Qualifying for the 2026 F1 Round 15 Azerbaijan Grand Prix concluded in Baku on 25 September. Mercedes driver George Russell claimed pole with 1:42.526, 0.837s ahead of second-placed Charles Leclerc. Ferrari’s Leclerc recorded 1:43.363 and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took third with 1:43.364, just 0.001s apart.
F1 qualifying comprises the opening Q1 session, Q2 and Q3, which decides the top ten positions. Russell led all three sessions, improving on his best Q2 lap by another 0.936s in the final session. Isack Hadjar was fourth with 1:43.500, ahead of Lando Norris in fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Four teams occupied the top six: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen, fastest in FP3, recorded 1:44.081 in Q3 and qualified eighth. His Q2 time of 1:43.706 was 0.375s faster than his Q3 result. Pierre Gasly was seventh, while Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto completed the Q3 top ten in ninth and tenth.
The five drivers who set Q2 times but did not reach Q3 were Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson, Alexander Albon, Esteban Ocon and Arvid Lindblad, in that order. Mercedes’ other driver, Kimi Antonelli, could not continue after hitting the wall at Turn 1 in Q1. He officially advanced to Q2 on his earlier lap time but could not take part, leaving him 16th with only 5 laps completed. Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas were the six drivers eliminated in Q1.
F1’s official schedule lists the race start as 15:00 Baku local time on 26 September, or 19:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8). The complete 22-driver qualifying classification follows, with separate Q1, Q2 and Q3 times. A dash means no time was recorded in that session. Qualifying positions are distinct from starting positions after penalties.
| Position | Car No. | Driver | Team | Q1 time | Q2 time | Q3 time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:43.615 | 1:43.462 | 1:42.526 | 26 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:44.360 | 1:43.780 | 1:43.363 | 23 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:45.014 | 1:43.814 | 1:43.364 | 22 |
| 4 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:44.161 | 1:43.880 | 1:43.500 | 21 |
| 5 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:44.571 | 1:44.020 | 1:43.672 | 21 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:44.260 | 1:44.037 | 1:43.858 | 22 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:44.489 | 1:44.106 | 1:44.047 | 20 |
| 8 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:44.041 | 1:43.706 | 1:44.081 | 24 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:45.104 | 1:44.629 | 1:44.566 | 25 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:45.106 | 1:44.683 | 1:44.963 | 21 |
| 11 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:45.228 | 1:44.775 | — | 17 |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:45.535 | 1:44.860 | — | 18 |
| 13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:45.031 | 1:45.001 | — | 17 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:45.039 | 1:45.016 | — | 18 |
| 15 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:45.381 | 1:45.106 | — | 16 |
| 16 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:45.504 | — | — | 5 |
| 17 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:45.799 | — | — | 10 |
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:45.920 | — | — | 10 |
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:46.593 | — | — | 9 |
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:46.658 | — | — | 9 |
| 21 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:47.337 | — | — | 9 |
| 22 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:48.290 | — | — | 10 |
