Leclerc claims pole position in Baku, Norris starts 16th in bid for title

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc had a brilliant qualifying session Saturday in Baku to take pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri finishing second and Carlos Sainz placing third.

Lando Norris, who's attempting to chase down Red Bull's Max Verstappen for the drivers' championship, begins 16th on the grid after failing to move past Saturday's Q1.

Norris was originally supposed to begin Sunday's race in 17th position, but Alpine's Pierre Gasly was disqualified for a fuel flow breach after qualifying was completed.

Leclerc's result continues his qualifying dominance in Baku, where he's taken pole position in four consecutive years. However, he's never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Norris had an unlucky qualifying session and failed to get in a second lap during Q1, which he said he believes would've put him near the front of the grid. The McLaren driver backed off during his last run with yellow flags displayed following an incident with Alpine's Esteban Ocon.

Verstappen will begin in sixth position. It'll be the first time Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez will start ahead of him on the grid since Miami 2023. Verstappen enters Sunday 62 points ahead of Norris and 86 in front of Leclerc for the top of the drivers' championship.

Williams had an interesting session. Franco Colapinto recovered from a crash during Friday's first practice to qualify ninth. He's the first Argentine driver to qualify in the top 10 since Carlos Reutemann in 1982. Colapinto finished one position ahead of teammate Alex Albon, who was sent out for his final lap with an airbox fan still attached.

Stewards issued Williams a £5,000 fine for the incident.