Leclerc takes a third consecutive Baku pole, Alonso reaches 200 Q3 appearances and McLaren record their first ever double Q3 appearance in Azerbaijan. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
LECLERC ON POLE AT 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
Charles Leclerc secured his first pole position of the season at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This marked his 19th pole position, putting him 17th in the all-time list of most Formula 1 poles.
This is Leclerc’s first pole position since the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix.
This was Leclerc’s third consecutive pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Baku City Circuit is the first circuit at which he has recorded three pole positions. Leclerc remains the only driver to record multiple pole positions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Having previously shared the record with Mercedes, Ferrari become the first team to record four pole positions at Baku City Circuit. They are the first team to record three successive poles at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
IN THE TOP 10
Qualifying in second place, Max Verstappen records his first ever front row start at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
With both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz reaching Q3 at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari became the first team to record 250 double Q3 appearances since the current qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
For the seventh time in seven visits to Baku City Circuit, Sainz was out-qualified by his team-mate.
With Leclerc first and Sainz fourth, Ferrari recorded an identical qualifying result at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix to what they recorded at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez all maintained their record of reaching Q3 at every Baku City Circuit race held to date.
Qualifying sixth, Fernando Alonso became the third driver to record 200 Q3 appearances, after Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
Both Aston Martin drivers recorded their worst qualifying results of the season so far.
Alonso recorded his best Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying result to date.
This was the first time Lance Stroll reached Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix since his rookie season in 2017.
Yuki Tsunoda recorded AlphaTauri’s first Q3 appearance of the 2023 season. Tsunoda maintains his 100% Q3 record at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He has qualified eighth on all three appearances. This was the first time he has out-qualified his team-mate at the track.
This was the first time since 2018 that neither of the Red Bull junior team’s drivers qualified within the top six at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reached Q3. The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the first time this season that both McLaren cars have made it out of Q1.
This was McLaren’s first ever double Q3 appearance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Norris qualified in seventh place, ending the longest Q3-less streak of his Formula 1 career to date.
Qualifying tenth for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri joins the group of six other drivers who’ve reached Q3 on every appearance at Baku City Circuit.
OUT IN Q2
George Russell failed to reach Q3 for the first time since the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix. It’s the first time this season that Russell has been out-qualified by his team-mate. He missed out on Q3 by just 0.004 seconds.
Russell’s Q2 exit marks the first time that a Mercedes driver has failed to reach Q3 at Baku City Circuit.
Esteban Ocon was eliminated in Q2 for the third time at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, equalling Carlos Sainz, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo as the joint record-holder for most Q2 exits in Baku.
With 13th place, Alex Albon equalled his best Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying result to date. He also qualified 13th in 2019.
Logan Sargeant made it out of Q1 for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the first time since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix that both Williams drivers have reached Q2. It’s the first time since 2018 that both Williams drivers have reached Q2 in Azerbaijan.
OUT IN Q1
With both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen eliminated in Q1, the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks the Haas team’s 100th Q1 exit in total since joining Formula 1 at the start of 2016.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks Haas’ first double Q1 elimination since the 2022 United States Grand Prix.
This is the third consecutive season in which Haas have recorded a double Q1 exit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Magnussen’s Q1 exit saw him equal Lance Stroll, Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean as the driver with the most Q1 exits in Baku. This was his 3rd Q1 exit at Baku City Circuit.
This is the first time Hulkenberg has qualified outside of the top 11 in 2023.
Zhou Guanyu was eliminated in Q1 for a second consecutive race. This was the first time that Zhou has recorded Q1 exits at successive races since the 2022 Austrian and French Grands Prix.
Pierre Gasly crashed out in Q1, recording his first Q1 exit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix since 2018.
