GEORGE Russell has been the driver to beat all weekend in Baku, and he delivered his biggest statement yet in qualifying.
After topping the first two practice sessions, Russell produced a stunning final lap in Q3 to take his fifth pole of the 2026 Formula 1 season ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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The Mercedes driver clocked 1:42.526 on his final run, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.837 milliseconds to cap a methodical qualifying performance.
The margin was the largest for pole in F1 since the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen outqualified Nico Hulkenberg by 1.244 seconds.
“It’s been a while, so it definitely feels good,” Russell said after qualifying. “It is probably the biggest margin of my whole career, including F2 and F3 days," Russell said.
“I was feeling good, to be honest. Max has been very fast, so I don’t know what happened to him at the end."
Leclerc will join Russell on the front row, with Oscar Piastri taking third after finishing just one-thousandth of a second behind the Ferrari. Isack Hadjar qualified fourth, while Lando Norris will start fifth after going off-track in his final Q3 lap.
Lewis Hamilton lines up sixth, followed by Pierre Gasly and Verstappen. Carlos Sainz starts ninth, with Franco Colapinto rounding out the top 10.
Kimi crashes out early
While Russell was charging to pole, championship leader Kimi Antonelli endured a qualifying nightmare.
The Mercedes youngster clipped the wall at Turn 1 in Q1, damaging his car and ending his session early. Antonelli could do no more and will start Sunday's race from 16th.
It is a major setback for the championship leader, who now faces a fight through the field while his teammate and closest title rival starts from the front of the grid.
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