Lando Norris "had faith" that McLaren were quick and was rewarded with pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix.

The Brit was quickest in a dramatic qualifying session, crossing the line 0.203 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who will start in second.

After tough practice sessions, Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell improved on their performances to finish third and fourth respectively, with Oscar Piastri in fifth.

The times came from a one-lap shootout after Carlos Sainz forced the third session to be stopped as he crashed into the barriers on the final corner of his first lap.]

And Ferrari's day got worse as Charles Leclerc had his lap time deleted for a track limits breach at turn two.

Norris admitted it was a tough qualification session but was pleased to come out on top as he attempts to close the gap to Verstappen in the divers' championship.

"It was tough, especially through qualifying. I was finding it a little difficult to progress much and gain a lot of lap time," Norris said.

"And all of the guys around seemed to get quicker and quicker, so it put me under a bit more pressure, especially with just one lap at the end.

"I had faith we were quick, so I didn't have to over-push and I could just do what I've been doing the whole weekend.

"It was good enough for pole, and I'm happy with that, especially here in Singapore. A good feeling. I've felt good all weekend, I've felt confident, maybe not so much in qualy but we got the job done."

Asked how he felt about the one-lap shootout, he added: "I like it. It gets your heart rate going and it's good fun. My lap wasn't as good as my lap previous to the red flag, so there's always just that little bit more in it.

"But the car's been feeling good and when you have a good feeling car, and you're confident, you can go out and push and get the lap time, so I did the job I had to do today and excited to see what we can do tomorrow."

Verstappen struggled in the second practice session, finishing 15th on the timesheet, but he improved on Saturday to ensure he would start on the front row with Norris.

The Dutchman had been unhappy with his car’s performance on Friday but was feeling more optimistic about his chances on Sunday after qualifying.

"The whole of qualifying went quite well. We managed to improve the car run after run," Verstappen said.

"I'm happy to be on the front row if you look at where we came from yesterday.

"Q3 was tough. Your lap gets, of course, cancelled with the double-waved yellow, then everyone only has one run to do the lap, so you don't want to overdo it. You want to stay within the limit. I'll take second - I'm happy with that.

"Tomorrow is a bit difficult to say. In Singapore, a lot of things can happen, but at least we have a shot at it like this."

Qualifying results

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

4. George Russell (Mercedes)

5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

8. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

9. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

10. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Sergio Perez expressed his concerns about Red Bull's potential at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend after citing a lack of balance during Friday's practice sessions.

Lando Norris set the pace, finishing 0.058 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with the Perez's team-mate Max Verstappen 1.294secs off the pace in 15th. 

Perez managed a eighth place finish, just behind the Mercedes of George Russell and the RB of Daniel Ricciardo. 

The Mexican will be hopeful of a better outcome in this weekend's race after crashing out on the penultimate lap in Baku last week after an incident with Carlos Sainz. 

There is no driver in this season who has not finished a Grand Prix on more occasions than Perez (three level with Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda).

He has now gone 11 races without finishing in four seasons for Red Bull, his highest number of retirements with a team, surpassing the 10 in five years for Force India.

Reviewing the two practice sessions, and whether any progress was made between FP1 and FP2, Perez said: “I think we improved a little bit, but still we are lacking quite a lot of balance.

"It’s quite difficult out there to put a lap together, [so] it’s not looking great at the moment."

Perez went on to comment that the level of Red Bull’s struggles “took us by surprise” despite the problems they faced at the Marina Bay street circuit last season.

“Definitely we’ve got some work to do overnight because we are quite far [behind],” said the Mexican, who was 0.871s down on pace-setting McLaren rival Norris.

“We are nearly a second off the pace, so we need quite a big change to be able to come through. We’ll see what we’re able to do.”

Lando Norris topped the second practice session in Singapore but was "hoping to have a much bigger gap" over Charles Leclerc.

The Brit was 0.058 seconds clear of the Ferrari driver after an impressive session on Friday.

Norris had started strong in the first practice too, only for Leclerc to displace him by 0.076s, but he reversed the roles later in the day.

It was the sort of start he was looking for, as he sets out to close the 59-point gap to Max Verstappen, who struggled in practice, in the drivers' championship.

