BAKU:

Max Verstappen tip-toed through the hazards of a wild qualifying session featuring six red-flag stoppages on Saturday to claim pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

As series leader Oscar Piastri crashed and his McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris struggled for outright speed on his final lap, Red Bull’s four-time champion made the most of treacherous damp conditions to end a near-crazy two-hour session on top.

The Dutchman clocked a best lap in one minute and 41.117 seconds to finish 0.478 seconds ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and half a second clear of Racing Bulls’ rookie Liam Lawson, who secured his best qualifying result.

Sainz had made the most of his opportunity in Q3 to go quickest before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed to bring a sixth red-flag stoppage that wrecked his hopes of a fifth straight Baku pole – and deliver a mixed up grid.

Mercedes’ under-pressure rookie Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were fourth and fifth ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull and Norris, who qualified seventh.

Racing Bulls’ second rookie Isack Hadjar was eighth ahead of Piastri and Leclerc with two-time champion Fernando Alonso taking 11th for Aston Martin and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton 12th for Ferrari.

It was Verstappen’s first pole in Baku, his sixth of the season and the 46th of his career.

“It was difficult to get a lap together, with all the red flags,” said Verstappen.

“In the final lap, you just have to send it. I wasn’t even on the best tyres. So, I am happy with the weekend!”

The chaos began in gusty conditions with light drizzle expected and rain threatening for Sunday’s race.

“We nailed it today by being on the right tyres at the right time,” said Sainz. “So tomorrow I will try to stick it on the podium.”

Slippery finale 

As Q1 began, Piastri was in the pits for a new front wing while his rivals hurried for an early banker lap, but as he started his first lap, a red flag halted the action when Alex Albon hit the barriers, leaving the Australian in danger of elimination.

After eight minutes’ delay, Hamiton went top, Piastri took second, just two seconds before Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg hit the wall at Turn Four, triggering a second red flag.

Another eight-minute stoppage followed, after which Russell, Leclerc and then Norris bagged top spot before yet another red flag crash – Alpine’s Franco Colapinto at Turn Four – ended the action.

Q2 began after a further 12 minutes’ inaction, but it lasted only three minutes before Oliver Bearman smacked the wall at Turn Two and broke his car’s rear suspension – causing a fourth red flag to retrieve his abandoned machine.

The stop-go-stop-go session was running nearly an hour off schedule by the time Leclerc and Hamilton led them out again before the Monegasque, chasing a fifth consecutive Baku pole and first win, ran deep at Turn One.

Verstappen then stole top spot again as a luckless Hamilton exited along with two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin and Haas’s Oliver Bearman.

On cue, rain fell as the top-ten shootout began.

“It’s too slippery,” reported Russell after running deep at Turn Four before Leclerc, the ‘Baku maestro’, hit the wall at Turn 15, his hopes wrecked,

A fifth red flag followed and, with only three drivers’ laps recorded, Sainz was top ahead of the two Racing Bulls.

“You can start dancing to see if it rains a bit harder, no?” said Sainz on team radio before a frantic, dramatic and slippery finale.