F1 qualifying

George Russell took an imperious pole position for Mercedes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed out. Russell beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by a massive 0.837 seconds while Antonelli, who leads the Britain by 81 points in the championship, will start in 16th. The Italian hit the inside wall at Turn One in the first session and was knocked out. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was third ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Frenchman Isack Hadjar is to stay at Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s team-mate for the 2027 season. The 21-year-old was promoted to the senior team this season after a rookie year with Racing Bulls and has managed to be closer to Verstappen on pace than any team-mate since Daniel Ricciardo in 2018. His best result this season came with a third place at the Monaco Grand Prix.