Sat Sep 14 14:57:55 UTC 2024: ## Leclerc Takes Pole in Baku as Norris Suffers Q1 Disaster
Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, extending his dominance in Baku, while Lando Norris suffered a disastrous qualifying session, finishing 17th on the grid.
Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, comfortably outpaced Oscar Piastri of McLaren by three tenths of a second. Piastri, however, managed to hold off Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari for second place on the grid.
Sergio Perez continued his strong form in Baku, outqualifying teammate Max Verstappen for the first time this season. Perez took fourth place ahead of George Russell, who split the Red Bulls in fifth. Lewis Hamilton was seventh, followed by Fernando Alonso in eighth.
The biggest surprise of qualifying was the impressive performance of Williams rookie, Franco Colapinto. In only his second race weekend, Colapinto qualified ninth, ahead of teammate Alex Albon, who suffered a bizarre blunder with the airbox fan still attached to his car for his final run.
Norris, meanwhile, faced a major setback, eliminated in Q1 after a mistake on his final run and a yellow flag incident. He will start 17th on the grid, far behind championship leader Verstappen.
Haas rookie, Oliver Bearman, impressed despite missing out on Q3 by a tenth of a second. He will start 11th ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race with Leclerc starting on pole and Norris facing a difficult climb up the grid.
First Piper 