‘Perfect lap’ gives Russell pole for Azerbaijan GP as Antonelli crashes out
The 28-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 42.526 seconds to beat nearest rival Charles Leclerc.
George Russell secured his first pole position in seven races at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday, leveraging his Mercedes teammate, world champion Kimi Antonelli, who crashed during qualifying. Russell, 28, clocked a best lap of 1:42.526, surpassing nearest rival Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds. This marked Russell's first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix in June and his 12th career pole.
Antonelli crashed heavily in Turn One during Q1, sustaining damage that ended his participation, finishing the session in 16th. Russell, who had never qualified better than fifth in Baku, expressed delight at his performance, describing it as "the perfect lap" with a significant margin of his career-best lap. McLaren's Oscar Piastri finished third, followed by Isack Hadjar of Red Bull, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, and Max Verstappen.
Verstappen was eighth, ahead of Carlos Sainz, who qualified in 10th, his first top 10 in 2022, and Franco Colapinto in the second Alpine. Antonelli's crash was the first of his season, following his qualifying position. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held on Saturday due to the national day of remembrance on September 27.
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