Charles Leclerc climbed to pole with a proud smile from the Ferrari cockpit after his miracle lap. The Formula 1 qualifying king had struck again in Baku – and is reaching for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Sunday, 1 p.m. / Sky) after the redeeming first win in two months.
With an outstanding final lap of 1:41.359 minutes, the Monegasque moved up to the front of the starting grid on Saturday. For Leclerc it is the 15th pole of his Formula 1 career, the fourth in a row and the sixth in the eighth race of the season. “Everything came together for me on the last lap, I’m very happy,” said Leclerc.
The 24-year-old has been waiting for a win since the Australian Grand Prix, since then he has only been on the podium once and the once comfortable championship lead is gone. The gap to world champion Max Verstappen is now nine points. The Red Bull Star (+ 0.347 seconds) starts the race on the street circuit on the Caspian Sea from third place. His in-form teammate Sergio Perez pushed ahead of him (+ 0.282). Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari (+ 0.455) completes the second row of the grid in fourth place.
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However, predictions are difficult in Azerbaijan. The race is often chaotic, the front row is worth less than at other circuits. The pole setter only won once (2019, Valtteri Bottas).
Sebastian Vettel
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Vettel convinced in ninth
Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin performed well and finished ninth. A braking error in Q2, in which he touched the barriers head-on, had no consequences. “The moment in Q2 was a bit hairy. Getting into Q3 was the goal,” said Vettel, adding with a view to the race: “Everything’s possible here.”
For Mick Schumacher, the hoped-for liberation did not materialize. The Haas driver failed in Q1 and has to start the race from last place on the grid. Two weeks after his recent total loss in Monaco and the following clear criticism from team boss Günther Steiner, the 23-year-old was therefore unable to gain self-confidence.
After the hunt for times, Schumacher seemed irritated. “I’m annoyed, the car is better than the last place. The qualifying speaks for itself. It’s really disappointing,” said Schumacher on “Sky” and still expressed his hope for a top 10 placement: “Baku is chaotic. You can still finish in the points from last place. My dad used to do it too, so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t do it too.”
Even the training impressions before qualifying had been mixed, on Friday Schumacher had also slowed down a large leak in the cooling system. In qualifying, Vettel’s teammate Lance Stroll cost him the chance of a better placement. The Canadian caused an interruption due to a driving error shortly before the end of Q1. In heavy traffic, Schumacher was unable to improve after the session resumed.
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