And Norris was feeling positive after the run, but admitted he would have preferred a bigger advantage over those behind him.

"Yeah, pace is good. I'm feeling good, it was also a nice lap," Norris said after the second session. "I think we're doing what we expect, I guess, to be up at the front and to be there with Ferrari.

"But it was a very nice lap and Charles is only [0.058s] behind. I was hoping to have a much bigger gap than what I had, honestly, which means they're quick, it means Ferrari are very, very fast.

"But, yeah, things are going well so far."

Unlike Norris, Verstappen endured another difficult day as he finished 15th, 1.294s behind Norris' time.

Red Bull dropped into second in the constructors' championship after Oscar Piastri's win in Azerbaijan last weekend and need a better performance in Singapore if they want to reassert themselves in the standings.

But Verstappen, who has not won any of the last seven races, was left frustrated by his lap time.

When asked to sum up his day, Verstappen said: "Difficult. Not having the grip that we would like. We have a few things to look at.

"I was not really struggling with the bumps or kerbs, just general grip, so we have to look at the trade-off between the two."

Carlos Sainz was six-tenths off the pace in third, while RB's Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were surprise strong performers, finishing fourth and sixth respectively, either side of Piastri. 

Mercedes also struggled to match up, with George Russell taking seventh, having damaged a front wing late on, and Lewis Hamilton 10th.

Oscar Piastri's confidence is high after a win in Baku, but he is willing to do what he can to help Lando Norris win the drivers' championship if called upon.

Piastri beat Charles Leclerc in Azerbaijan last weekend, holding off the Ferrari on a track where they usually dominate, to claim his second win of the season, following up his maiden F1 win in Hungary.

He got a little help from Norris on the track though, as the Brit held off Sergio Perez so that Piastri could emerge from the pits still holding his place.

The Australian remains fourth in the standings himself, now just 32 points behind team-mate Norris, but his victory meant McLaren leapfrogged Red Bull into the lead in the constructors' championship.

Piastri, who has finished on the podium in five of the last seven races, praised the teamwork put in by McLaren so far and is hoping they can continue that going forward.

"It is a nice confidence boost [coming to Singapore]. We should be competitive this weekend," he said.

"It wasn't our most competitive track, there have been races where we have been quicker compared to the competition. So, to win like that where Ferrari were so quick is a confidence boost.

"Lando is still ahead in the championship and, just to be honest, has a more realistic chance to win the drivers' championship.

"But Baku is how we want to go racing as McLaren. We got it across perfectly of our culture and how we want to go racing. I want to win but, naturally, if I can help out Lando's championship bid, I am happy to help."

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, has struggled of late, failing to win any of the last seven F1 races, with his last victory coming in Spain in June.

He still holds a 59-point lead over Norris in the standings, but with just two podiums since his last win, the Dutchman is far from his best.

He acknowledged the other drivers' improvement, especially Piastri, and is hopeful Red Bull can fix some of their issues ahead of a race where they have struggled before.

"Oscar is doing a fantastic job lately and [McLaren] are very strong as a team. So, it is up to us to make it difficult for them. We need to make the car more dependable," he said.

"Our car generally isn't very good on bumps and kerbs, and that is what we have around here, so we need to try and stabilise it.

"I don't know even where to start. I'm confident we can do a better job than last year, but the competition has improved quite a bit."

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Lando Norris – McLaren

Norris has proven a consistent challenger to Verstappen so far this season and took the edge once again in Baku by sneaking in front of him at the end of the race.

It marked the second-biggest comeback of his F1 career (11 places, from 15th to 4th), meaning he has now finished ahead of the 26-year-old in each of the last three races.

However, since Verstappen's last win, Norris has only closed the gap by 10 points in the drivers’ championship.

Sergio Perez – Red Bull

Sergio Perez has endured a difficult run, having failed to make the podium since April in China.

It looked like he would end that run in Baku, only for a late tangle with Carlos Sainz to force him to retire from the race.

No driver in this year's championship has not finished a grand prix more often than the Mexican (three, level with Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda), but Red Bull will be hoping he can build on what looked to be a promising race in Singapore.

