Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc became the first non-Red Bull driver to take a pole position this year with a stunning lap at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Sergio Perez was third in the second Red Bull ahead of Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz. Verstappen and Leclerc had set the exact same time on their first runs, but the Dutchman was classified ahead because he posted it first. This is the first ‘sprint’ weekend of the year and it runs to a new format. Hamilton said: “Timing and getting into the rhythm is not easy on this track. Russell said Mercedes “just weren’t fast enough this weekend” and that he had made a mistake on his final lap in the second session, from which Hamilton only just progressed.

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