By: George Russell extracted everything possible from the Mercedes power unit in qualifying for the Azerbaijan GP. His performance won universal acclaim. Put simply, the Briton had no rival here in Baku. Ferrari and McLaren could only limit the damage. It was nevertheless a very strange qualifying session, with Verstappen and Hamilton unusually behind their team-mates, who managed to secure places on the first two rows.
It was a shame for Sainz, who produced a superb qualifying performance and got Williams back into Q3: he will have to serve a five-place penalty for breaching double yellow flags. Likewise, Perez, who was guilty of impeding, will start from the back after being handed a three-place penalty by the FIA. Stroll and Alonso will start from the final row following power unit changes.
Azerbaijan GP starting grid - Start at 13:00
With Perez's Cadillac already at the back of the field, it is Sainz's drop that causes the greater reshuffle. Colapinto (Alpine) gains ninth on the starting grid, while Bearman (Haas) will find himself starting in the top 10. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli starting from P16, the race is sure to be packed with action and overtaking. Lights go out at 13:00 Italian time on Saturday 26 September.
Why are we referring to a provisional grid? Because team technicians could still identify issues with the cars before tomorrow's race and, should it become necessary to replace a component subject to regulatory restrictions, the Federation would be forced to drop the driver concerned by several places on the grid.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Azerbaijan GP 2026
