Vice world champion Charles Leclerc starts the first Formula 1 sprint race of the year in Baku from pole position.
At the qualifying premiere in Azerbaijan’s capital, the 25-year-old secured first place on the grid in a Ferrari with a time of 1:41.697 minutes. Behind the Monegasque, World Cup runner-up Sergio Perez and world champion Max Verstappen finished second and third in the second Red Bull. Nico Hülkenberg steered his Haas racing car in twelfth place in summery conditions. The sprint will take place on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m.).
Ferrari damaged in accident
And for that, the Ferrari mechanics still have some work to do. After his fastest lap, Leclerc hit the barrier with his front wing and destroyed the nose of his car. “I’m very happy with my fast lap, but the rest is a bit of a shame,” said Leclerc. The so-called sprint shootout, which determines the line-up for the short race over 100 kilometers, was carried out for the first time ever in Baku.
Leclerc on pole position in Sunday’s race
For the main race on Sunday (1 p.m.), Leclerc had already secured the starting place at the front on Friday, World Championship leader Verstappen is second in the fourth round of the season on the Caspian Sea.