Charles Leclerc edges out Max Verstappen for Azerbaijan pole

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has earned pole position for Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his third successive grid-leading effort in Baku.

Leclerc has endured a desperately poor start to the season, collecting just six points from the opening three races to sit in 10th spot.

However, Leclerc shows his and the Ferrari's capabilities as he edged out Championship leader Max Verstappen by nearly two tenths of a second.

Sergio Perez earned some consolation for Red Bull by edging out Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr to start third on the grid ahead of the Spaniard.

Another brilliant qualifying performance by Leclerc in Baku 💪

2021: Pole
2022: Pole
2023: Pole #AzerbaijanGP @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/RZDHqkv4he

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 28, 2023

Lewis Hamilton backed up the improvements made in Australia by qualifying fifth fastest after Mercedes teammate George Russell missed out on Q3, instead only being 11th quickest.

The seven-time world champion is joined on the third row by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, while Lando Norris earned seventh place in his McLaren.

Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll and Oscar Piastri - in the AlphaTuari, Aston Martin and McLaren respectively - completed the top 10.

Qualifying was held on Friday to accommodate a change to the sprint format on Saturday, with a new quickfire qualifying session taking place to determine the starting positions for the 100km race.