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 313
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 254
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 235
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 222
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 184

Constructors

1. McLaren – 476
2. Red Bull – 456
3. Ferrari – 425
4. Mercedes – 309
5. Aston Martin – 82

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner assumes Lando Norris is the number one driver at McLaren because he is "paid five times more" than Oscar Piastri.

Despite Norris being the leading driver in the drivers’ championship standings and the highest-paid racer in the McLaren stable, it has been Piastri who has shone of late.

The Australian claimed his second career win in Baku last time out and has now scored more points (135) in the European leg of the season than any other driver. 

Piastri is now 32 points behind Norris in the standings, having taken five top two finishes in his last seven races for the British-based team. 

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren boss Andrea Stella revealed the team would favour Norris in a bid to topple Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship.

However, Horner rebuffed McLaren's claim that they have two number one drivers, suggesting Norris is being paid significantly more than Piastri.

"Usually those are things that are dealt with behind closed doors, those things, so I'm not actually sure what those rules are," said Horner. 

"There still seems to be some confusion in them. 

"Every team is different. Our rules of engagement are very clear and what the focus is until the end of the year.

"We've got a driver that's fighting for the world championship. It's a team sport. So it's very clear that Checo's job is to support Max until the end of the year.

"Different teams operate different ways. When you've got an asset like Max Verstappen, you don't make him a No 2 driver.

"Lando Norris, they're paying five times what they pay Oscar, so I would assume he would be their number one driver, or their biggest asset.

"So, therefore, the confusion comes when you're not up front from the beginning of what your plans are."

Thanks to McLaren's success in Baku, they now have a 20-point lead over Red Bull in the constructor's championship. 

The British-based team now lead the standings for the first time since 2005, but their way to the top has not come without its problems. 

During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Norris initially refused to hand first place back to Piastri before team orders were eventually followed to give the Australian his maiden victory in the competition. 

But with McLaren's comments about prioritising Norris for the last seven races of the season, Horner believes that decision should have come much sooner. 

"I think the other one is causing them headaches because he [Piastri] is winning races, and he's doing a very good job," continued Horner.

"It was like when Daniel Ricciardo came to us in 2014.

"He was clearly meant to be the number two to Sebastian Vettel, and he won three races that year to Sebastian's none. Sometimes it causes you a headache like that.

"For sure, they took Oscar with the expectation, as Mercedes probably did with George [Russell] and Ferrari did with Carlos [Sainz], that you've got a prime asset and a support asset.

"And when the second driver starts outperforming the first driver, that's when you tend to have a headache."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insisted Sergio Perez "deserved more" after a "heartbreaking" crash denied him a place on the podium in Baku on Sunday.

Perez, who made a brilliant start to the season only to struggle in recent months, looked set to register his best finish since finishing third at the Chinese Grand Prix in April after comfortably holding P3 for much of the race.

However, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz snuck past him on the penultimate lap, and when the Mexican attempted to regain third place, the two tangled and hit the barrier, forcing them both out of the race.

That meant that George Russell instead claimed the final podium spot alongside winner Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.

"He deserved a lot more," Horner told Sky Sports. "He should've at the very least been on the podium today.

"It was a magnificent race out at the front for so many laps. It was great to be in, it was exciting to be a part of, and it's just disappointing that it came to a close like that when it didn't need to.

"Unfortunately, he lost quite a bit of time on his out laps behind Alex Albon and then Lando [Norris] cost him dearly, which gave Oscar [Piastri] track position. I think without that, he would've won the race today.

"It's one of those things that's very heartbreaking for him and the team that so much effort goes in to lose a podium in the dying laps of the race."

It was a tough day for Red Bull all around, as Piastri's win coupled with Lando Norris crossing the line before Max Verstappen meant that McLaren leapfrogged them in the constructors'’ championship.

Red Bull are now 20 points behind McLaren ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, and Horner admitted he was not happy with how the tide had turned.

"Very, very disappointing," he added. "[The crash] destroyed the race for Checo.

"It's cost us a lot of damage and obviously vital points in the constructors' championship."

