Max Verstappen took pole position in a remarkable Qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with a wealth of drivers falling victim to the narrow Baku streets throughout the session, according to the official website of Formula 1.

With wind and brief rain increasing the challenge, an unprecedented six red flags were flown for crashes involving Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.

After several disrupted attempts to improve his time, Verstappen managed to sail above the chaos and claim pole with a 1m 41.117s lap, beating Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson to the top spot.

Piastri crashed out with just under four minutes remaining, at which point only Sainz, Lawson and Isack Hadjar had set fast laps. In the tense shootout, Verstappen was the only one able to edge out the Williams, while Lando Norris ended the near two-hour Qualifying session down in seventh place.