The Numbers Behind a Memorable Baku Qualifying

It was a chaotic Saturday in Baku, but one that ended in delight for Atlassian Williams Racing and Carlos Sainz, who will line up on the front row of the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Here are some of standout numbers from a dramatic afternoon on the streets of Azerbaijan:

George Russell took P2 in the rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix weekend back in 2021, and now it’s Carlos who returns the team to the front row.

Our previous best since F1’s modern ground-effect era began in 2022 belonged to Alex Albon – he was P4 in Zandvoort, 2023.

Carlos had qualified as high as P3 here last year, but P2 marks his strongest effort yet around the streets of Baku.

In fact, Carlos’ Baku Quali run has been on a constant climb since 2016…

The team’s previous high in Azerbaijan came with Felipe Massa’s P5 in 2016, during the first-ever Qualifying session around the streets of Baku. Carlos’ P2 eclipses that for a brand-new benchmark.

Baku’s Qualifying hour (well, Qualifying hour + 58 mins) was interrupted more than any Qualifying session in F1’s 75 years, with six stoppages across all three sessions. Sadly it all started when Alex tagged the inside wall in Q1, but he wasn’t to be the only driver having difficulties.

Nico Hulkenberg also found the wall in Q1, whilst Piere Gasly and Franco Colapinto had near-simultaneous incidents at Turn 4. Ollie Bearman brought a hold early in Q2, and both Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri both brought Q3 to a stop.

This year’s Qualifying session lasted 1:58:22 – that’s longer than the entirety of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which ran to 1:32:58. What’s in store when we hit the track tomorrow? Who knows, but the Atlassian Williams Racing app will be the best place to follow all the action.