Daniel Ricciardo revealed his desire to experience the world of motorsport as his 13-year Formula One career hangs in the balance ahead of the 2025 season. 

Ricciardo, who has raced for five different teams in F1, is yet to find out whether he will race for RB next year. 

The Australian and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda were considered the favourites to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull until the Mexican signed a new two-year deal.

Red Bull is a team Ricciardo knows well, of course.

Ricciardo has won eight F1 races during his career, seven of which came with the Austrian-based team before his move to Renault in 2019.

Across his 257 race entries, the 35-year-old has also claimed 1,329 points and 32 podiums, but Ricciardo has been unable to get close to the top three in recent times. 

The Australian has not stood on the podium since his last victory at the Italian Grand Prix in 2021, picking up just 55 points over the last three seasons for an RB team who have struggled to emerge from the midfield places in a competitive grid.

Ricciardo finds himself 14th in the drivers' championship this term, with his best finish coming at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, where he finished eighth. 

With time potentially running out on his F1 career heading into the final seven races of the 2024 season, Ricciardo kept his options open as to what may come next. 

“I mean there's things I would like to try and experience," Ricciardo said in an interview with Tourism Western Australia ahead of the release of his new film 'Drive the Dream 2.0'.

"I don't know, let's say on a competitive level, I grew up a fan of NASCAR. I'd like to drive a NASCAR. I'd love to drive around Daytona, for example.

"But would I like to compete? Yes and no, but I also know that, it's not what I grew up doing, and I'll probably get smoked so like, I don't know if I need that!

"I would love to experience it. I love motorbikes. I love MotoGP. I would love to try a MotoGP bike, but I would be very, very slow and probably horrendous. Just like, all in my own time.

"And actually Bathurst, if it's, obviously okay, it's the V8 that does the race there, but you know there's the 12 hour and stuff, so maybe that's one I could compete in.

"If a V8 team said 'hey, do you want to do a few laps around Bathurst, no pressure, just to experience it', then I'll definitely take that up."

George Russell was left surprised after his podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, but tempered Mercedes' expectations for the rest of the season. 

Russell, who started fifth on the grid in Baku, inherited third place on the penultimate lap of proceedings after Sergio Perez's collision with Carlos Sainz. 

The Briton claimed his third podium for Mercedes this season, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton made it double points for the Silver Arrows after finishing ninth. 

Russell moved level with Red Bull's Perez in the drivers' championship and is now 23 points behind Hamilton ahead of the final seven races. 

However, Russell acknowledged where Mercedes ranked in the pecking order at the end of a tricky weekend that saw the team complete two power unit changes.

“Definitely surprised,” Russell said about his podium finish. “I think there was so much hard work this weekend for everybody in the team.

"There were engine changes on my side, engine changes for Lewis, so much going on, everybody was working so hard.

“We had a really bad start to the race. I was dropping off a lot, but on the hard tyre I think we were one of the quickest out there and that was great.

"Got past Max, so an added bonus to stand on the podium.

“I mean we’ve got to be realistic still. We should’ve finished fifth today. That was the true result.

"Obviously, with Lando [Norris’] qualifying yesterday, he probably would’ve been up there as well, so I don’t want to get carried away with ourselves with this podium today.

"We’ve got a lot of work to do. Hopefully, Singapore’s a slightly better weekend.”

As for Hamilton, having taken on a raft of new power unit components after qualifying, he was resigned to a long afternoon after his pit lane start.

He made up plenty of ground early on, and again after his pit stop, but spent much of the latter part of the race battling Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman.

Colapinto impressed in just his second race for Williams, scoring four points after finishing in eighth, while team-mate Alex Albon finished one place in front. 

And Bearman, who replaced the suspended Kevin Magnussen for Haas, completed the top 10, which came with a record-breaking achievement. 

The 19-year-old became the first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two Formula One races, having made his debut in March for Ferrari as a last-minute replacement for Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing in seventh. 

Seven-time world champion Hamilton showered praise on the two rookies after the race, with the Briton, who will be replaced by youngster Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes next season, insisting the future is bright for the sport. 

“Today was a difficult race,” Hamilton said.

