2026 Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Results
Every car frozen on the finish line, with each gap to George Russell’s pole shown to scale in real metres. Qualifying at Baku, round 15.
Open the interactive 3D Gap Visualizer →Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying: what happened
George Russell took pole for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying with a 1:42.526 for Mercedes at Baku. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was 0.837s behind, and at racing speed that is 76.3 m of track between them as they crossed the line.
Oscar Piastri completed the top three for McLaren, 0.838s off George Russell. Across the whole classified order the field spread out to 438.3 m, from George Russell to Lance Stroll.
The closest call of the session was between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri: 0.001s apart, about 0.09 m at speed.
| # | Driver | Team | Lap time | Gap | Behind (to scale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:42.526 | Pole | — |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:43.363 | +0.837 | 76.3 m |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:43.364 | +0.838 | 76.4 m |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:43.500 | +0.974 | 88.7 m |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:43.672 | +1.146 | 104.4 m |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:43.858 | +1.332 | 121.4 m |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:44.047 | +1.521 | 138.6 m |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:44.081 | +1.555 | 141.7 m |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:44.566 | +2.040 | 185.9 m |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:44.775 | +2.249 | 204.9 m |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:44.860 | +2.334 | 212.7 m |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:44.963 | +2.437 | 222.0 m |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:45.001 | +2.475 | 225.5 m |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:45.016 | +2.490 | 226.9 m |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:45.106 | +2.580 | 235.1 m |
| 16 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.504 | +2.978 | 271.3 m |
| 17 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:45.799 | +3.273 | 298.2 m |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:45.920 | +3.394 | 309.2 m |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:46.593 | +4.067 | 370.5 m |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:46.658 | +4.132 | 376.5 m |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:47.147 | +4.621 | 421.0 m |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:47.337 | +4.811 | 438.3 m |
How big is the gap, really?
George Russell took qualifying pole at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:42.526. On the timesheet the field looks bunched into tenths, but at racing speed those tenths stretch out: from pole to Lance Stroll the field covers 438.3 m. Open the 3D visualizer to see it to scale, car by car.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying: your questions
- Who took pole at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell (Mercedes) took pole at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 qualifying with a 1:42.526 at Baku.
- How close was qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell beat Charles Leclerc to pole by 0.837s. At racing speed that margin is 76.3 m of track. Across the whole field, from pole to Lance Stroll in P22, the spread is 4.811s or 438.3 m.
- How far behind was Charles Leclerc at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) qualified P2 in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:43.363, 0.837s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 76.3 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Oscar Piastri at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) qualified P3 in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:43.364, 0.838s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 76.4 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Isack Hadjar at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) qualified P4 in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:43.500, 0.974s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 88.7 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lando Norris at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- Lando Norris (McLaren) qualified P5 in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:43.672, 1.146s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 104.4 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lewis Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026?
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) qualified P6 in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:43.858, 1.332s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 121.4 m of track behind.
- How much is a tenth of a second in metres at Baku?
- On this lap a tenth of a second is worth roughly 9.1 m of track. That is why Charles Leclerc's 0.837s at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 puts 76.3 m between the cars on the finish line.