F1 | Leclerc shines in Baku and gets fourth consecutive pole with Ferrari

F1 Ferrari GP Azerbaijan – Charles Leclerc did not disappoint and, for the fourth consecutive time, outsprinted all his rivals at the Baku City Circuit, giving Scuderia Ferrari HP its 252nd pole position in its history. The excellent team result was crowned by Carlos Sainz, who achieved his best placing in Azerbaijan, starting from third on the grid, just behind his teammate. Despite a difficult day yesterday, Leclerc dominated the decisive session, relegating the closest pursuer, Oscar Piastri, to more than three tenths. The Monegasque's time was so competitive that he would have beaten Piastri even with his first attempt in Q3. This pole is the 26th of Leclerc's career, thus equalling Finnish champion Mika Hakkinen in the all-time pole position rankings.

Leclerc's Q3

harles and Carlos made it to the final stage without any particular difficulty, with the team making the most of the twelve minutes that decide the top ten positions on the grid. Both drivers had two sets of Soft tyres available for Q3, and the team carefully chose the right moments to bring the SF-24s out on track. This allowed Leclerc and Sainz to take advantage of a slipstream along the two-kilometre straight of the Baku City Circuit. Already on his first attempt, Charles set an unbeatable time of 1'41"610, improving further on his second, finishing with a 1'41"365. Carlos was also quick from the start, but a small mistake in the central sector on the second flying lap allowed him to improve by just one hundredth of a second, finishing with a 1'41"805, his best qualifying time in Baku.

Today's race in Baku

The Grand Prix, which starts at 15:13 local time (XNUMX:XNUMX CEST), promises to be long and full of pitfalls, as is often the case on street circuits. However, unlike other street tracks, overtaking in Baku is not impossible, which makes the race open to different strategies. Having both cars on the first two rows is an advantage for the Scuderia, which will be able to better prepare for the various situations that may arise. Tyre management will be crucial, considering that a one-stop strategy is expected. However, as has been shown in the past, a late Safety Car can upset the balance of the race: maximum concentration will therefore be needed from the first to the last lap.