Russell takes Baku pole by more than eight tenths

George Russell took pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by more than eight tenths of a second, with Charles Leclerc second in Baku qualifying. The Mercedes driver’s second-fastest lap would also have been enough for pole, according to RacingNews365 English.

It was a sharply contrasting session for the two Mercedes drivers: Kimi Antonelli hit the wall during Q1. His earlier lap was fast enough to qualify for Q2, but the damage prevented him from taking part and he was classified 16th.

RacingNews365 English identifies the result as Russell’s 12th Formula 1 pole and reports that the winning margin was the largest since Max Verstappen’s at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix. Those historical comparisons are not independently verified in the supplied material.

Speaking after qualifying in remarks reproduced by RacingNews365 English on 25 September, Russell said this was probably the biggest pole margin of his career, including his Formula 2 and Formula 3 years. That was his own recollection rather than a confirmed cross-series record.

He described his final effort as “the perfect lap” and estimated that a slipstream from Hadjar had contributed another one or two tenths of a second on the back straight. The estimated benefit was Russell’s assessment, not a telemetry-based measurement provided by the report.

Russell also acknowledged a potentially unresolved challenge from Verstappen, whom he described as very fast over the weekend. He said he did not know what had happened at the end of qualifying and suggested a yellow flag might have denied Verstappen a final attempt. The report does not confirm that explanation or establish what another lap might have produced.