Liam Lawson secured a top three qualifying spot. Photo: photosport
New Zealand's Liam Lawson has unleashed the best qualifying result of his Formula One career and will line up third on the grid for tonight's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
On a day in which it was best to avoid the carnage, Lawson cleverly negotiated a qualifying session which featured six red flags as all of the drivers contended with wind gusts at the exposed Baku circuit.
Lawson will start behind Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen and Williams driver Carlos Sainz.
The 23-year-old Kiwi wasn't getting carried away.
"Obviously, tomorrow [Sunday] is the important day," he told Sky Sports UK.
"It's going to be a very hard race, for sure. We have a great starting position, but we're aware of who we're fighting around us. That's what we'll be focused on.
"The car's been good all weekend. When it needed to be in quali, it was good. Massive thanks to the guys and girls, the team's been amazing this weekend so far."
Liam Lawson during practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo: photosport
Lawson has been a model of consistency in his debut as an F1 driver at the Azerbaijan GP, placing in the top 10 in all three practice sessions.
In qualifying, he was among a handful of drivers able to set a time early in the session before the weather and a series of incidents turned racing into a slog.
Lawson was able to return to the track on soft tyres after the last of the red flags and capitalised on better track conditions to set his best time.
Verstappen topped the time sheets with a best lap of 1min 41.117sec, just over half a second faster than Lawson.
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli was fourth fastest and will start alongside Lawson in an all-rookie second row.
Lawson's place on the grid will have New Zealand motor sports fans hoping he can become the first Kiwi to stand on a Formula One podium in 51 years.
Denny Hulme was the last New Zealander to stand atop a Formula One podium in 1974. Photo: Photosport
Denny Hulme was the last to do so when winning the opening round of the 1974 championship in Argentina - to record the last of his 33 career podium placings.
McLaren troubles
Championship leader Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed during the chaotic qualifying session.
While they celebrated, it was a tough day for runaway leaders McLaren, hoping to clinch the constructors' title for a second year in a row this weekend, with an unprecedented seven rounds remaining.
Piastri, last year's winner in Baku, qualified ninth without setting a time in the final phase after the Australian's biggest mistake so far in a campaign otherwise remarkably free of errors.
"I think the win is ambitious but let's wait and see," Piastri said.
"The car has been quick this weekend and hopefully we can use that to make progress."
Teammate Lando Norris, 31 points behind, will start only seventh after going breathtakingly close to hitting the wall and missing a big chance to put distance between himself and his title rival.
"It was a very difficult session. In the final lap, you just have to send it," Verstappen said.
"I wasn't even on the best tyres that I wanted - because of all the red flags you basically run out of tyres."
Leclerc had been bidding for a fifth successive Baku pole but it all went wrong when the Monegasque speared into the barriers on a track made slippery by rain. He will start the race in 10th place.
Only three drivers, with Sainz leading Lawson, had set a time at that point of the final phase.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren). Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Piastri then crashed with three minutes and 41 seconds remaining, with only Verstappen going faster than Sainz when the track re-opened.
Russell qualified fifth for Mercedes with Yuki Tsunoda a strong sixth for Red Bull.
Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar, who could replace the Japanese next season, qualified eighth.
Ferrari's seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton qualified a disappointing 12th - after the optimism of going fastest on Friday - with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso 11th.
F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
"I honestly thought I was going to be shooting for pole today, so it's kind of a bit of a shock," Hamilton said.
The first phase was halted three times, with Alex Albon hitting the wall in his Williams and then Nico Hulkenberg going straight into the barriers at turn four and smashing the front wing and floor of his Sauber.
Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto, his seat for next season in doubt, crashed his Alpine heavily in the closing seconds - repairs to the barrier delaying the start of the second phase.
Haas's Oliver Bearman halted the second phase, the fourth stoppage of the session, when he hit the wall with just under 12 minutes remaining.
"Sorry guys, so stupid," said the Briton over the radio after stopping on track and informing the team that the car was 'broken'.
- Reuters
