Ferrari driver Leclerc again took his second pole in a row with the help of red flags, which ensured that his Q3 benchmark could not be exceeded by late improvements.
The Monegasque was 0.232 seconds ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in his first qualifying runs and secured pole through a late fall involving Yuki Tsunodas AlphaTauri and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr at Turn 3.
But despite his criticism of what he called “a shitty lap”, Leclerc insisted that he didn’t feel “that we stole that pole position” as he believed he had the pace to drop out on his last one Lap even faster.
Hamilton was delighted with second place and described it as a “monumental result” after a weekend of fighting for his Mercedes team, while World Championship leader Max Verstappen was frustrated to take third after a “stupid” qualifying session that was interrupted by three become earlier red flags.
The Red Bull driver shares the second row with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, who took his best qualifying result in Formula 1, with Sainz doing enough for fifth place before being distracted by Tsunoda, who fell in front of him and turned evasively against the wall.
A penalty of three places on the grid for violating the Red Flag procedures downgraded McLaren driver Lando Norris from sixth to ninth place, with Sergio Perez (Red Bull), Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) being the main beneficiaries.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Valtteri Bottas battled for the tenth fastest time in the second Mercedes after dragging Hamilton around without the gesture being returned.
The fastest driver eliminated in Q2 was Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who will start from 11th alongside Esteban Ocon (Alpine) after Daniel Ricciardo had denied the chance to defeat Alonso due to the late accident.
Ricciardo starts 13th ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and George Russell, who advanced into Q2 despite an engine change, while Lance Stroll and Antonio Giovinazzi start from the back row after a crash in Q1.
When is the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday, June 6, 2021
Start time: 1:00 p.m. BST, 4:00 p.m. local time
Round six of the 2021 F1 season, the Azerbaijan GP at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, starts on Sunday, June 6th at 4:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. BST).
How can I see the Azerbaijan GP?
In the UK, Sky Sports owns the exclusive live broadcast rights of F1, with the Azerbaijan GP race being shown live on Sky Sports F1. Pre-race coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. BST before the race starts at 1:00 p.m. BST.
After the race, live coverage from Sky Sports F1 will continue to follow the post-race reaction, from waving the checkered flag until 4:30 p.m. BST.
Autosport offers live text commentary for the Azerbaijan GP.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
When can I see the highlights?
In the UK, Channel 4 will broadcast the highlights of the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. BST. The full program runs over two and a half hours and includes the pre-race, the racing highlights and the first reaction after the race to conclude the main topics of discussion of the race weekend.
Throughout the 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast the highlights of every qualifying and race on Saturday and Sunday of every event. The highlights will also be available through Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up service.
Channel: Channel 4
Start time: 5:30 p.m. BST
Will it be on the radio?
Live radio broadcasts of every practice session, qualifying session and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra.
Coverage of the Azerbaijan GP will begin at 1:00 p.m. CEST on BBC Radio 5 Live, available online, on DAB radio and on the BBC Sounds app.
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Weather forecast for the Azerbaijan GP
Current weather forecasts predict sunny and dry conditions, with little chance of rain but some strong winds on race day. At the start of the race, 23 degrees Celsius are expected – around three degrees warmer than at the Monaco GP.
How many laps is the Azerbaijan GP?
The race will complete 51 laps on the Baku City Circuit and cover a total distance of 306.049 km.
Will there be fans at the Azerbaijan GP?
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the Azerbaijan GP will be closed to spectators for the entire race weekend.
