Max Verstappen will line up on pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of Carlos Sainz, with championship leader Oscar Piastri down in ninth place after he brought out the last of qualifying’s red flags.

There were six red flags, three alone in Q1, breaking the record for the most red flags in a qualifying session that was previously held by Imola 2022 and matched in Sao Paulo in 2024.

Norris tops red-flagged blighted Q1

Ahead of a Q1, the drivers queued at the end of the pit lane to await the start in the hope of avoiding trouble behind them. Oscar Piastri wasn’t in the queue as McLaren worked on his MCL39, mechanics standing to bolt on a front wing.

Alex Albon posted the opening gambit, a 1:43.778, but three minutes later, he was flirting with the drop zone while Charles Le

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