George Russell delivered a stunning performance to claim pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, securing his fifth pole of the 2026 Formula 1 season in a highly competitive qualifying session.

The Mercedes driver produced a final Q3 lap of 1m 42.526s to finish eight-tenths clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri came within just 0.001s of Leclerc to take third for McLaren, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Lando Norris completed the top five.

Russell was Mercedes’ sole representative at the sharp end after team-mate Kimi Antonelli crashed at Turn 1 during Q1. Antonelli ended the session in 16th place.

Ferrari continued to show the benefit of its extensive upgrade package, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying sixth, ahead of Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen and Williams driver Carlos Sainz. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto completed the top 10 despite struggling to set a representative lap.

Norris was unable to improve on his final attempt after locking up, while Haas driver Ollie Bearman narrowly missed out on Q3 in 11th.

Both Audi drivers were eliminated in Q1, with Gabriel Bortoleto 17th and Nico Hulkenberg 18th. Fernando Alonso qualified 19th after a major lock-up, but he and Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll will start from the back due to power-unit penalties.

That promotes Cadillac’s Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas to 19th and 20th respectively, setting up a fascinating race on the streets of Baku.

2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying: Results

Pole: George Russell — 1:42.526
Gap to P2: +0.800s
Note: Alonso and Stroll are set to start from the back due to power-unit penalties, promoting Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas to P19 and P20 on the race grid.