Norris 17th as Leclerc takes Azerbaijan GP pole

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the fourth year in a row as title rivals Max Verstappen and Lando Norris start sixth and 17th.

Norris, who is trying to close a 62-point gap to Verstappen, encountered yellow flags on his final lap in the first session and faces a difficult Sunday.

Verstappen is in better shape but could still manage only sixth fastest as Red Bull continued to struggle for pace compared to their rivals.

Verstappen’s problems - his team-mate Sergio Perez was two places ahead of him in fourth place - should have provided Norris a perfect opportunity to capitalise.

The Briton’s team-mate Oscar Piastri qualified second to Leclerc and ahead of the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

But Norris’ difficulties in the first session means he will be trying to limit the damage rather than inflict it on the Dutchman.

Leclerc, who was 0.321 seconds quicker than Piastri, will be going for his second win in a row after victory in Ferrari’s home Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago.

But despite his matchless pace over one lap in Baku, he has never won a grand prix around the streets of the city on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

“In the past awe have been struggling on race pace but this year we are better in the races so I am hope we can finally do it tomorrow,” Leclerc said.

Leclerc has had a dramatic weekend, crashing in first practice on Friday and then suffering problems with his car in the second session, two problems that cost him about half his usual running time on the first day of the weekend.

“It is one of my favourite tracks. I really like it,” Leclerc said, adding that it had “not been an easy weekend.

“I was a bit not worried and I knew we had to make up some time but the pace was always there and in qualifying it was all about trying to stay as far as possible from the walls and then in the last lap I went for it a bit more and the lap time came very nicely.”

Norris was on course to make it through into the second session comfortably but a yellow flag and he approached the final straight meant he had to back off and the lap was ruined.

Norris said: “The lap was easily good enough but there was a yellow flag so I had to back off.

“Following is pretty much impossible around here and overtaking is a lot worse than everyone thinks.

“I am not expecting much from 17th, but we will put in a good plan tonight and do our best of course. I have been wrong, and I hope there are plenty of chances, but I’m not expecting so.”

Briton Oliver Bearman made a strong debut for the Haas team on his stand-in outing in place of Kevin Magnussen, who has been suspended for this race after exceeding the permitted number of licence penalty points.

Bearman qualified 11th, three places and just over 0.2secs ahead of experienced team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, despite a crash in final practice.

"I was on the limit to get into Q3, if it wasn’t for the mistake I made in the castle section it would have been OK. Quite disappointed in myself. Not for qualifying, more for P3, where I hit the barrier and lost a lot of laps and experience.”