula 1 title hopes as he crashed out of the final part of the session and presented Lando Norris with an opportunity to make it count. He couldn’t, qualifying only seventh while Max Verstappen took pole to lead an extremely mixed-up starting grid.

Winner – McLaren

McLaren are hunting the constructors’ title this weekend and have had their jobs made even easier by Ferrari, who they need to out-score by nine points or more to seal the championship on Sunday. But, like Charles Leclerc before him, Piastri crashed out in Q3 to give Norris the ideal chance to take another chunk out of his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings and move himself back into greater contention for personal glory by the end of the year. He couldn’t grab it, qualifying seventh with his Aussie only two places further back, but it still puts the team in a strong position to accomplish their mission in the team’s championship.

Winner – Max Verstappen

Pole for the Dutchman as he negotiated the chaos perfectly to take pole position, leading a very mixed-up starting grid. But even without all that was going on around him, Verstappen’s pace throughout Saturday was really strong and he is now on course for back-to-back Grand Prix wins for the first time all year.

Winner – Carlos Sainz

So often this season Albon has been the Williams driver who has shone but it was the turn of Carlos Sainz to make an impression here. And boy did he! While his team-mate suffered an unwanted early exit – more on that in a moment – the Spaniard did well to negotiate a fraught qualifying session and then took his opportunity to go second fastest in Q3, setting him up for a tilt at a strong points haul on Sunday.

Loser – Alex Albon

Sainz’s team-mate Albon was out of qualifying after only a few minutes. He misjudged the 90-degree left turn at the first corner and hit the inside wall with his front-left wheel, snapping the suspension and causing the first red flag of the day. He’s been in fine form of late with three top-seven finishes in his last four Grands Prix, but will do well to continue that streak in Baku starting at the very back of the grid.

Loser – Alpine

A double Q1 exit for the worst team in F1 this season would ordinarily be no great surprise, but the way in which their sessions ended was so poor it was almost comical. Pierre Gasly lost grip and used the run-off area at turn six, causing yellow flags in that section which seemed to be ignored by team-mate Franco Colapinto behind him who, possibly distracted and inexplicably still pushing, lost control and smashed his car into the wall. Right on cue, the TV director cut to an obviously unimpressed Flavio Briatore in the Alpine garage.

Loser – Ferrari

They looked very quick in practice on Friday, but qualifying could not have gone much worse for Ferrari. They must avoid being outscored by nine points or more by McLaren on Sunday to stop the leaders from wrapping up the championship this weekend, but that will be even harder with Hamilton 12th on the grid after a Q2 exit and Leclerc just two places higher after he crashed early in Q3 to bring out the red flags for what felt like the millionth time.