Russell capitalises on Antonelli error to take Azerbaijan GP pole

Russell had all but written off his championship hopes but Antonelli’s demise coupled with his impressive pole lap, his first since the Austrian Grand Prix in June, will provide him with a glimmer of hope that the fight remains on. Remarkably, Russell was nearly nine tenths faster than anybody else. He will be joined on the front row by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with Oscar Piastri third for McLaren. Russell said in his post-qualifying interview: “It has been a while since I have been on pole, so it definitely feels good. It is probably the biggest (pole) margin of my whole career, even in my Formula Two and Formula Three days, and that felt really sweet. The car has been feeling great this weekend. It was just the perfect lap at the end. “We are in a great place to go for the win, but this is Baku and anything can happen.” Isack Hadjar lines up from fourth ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen qualified only eighth. Antonelli, 20, had not looked like a man rattled by the expectation of closing out his first title and becoming the youngest Formula One world champion. But Friday’s qualifying provided the first sign he could yet buckle under the pressure. Antonelli was playing catch-up after being sidelined for half of Thursday’s practice sessions on the Caspian Sea with a hydraulic failure. And in the opening phase of qualifying he thudded the barrier as he entered the first turn, sustaining terminal damage to his Mercedes.