Max Verstappen secured pole position for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a blistering lap of 1:41.231, extending Red Bull’s early‑season dominance. The Dutch driver edged out his teammate Sergio Pérez by just 0.087 seconds, setting up a classic Red Bull one‑two start for the street‑circuit in Baku.
McLaren’s surprise surge
In a surprise to many, McLaren’s Lando Norris qualified second, posting a 1:41.318 lap that placed the British driver on the front row beside Verstappen. Oscar Piastri, the Australian rookie, completed the podium‑locking third spot with a 1:41.452 effort, marking McLaren’s best qualifying performance of the season so far. The team’s strong showing was highlighted in a post‑qualifying report by McLaren, which credited the new aerodynamic package introduced for the 2026 season.
Other front‑runners
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, just 0.12 seconds off the McLaren trio, while his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. rounded out the top five. Mercedes struggled to find pace, with Lewis Hamilton landing in eighth and George Russell in tenth after a series of minor errors on the high‑speed straight.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly qualified sixth and seventh respectively, while the midfield saw a tightly packed field with Haas, AlphaTauri and Williams all fighting for the final grid positions. The qualifying session was marked by a brief red‑flag after a crash at Turn 8, but the interruption did not affect the top‑three lock‑out.
For India: When and where to watch
The race weekend runs from 26‑28 September, with the qualifying session taking place on Saturday at 14:00 IST. Indian fans can stream the live session on FanCode, which holds the official broadcasting rights for the 2026 season. The race itself will start on Sunday at 13:30 IST, also on FanCode, with a pre‑race analysis show featuring Indian pundits on the platform at 12:30 IST.
Source: Formula 1
