On the day of the weakening World Cup duels, Charles Leclerc once again shines in a Formula 1 qualifying session in the narrow streets of Baku. For the fourth time in a row, the Monegasque races to pole position in the Ferrari for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Barely two weeks after his triumph in front of the Tifosi at the home race in Monza, hopes for the next victory are high, behind second-placed Oscar Piastri in the McLaren Carlos Sainz lines up in the second Ferrari. “This is almost the best we could hope for. One and three – that’s where you want to be as a team, we have a good chance of winning,” said Leclerc, also looking at the dirtier side of the road with the even starting numbers. For the 26-year-old, it is the 26th pole of his career. Leclerc had a lead of over three tenths of a second over Piastri, who had been announced as team-mate Lando Norris’ World Cup assistant this week. Risk factor in Azerbaijan The fact that Norris had long since gotten out of his car also caused a slight sigh of relief at Red Bull. The Briton didn’t get past 17th place. “It’s a bit reassuring for the World Cup,” said Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on the pay channel Sky. Its star driver Max Verstappen only managed sixth place after one of his rare mistakes, two places behind his teammate Sergio, who had always been more or less clearly beaten Perez. “The positive: We found speed,” emphasized Marko. Whether that will pay off in the race remains to be seen. The Dutch three-time world champion has a 62-point lead over Norris. In the team rankings, Red Bull is only eight points ahead of McLaren. Given the risk factor in Azerbaijan, the field could be shaken up again. Nico Hülkenberg will start from position 14 in the Haas. The Argentinian Franco Colapinto did more than respectably in his second Formula 1 qualification, finishing ninth in the Williams. Dawdling and gambling were not the order of the day when it started. That’s how it is on narrow street circuits with the risk of accidents. If a colleague crashes, the red lights may light up and valuable time will pass, which is roughly how Norris was slowed down. So everyone got started right away when the first knockout phase began and the final five were sorted out. The changes that Red Bull had made to the RB20 since Monza seemed to be particularly good for Pérez – even if he was a Baku anyway -Expert: A third of his six previous Grand Prix successes came in Azerbaijan, most recently a year ago. Pérez once again confirmed that the course suits him. But that wasn’t the only surprise of the team duels with a World Cup factor. Because where Piastri was lined up, the McLaren bosses would certainly have seen Norris. After weeks of hesitation, they announced before the Grand Prix weekend in Azerbaijan that they were betting on the Brit in the World Championship fight. And Piastri is supposed to help him. It will be exciting to see how the team will implement this in the race.More on the topicIn any case, things weren’t really working out for Norris in Baku the whole time. He scrambled over curbs and almost crashed into the track wall. Ultimately, according to his own statement, his downfall was that yellow flags were waved in the last sector on his final attempt. “I just went for the second lap and I couldn’t drive. “I had to take my foot off the accelerator,” said Norris. It’s clear that overtaking is quite possible on the course. Of the previous six editions, all were won by drivers who were at least in the top ten on the starting grid. The winner came from the first two rows of the grid four times. But this time there is no Verstappen and no Norris either. But two Ferraris and a World Cup helper.
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