After a chaotic and strenuous qualifying session at the F1 Azerbaijan GP, Max Verstappen took the pole position, marking his first P1 on a Saturday around Baku. This result came after a long and red-flag-ridden Qualifying, which had the drivers face tricky windy and slightly damp conditions. Nevertheless, the Dutchman snatched the fastest lap from both McLaren and Ferrari as they struggled.
The 2025 season had Red Bull Racing and its drivers scrambling to keep up with their rivals. Managing to hold onto the momentum from his win at Monza, the 27-year-old harnessed everything into that final Q3 lap. This pole at the F1 Azerbaijan GP marks Verstappen’s first ever in his whole racing career. With another potential podium, the Red Bull driver will want to make that P1 stick on Sunday.
Initial reactions in Parc Fermé
This Qualifying session showcased just how many factors go into putting out a pole-worthy lap around Baku. The street circuit itself always posed an issue for drivers as the narrow layout makes for close calls with the walls. Verstappen spoke of the difficulties he faced out there at the F1 Azerbaijan GP:
“Long qualifying, to be honest, with so many red flags. So it was very difficult to basically get your lap together. Because most of the time your tyres are not really ready, or again, a red flag happens. So especially Q3, with also a bit of rain around, it was a very difficult session.”
While a regular Qualifying is already nerve-wracking, this session added on the time strain element. Mentioning a common issue when it comes to long qualifying sessions, the Red Bull driver recognised that they improved “when it mattered”.
He also had to switch to the C6 soft tyre at the end of Q3 following a qualifying session ran on mediums by Red Bull to that point.
“And then in the final lap, you just have to send it. I wasn’t even on the best tyres that I wanted. But because of all the red flags, you basically run out of tyres. And yeah, I’m very happy with how the weekend went so far. Because I think, you know, from FP1, we were not too bad, and we just kept on improving a tiny amount. And then we were there in qualifying, and that’s, of course, where it matters.”
On the road to recovering lost ground
With an arduous 2025 season at Red Bull, Max Verstappen’s turnaround at the F1 Italian GP showcased a possible recovery. Yet, coming from a relatively calm race around Monza, this F1 Azerbaijan GP Qualifying was the exact opposite for Verstappen.
In response to a question calling these challenging conditions better suited for him, the Dutchman argued that Red Bull’s focus was on pole from the start. Highlighting the positive change in his team’s performance, Verstappen remains hopeful for the rest of 2025.
“No. I think we definitely were in there for pole. Of course, Q3 is always a bit messy for everyone. But I’m just happy. Yeah. It seems like since Monza, we’re doing a better job. And I hope that we can continue in that way.”
With his goal set for turning the pole into a victory, the reigning world champion pointed out tyre management as his primary concern.
“Yeah. Still, again, long race. Of course, you want to have a good start. But even then, we just need to do our own race, look after our tyres. Because it’s still quite tough on the tyres around here because of the softer compounds. And then, we’ll see what happens.”
Sixth pole of the 2025 season
During the F1 Azerbaijan GP post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen began his interview by giving out a detailed run of his session. The biggest struggle that hindered his performance came from tyre wear and the small prime window. While the Baku City circuit benefits from bringing one of the longest straights in the calendar, it is hard to bring the tyres up to temperature:
“I think it was just a very long qualifying in general with all the red flags. So you never got into a rhythm,” confessed the Red Bull Racing driver. “Trying to complete laps was already difficult enough with what was going on.
“Getting the tyres in the window on your warm-up lap is very tough around here. Honestly, I was quite happy with how Q1 and Q2 went, but Q3 was a very long wait. And then choosing what tyres to use for the final run — there was a bit of rain around in places — so not easy at all. But in the end, very happy to sit here.”
Additionally, Max Verstappen talked about the strong gusts of wind that affected the balance of his RB21. Alongside the already difficult layout, the rain and the red flags, this qualifying session was all about the perfect conditions.
“Yeah, I mean, this track is already hard enough without anything. With the strong winds that we had today, the car was moving around a lot — understeer, oversteer in different places. Even on the straight, going left to right. So, to basically nail everything, but also then the big interruptions that we had. It was just very tricky today. But luckily, I think we did quite well.”
Race predictions
With all the difficulties that took over the F1 Azerbaijan GP Qualifying, Verstappen is left hoping that he can take advantage of the good starting position. Baku is known for being quite temperamental throughout races, and this session only proved that.
“Yeah, difficult to say at the moment. Of course, it’s a good starting position. We just have to try and do our own race, to be honest. Hopefully the car is kind on its tyres, that we can look after them. And just go from there.”
This qualifying had McLaren sending Lando Norris out quite fast in Q3. Instead of following, Verstappen and Red Bull opted to wait until the end for one last flying lap. The Dutchman explained where this decision came from:
“Well, it wouldn’t really matter too much [if the decision was the right call]. Because I think if anyone would have crashed, then there would have been no laps for the people that didn’t have a lap. So I just didn’t want to be first because you lose a bit to the line. So that meant that we were almost at the back, but that was OK. That was a call that we made.”
No risk, no reward
The F1 Azerbaijan GP Qualifying had plenty of moments that put into perspective just how touch-and-go the track is. Every little mistake is costly around Baku, and pushing to the limits for a pole-worthy flying lap is challenging. Reflecting on the mental strain of today’s session, Verstappen spoke of the preparation that goes into this particular weekend:
“Yeah, I think Carlos [Sainz] answered that quite well. It’s also a long wait. Of course, you want it to finish a bit sooner. But at the same time, there are a lot of calls that you have to make in the background with tyres: how many laps you want to do, warm-up procedure. But you also kind of know that that is a possibility around here with red flags.”
Remembering this season as hard but rewarding, the 4-time world champion is satisfied with his races:
“I think when I’m older, I won’t really care (laughs). I’ll just think about other stuff, enjoy with my friends, family, and then maybe get some highlights — like, “well, yeah, that was good.” But it’s been a good year for sure.
“I’m happy with my performances. It seems like now we understand the car a bit better, which I think is the most important out of it. And then when I feel a bit happier in the car, you can extract naturally a bit more out of it. And that’s what we’re doing right now. So hopefully we can just keep that going.”