"“We had a good day on Friday, but the rest of the weekend was tough. We made some changes heading into Saturday that didn’t work out, but we had to live with them.

“We also knew it would be challenging to overtake today. Despite the long straight, it is hard to follow through the second sector.

"Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman, who I was racing for a lot of the afternoon, did such a great job.

"It is great to see the youngsters like them coming through and doing so well. For their first and second races, it was very impressive.”

Max Verstappen lamented Red Bull's changes that left the RB20 "uncontrollable" at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. 

Verstappen could only manage fifth place around the streets of Baku, but remains 59 points ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, who finished one place in front. 

But the Dutchman was the beneficiary of a collision involving Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap of the race. 

Verstappen has now gone six grand prix without a pole position and seven without a victory, last winning at the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

The three-time world champion cited issues with his car during qualifying that seemed to carry over into the race, but is confident Red Bull can respond in Singapore next time. 

"I think the changes we did to the car were positive, but then you still need of course to do the set-up on the car," Verstappen said.

“I think we were heading in the right direction but then the changes that we made before qualifying tipped it over the edge.

"We paid the price for that in the race unfortunately.”

The Dutchman was able to further detail the difficulties he experienced on track, saying: “My wheels were literally coming off the ground. 

“Then of course you lose contact patch with the tarmac which you don’t want.

"That then caused me to slide a lot more, overheat the tyres more and there was no way to drive around it so the pace was just a bit all over the place.

“I had to box and then it was just a bit unfortunate I got stuck behind Alex and Lando.

"I was in that fight, George passed me, and then we actually had good pace, the two of us.

"We were catching the leaders but then as soon as I got close to George again within that window where you have the dirty air, because of the jumping that I’m dealing with I’m sliding already quite a bit.

“And then when I get close to him I’m sliding even more and that just tipped it over the edge where it becomes quite uncontrollable towards the end of the race, which was very difficult again.”

Charles Leclerc pledged to learn from his mistakes after squandering pole position at Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing second to Oscar Piastri.

Leclerc started at the front of the grid in Baku for the fourth time in a row, having also claimed a memorable triumph for Ferrari at their home circuit of Monza last time out.

However, Piastri passed Leclerc on a straight on the 20th lap, and a spirited fightback was not enough for the Monegasque driver as the McLaren held on for his second win of the year.

The result means Leclerc remains third in the drivers' championship standings with 235 points, behind Max Verstappen (313) and Lando Norris (254), while Ferrari remain third in the constructors' table.

Speaking about his battle with Piastri after the race, Leclerc said: "It is enjoyable when you've got many opportunities every lap. 

"I think maybe McLaren had less downforce and in the straights they were very quick, in the corners we were a bit quicker. 

"I couldn't get as close as I wanted and eventually we lost the race when I didn't defend as well as I could have at the end of the straight. Sometimes you make mistakes and I'll learn from it."

Asked at what stage he realised victory was unlikely, Leclerc said: "I think as soon as we put the hard tyres on. On the medium we were very competitive, and the car felt good. 

"Unfortunately for me, we didn't do any high fuel running in FP1 and FP2. We went for a setup direction which in the race was a bit more difficult to manage. 

"McLaren and Oscar have done an exceptional job and done better than us."

Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, was pushing for a podium finish when he crashed with Baku specialist Sergio Perez, taking both drivers out of the race.

"It's a huge shame for Carlos on the last laps," Leclerc said. "Hopefully everyone is okay, and obviously it's not a great day for the team."

McLaren's Oscar Piastri labelled his victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the most stressful afternoon of his life after claiming his second career win in Formula One. 

Piastri, who started second on the grid, emerged victorious ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to put McLaren at the summit of the constructors' championship. 

The Australian's team-mate, Lando Norris, managed a fourth-place finish in Baku having endured a difficult qualifying that saw him start in 17th on Sunday.

Piastri's triumph saw him move up to 222 points in the drivers' championship, and he is now 13 points behind Leclerc in third place. 

The McLaren driver performed a huge lunge on the inside on lap 20 to take the lead from the Monegasque, defending admirably to secure the victory in Azerbaijan. 

