F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying breaks record for most red flags as Verstappen takes pole

An undesirable record has been broken during the F1 qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Multiple drivers crashed across the three sessions in qualifying, including notable names like Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and championship leader Oscar Piastri.

There were six red flags in qualifying, the first of which was brought out in Q1. Alex Albon was the first victim of the Baku City Circuit, as he made a "sloppy" mistake, as the commentator labeled it, by turning in too close to the inside barrier on Turn 1, which damaged the front left of his car. The Williams driver qualified dead last in P20.

Nico Hulkenberg was the second victim of the tricky circuit and the windy conditions, as he crashed his Sauber in Turn 4 and lost his front wing. The third red flag was brought out when Pierre Gasly ran into the run-off in the same turn and took significant time to get his car back onto the track.

Unfortunately for Alpine, Franco Colapinto, who failed to see the red flags while his teammate was in the run-off, crashed in the same right-hander just after turning. Colapinto qualified in P16 and Gasly in P19.

After F1 kicked off Q2 in Baku, Oliver Bearman crashed on his first flying lap less than three minutes into the session. That was the fourth red flag of the Azerbaijan GP qualifying.

The fifth red flag was brought out by Charles Leclerc, who crashed in the first half of Q3 in Turn 15, a few minutes after it started raining. The Ferrari driver's crash wasn't as shocking because he was driving on edge and had brushed the barriers a few times in Q2 while trying to make it to Q3.

Carlos Sainz and the two Racing Bulls drivers were the only ones who got in their first flyers before that fifth red flag in Q3. With the rain getting slightly heavier during the red flag, Sainz, who was in P1, was expected to take pole if F1 resumed the session under damp conditions.

Just under four minutes after the session resumed, Oscar Piastri, the driver who has been near-flawless this season and leads the F1 drivers' championship over teammate Lando Norris, smashed his car into the barriers in Turn 3, with the lack of grip playing against him.

The 2025 F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying broke the record for the most red flags in a qualifying session, with six red flags. Moreover, the session lasted for over two hours instead of the regular one-hour runtime. The 2024 Sao Paul GP qualifying in Brazil previously held the record with five red flags.

Max Verstappen upsets Carlos Sainz to take pole for the 2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, and Liam Lawson at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Qualifying - Source: Getty

In a chaotic qualifying session where F1 drivers had to face it all - multiple yellow flags, six red flags, fierce tailwind that destroyed laps, and some rain at the end to cap it off - Max Verstappen showed why he's the reigning champion.

Carlos Sainz, who could've got Williams its first pole since 2014 because of such contributing factors swaying luck in their favor, was upset by Verstappen at the very end. The Dutchman went nearly five-tenths quicker than the Spaniard to grab his sixth pole position of the season - the most among any drivers.

"A long qualifying, to be honest, with so many red flags. Hard to get your tires in condition with so many stoppages. The last lap, you just have to send it. I wasn't even on the best tires... with the red flags, you run out of tires. We definitely were in there for pole, but I'm just happy, as since Monza we are doing a better job," Verstappen said post-qualifying.

Carlos Sainz will start beside the Red Bull driver on the front row for the 2025 F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying. Liam Lawson rounded up the Top 3, with the Mercedes duo behind him. Championship contender Lando Norris could do no better than P7, but fortunately, his teammate/rival Oscar Piastri, will start further back in P9 after his crash.