Max Verstappen secured pole position in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which descended into chaos as an extraordinary six red flags disrupted proceedings, producing one of the most dramatic sessions in Formula 1 history.

Among the midfield and backmarkers, Lando Norris failed to capitalise on teammate Oscar Piastri’s costly crash, with a scrappy lap leaving him only seventh. He edged out rookie Isack Hadjar, while Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc — both of whom struck the barriers in Q3 — could do no better than ninth and tenth.

Lewis Hamilton endured a frustrating afternoon. Despite showing pace in practice, the seven-time world champion was knocked out in Q2, qualifying just 12th behind Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in his Kick Sauber to secure 13th ahead of Lance Stroll, while Haas rookie Ollie Bearman triggered one of the stoppages after crashing at Turn 2, leaving him without a time in 15th.

The red-flag count continued to climb in Q1. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto ended his session in the wall at Turn 4, joining Nico Hülkenberg, who had earlier hit the same corner. They lined up 16th and 17th, respectively. Behind them, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon completed the order, with Albon responsible for the first red flag of the day after hitting the wall at Turn 1.

With incident after incident, the six stoppages prevented many drivers from completing representative laps and reshaped the final order — setting the stage for a highly unpredictable race on the streets of Baku.

Azerbaijan GP Qualifying: Results