“I tried at the start of the race to get in front but once I dropped out of DRS I just didn’t have the pace,” said winner Piastri.

“After the stop, I saw we were pretty close again and I felt like we had a little bit of extra grip.

"I had to go for it because I knew that if I didn’t get past at the start of the stint, I was never going to get past.

“I went for a pretty big lunge but managed to pull it off and then hang on for dear life for the next 35 laps.

"The last couple of laps, once [Leclerc] dropped out of DRS, were a little bit more relaxing, but there’s no such thing as a relaxing lap around here so it was hard work.

"It definitely goes down as one of the better races of my career.”

Piastri (two) and Norris (two) are the first pair of drivers to get two wins in the same season for McLaren since 2012 (Lewis Hamilton, four, and Jenson Button, three).

The Australian's victory also continued the British-based team's record of having one or both of their drivers on the podium in each of the last 13 races. 

It equalled their second-best run in the competition (13, which they recorded on two other occasions, between the United States and Portugal in 1990, and Germany 2011 and China 2012).

Up next on the F1 calendar is the Singapore Grand Prix, a race that saw Norris claim second last year, with Piastri finishing down in seventh. 

Oscar Piastri held off Charles Leclerc to claim his second win of the Formula 1 season in a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

And the Australian's victory means McLaren have leapfrogged Red Bull in the constructors' championship after an impressive run.

Leclerc started on pole in Baku for the fourth time in a row, and, after winning in Monza last time out, put himself in a good position to get a second consecutive win after a strong start.

However, Piastri took advantage on a straight in the 20th lap, stealing in front of the Ferrari, who he managed to hold off in the latter stages despite a spirited fightback from Leclerc.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris started in P15 after struggling in qualifying, but after a brilliant opening stint, he then slipped in front of his championship rival Max Verstappen with two laps remaining, eventually finishing fourth.

There was still a thrilling finish, as Sergio Perez, who has scored the most points in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and Carlos Sainz both pushed to clinch the final podium spot and tangled in a huge crash on the penultimate lap, taking both of them out of the race.

George Russell benefitted from that to claim third, while his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished in ninth after a pit-lane start for taking a new engine ahead of the race. 

Data Debrief: McLaren gain the edge

McLaren now have a 20-point lead over Red Bull in the championship. It is the first time the team have held the lead after at least 17 Grands Prix since Brazil in 2005.

It was quite the result for Piastri, who has now finished in the top two in four of his last five F1 races (winner in Hungary and Azerbaijan, runner-up in Belgium and Italy). That is more than he managed in his previous 34 Grand Prix.

Norris will be pleased with his own exploits though, given where he started on the grid, and by nipping in front of Verstappen, he keeps his hopes alive in the drivers' championship. The gap is now 59 points.

Top 10

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

3. George Russell (Mercedes)

4. Lando Norris (McLaren)

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

6. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

7. Alex Albon (Williams)

8. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

10. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers'

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 313

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 254

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 235

Constructors'

1. McLaren - 476

2. Red Bull - 456

3. Ferrari - 425

Max Verstappen was left frustrated in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saying that the changes made by Red Bull had "made the car worse".

Verstappen could only manage sixth place for Sunday's race, while he was outqualified by team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished fourth, for the first time this season.  

The three-time world champion has made his feelings clear about the team's performance of late, citing balance issues as a main cause of concern. 

The team seemingly took a step forward in their performance following an imperfect weekend in Monza, with Perez finishing just 0.006s behind pole-sitter Charles Leclerc in FP2.

However, their improvements appeared to diminish in qualifying around Baku, with both drivers unable to stop Leclerc from taking his fourth pole position in Baku. 

Verstappen has now gone six Grands Prix without a pole, his worst streak since 2021, and detailed the reasons for their slight downturn in performance. 

"From the first lap that I did in qualifying I was not happy with the car, and I just tried to drive around it," Verstappen said.

"When you're not confident and comfortable with the car on a street circuit, you cannot push to the limit and I think basically that's what happened.

"As soon as it matters, people start risking more.

"I just didn't feel comfortable to attack because the car was just very difficult, jumping a lot, losing contact with the tarmac, so not very nice.

