George Russell storms to Azerbaijan GP pole after Kimi Antonelli crash

George Russell secured pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, claiming his fifth pole of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Mercedes driver dominated qualifying by topping every segment and beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds, the largest qualifying margin of the year.

Russell's teammate and championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered an early exit after crashing into the wall at Turn 1 during Q1. Antonelli was left 16th on the grid, while Oscar Piastri qualified third for McLaren and Isack Hadjar finished fourth for Red Bull.