F1 | Amid the fall of the gods in Baku, Verstappen shines as a super champion
The Dutch driver remained perfectly focused in an Azerbaijan qualifying session that lasted nearly two hours, interrupted six times by red flags. While Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri crashed into the barriers and Lando Norris failed to capitalize on the situation, the Dutch sharpshooter seized the opportunity to claim a historic pole position.
The 2025 season may not bring Max Verstappen his fifth world championship, but that hardly matters. His status as the top driver on the grid continues to strengthen. Amid the chaos of Baku qualifying, marked by six red flags, it was Verstappen who emerged as the unshakable constant, a priceless asset for his team and an absolute delight for motorsport fans.
Chaos in Q3
After a series of interruptions, Q3 finally reached its climax, marking the fall of the gods. First Charles Leclerc, then Oscar Piastri, both ended violently against the barriers on a track made treacherous by a sudden drop in temperature and light rain, which on Baku’s street circuit is far from ideal.
After Piastri’s crash, only 3 minutes and 41 seconds remained—essentially one lap, a single chance to knock Carlos Sainz off the top spot. Sainz had capitalized in the first stint of Q3, exiting the pits at the right moment to set a time that placed him temporarily in the lead.
Norris misses the opportunity
Lando Norris had a golden opportunity, leaving the pits on his final set of new soft tires while Piastri returned on foot, but he squandered it, finishing with a forgettable seventh place after a minor tap at Turn 15. “I lost a bit of time there,” Norris admitted, “but not more than a second, which ended up being my final gap.” Points are up for grabs tomorrow, but with Oscar starting behind him, it’s a scenario that feels like a wasted opportunity, far from ideal for someone in a championship chase.
Verstappen delivers perfection
Verstappen, however, is a different breed. The Dutch driver delivered a clean, fast lap, demonstrating an unparalleled ability to assess track grip in real time. At the end of qualifying, the Red Bull garage celebrated pole position as a major success. A smiling Jos Verstappen even remarked that “spending a weekend on the old Nürburgring feels like good training.”
Max’s pole wasn’t the most predicted outcome but was still seen as the top option behind the McLaren duo. What neither Verstappen nor Red Bull could anticipate, however, is the starting grid that will take shape tomorrow afternoon.
Race prospects
Direct rivals for victory won’t be alongside or even close. For Max, all the drivers separating him from the two McLarens in seventh to ninth positions are potential allies in the fight for a breakthrough win. His other direct competitors, based on Friday’s race pace, are even further back: Leclerc in tenth and Hamilton in twelfth. Ferrari’s collapse began with a significant drop in temperature (from 27 to 20 degrees), which didn’t pair well with the medium tires that Charles and Lewis had saved for qualifying. “With the mediums we were 7 or 8 tenths off,” Leclerc commented. “I tried to push, and the incident happened. It was my mistake, but the grip at that moment was really low, and I don’t think the light rain was to blame, since moments earlier Carlos had set a very fast lap.”
Mercedes benefits
The temperature drop that hurt Ferrari became a boost for Mercedes. This time, the standout performer was Kimi Antonelli, which wasn’t surprising, as he had looked very comfortable on medium tires from the first practice session. After navigating Q1 (not without some struggle), Antonelli improved lap by lap, putting everything together at the crucial moment.
Pure oxygen for Kimi, one of the drivers most confident with medium tires for qualifying, a key factor in Baku. Ahead of Antonelli will start Liam Lawson, another driver navigating a challenging period, often a victim of the rapid highs and lows of Formula 1.
A qualifying test
Baku qualifying was a rigorous test, demanding both technical skill and mental resilience, something that should be valued beyond occasional points in the championship. The list of drivers who felt the barriers—Albon, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Bearman, Leclerc, and Piastri—speaks volumes.
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