"Of course, I went off in the last corner, which also didn't help, so all in all quite disappointing.”

The Dutchman's team-mate was similarly disheartened despite producing his best qualifying performance since the Belgian Grand Prix.

Perez has historically flourished in Baku and is the only driver on the grid who has won multiple times at this circuit.

While the Mexican has the opportunity to add to the 100 points he has already accumulated in Azerbaijan, he acknowledged the enormity of the task of toppling the two Ferraris. 

"First of all, I'm a bit disappointed because I felt like P2 on a perfect lap should have been possible," Perez explained.

"I had a scrappy sector two where I probably missed a tenth, a tenth and a half. It's probably the same for everyone though.

"Ferrari were in another league, but I think a further lap would’ve been good. We'll see tomorrow.

"We are very different to everyone else, so we'll see what we are able to do come tomorrow and see what we are able to achieve.

"I think definitely on the first stint I should be strong.

"It will be down to the amount of progress I’m able to make, and then from then on just head down, and hopefully we are able to be as strong in the race.

"That will be very important.”

Pierre Gasly has been disqualified from the results of qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as stewards deemed his Alpine car over the fuel flow limit.

Gasly was eliminated in the second qualifying session, after posting a time which was good enough for 13th, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg of Haas and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin.

However, shortly after the session's end, stewards summoned Alpine and Gasly over a possible breach of Article 5.2.3 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations, which covers fuel mass flow.

This punishment means Gasly will start Sunday's race at the back of the grid alongside Sauber's Zhou Guanyou, who also suffered a penalty this weekend, as the Chinese driver had exceeded the allowance of power unit components.

Gasly's teammate, Esteban Ocon, will start the race just ahead of both in 18th, with the opportunity of Alpine gaining points in Baku this weekend looking very slim.

This is the fourth time a driver has been disqualified from qualifying results in 2024, with Gasly following Willliams' Alex Albon and the Haas duo of Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole-sitter for the fourth year in a row after a stunning showing on the streets of Baku. 

Leclerc, who emerged victorious in Monza last time out, is in a good position to close the gap to both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship. 

Norris will need an unlikely turn of events to close his 62-point gap to the Dutchman as he encountered yellow flags on his final lap in the first session and will start Sunday's race in 17th. 

Verstappen, meanwhile, will start in sixth after being outqualified by team-mate Sergio Perez, who finished fourth, with Mercedes' George Russell sandwiched in between.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso came next, with Williams producing an excellent display with drives from Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon to complete the top 10. 

Leclerc's performance saw him record the best pole streak for a Ferrari driver in a Grand Prix since Michael Schumacher in Spain from 2000 to 2004 (five). 

Speaking after qualifying, the Monegasque was confident about his chances of becoming the first driver since Felipe Massa to achieve consecutive victories on at least two occasions. 

“It’s one of my favourite tracks of the season, I really like it, it hasn’t been an easy weekend because of the crash in FP1," Leclerc said.  

"It didn’t make me lose confidence as I knew that the pace was there, but you’ve got to be back up to speed.

“In Q3 and qualifying it was all about trying to stay as far as possible from the walls and on the last lap I went for it a bit more and the lap time came very nicely.

“The car felt really good and everything felt great, so it’s amazing to be on pole."

Norris was on course to make it through into the second session comfortably but a yellow flag as he approached the final straight saw his flying lap ruined. 

“The lap was easily good enough, but there was a yellow flag so I had to back off," Norris said. 

“Following is pretty much impossible around here and overtaking is a lot worse than everyone thinks.

“I am not expecting much from 17th, but we will put in a good plan tonight and do our best of course.

"I have been wrong, and I hope there are plenty of chances, but I’m not expecting so.”

But when asked, McLaren team-mate Piastri was confident that the team have the pace to score some big points in the race for the constructors' championship. 

"I think from where we are starting, yes," Piastri said.

But following around here is really tough, we saw yesterday, it was pretty tough once you get behind someone, hopefully get some clean air, which will be good.

"We'll see what we can do. I think our race pace is good, but again, the Ferraris are certainly not slow.

Qualifying results

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 

9. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

10. Alex Albon (Williams)