The qualifying results of the #AzerbaijanGP: It was known that #Mercedes was on an ideal track: entirely traction-based, where the torque of the V6, the deployment, along with a car with even less drag than downforce, counts. However, it's not a coincidence that we saw a show from #Russell, and #Antonelli's mistake didn't happen by chance either: Kimi has a style where he is aggressive on entry, cuts the corners a lot, and often goes wide just to keep the PU "alive" on the energy front. In fact, he always gets many track limit warnings, and today by cutting he hit the wall. Russell tends to anticipate the apex to favor the exit, which pays off on many tracks, but for Baku it's perfect; then all corners are the same, so the pattern repeats and we see the competitive Russell we expected at the beginning of the year. Reducing the Mercedes engine advantage to just S3 doesn't tell the whole story: the #W17 is an explosion of torque in all the corner exits; as soon as he gets on the gas, the forward surge is always from Russell. Thus, we see both the best V6 and a super effective use of the electric power, along with a firmly planted rear end that always ensures everything is transferred to the ground. #Ferrari performed better than expected but not in terms of gap. #Leclerc greatly benefited from #Hamilton's slipstream with a great final lap, and taking advantage of RedBull's debacle and Kimi's absence, he secured the front row, but at a gap of 0.8 from pole (with slipstream...). The bulk of the gap still comes from the straights, both the short ones in the middle sector, the descent towards 15 in desperate need of energy, and then the final stretch. #Hamilton paid dearly for being out alone in front; compared to Leclerc, he loses almost 0.5 only in the straights, I don't know how the team's choice worked out but it was a disaster for Lewis. #McLaren suffers from drag and a setup that is not yet optimal, in addition to a mistake by #Norris on the final lap, leaving #Piastri alone (who stops just 0.001 from Lec!). #RedBull had the potential for the front row but Max fought the entire qualifying with a battery problem that crushed him on a track like this. Let's see the race: Russell is the favorite, McLaren has the potential for second place, but it remains to be seen what Ferrari will do in terms of pace, while Kimi will try to make a comeback and Max will seek to get back on the podium. (translated)