Oscar Piastri, the leader of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship, faced a setback during the qualifying rounds in Azerbaijan as he crashed out. His teammate and competitor, Lando Norris, failed to capitalize on this mistake.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull secured pole position, marking a significant achievement on the streets of Baku, where the qualifying session was interrupted by a record six red flags over two hours.

The final red flag was raised in Q3 after Piastri crashed into the wall at the challenging 90-degree third corner while attempting to clock a fast lap. Just prior to this incident, rain had affected the track conditions during a previous stoppage caused by a crash involving Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Piastri’s crash was a result of high-speed driving where he locked his brakes, forcing him to collide with the wall. Consequently, he qualified in ninth place for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

After the crash, Piastri explained, “I think I just braked a little bit late. Disappointing, obviously. I felt like the car was in a good place.” He continued, reflecting on the challenges, “The first two corners were really good, then I don’t know if I just tried a bit too much.”

This unexpected error opened up a chance for Norris, who entered the weekend trailing Piastri by 31 points in the championship race. Yet, he could only manage seventh place after clipping the wall on his Q3 flying lap.

The struggles for both McLaren and Ferrari, alongside Lewis Hamilton’s failure to advance beyond Q2, allowed Verstappen to relish his pole position advantage. He was joined on the front row by Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson, who completed the top three qualifying spots.

Verstappen’s performance continues Red Bull’s resurgence, as he converted pole to victory in Monza during the last race. “Hard to get your tyres in condition with so many stoppages,” Verstappen commented, expressing satisfaction with the team’s progress since Monza.

Don’t miss ABC Sport’s live blog of the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, starting at 7pm AEST on Sunday, September 21.