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Leclerc takes pole at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/ AFP
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position in Baku for the third year in a row at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday with a scorching lap that ended Red Bull’s run of qualifying domination.
The pole, in a session twice red-flagged early on due to crashes, was Ferrari’s first of the Formula One season after Red Bull had qualified fastest in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen will line up alongside on the front row with his team mate Sergio Perez third.
Drivers will have another qualifying on Saturday for a standalone 100 km sprint race that no longer determines Sunday’s grid after a new format was agreed unanimously by teams this week.
Saturday will be the first of six sprints this year.
“It feels good…It’s good to be back on top,” said Leclerc after whooping in delight over the team radio.
There was nothing to separate him and Verstappen after the initial flying laps, with both clocking one minute 40.445 seconds but the Red Bull driver on provisional pole due to setting his time first.
Leclerc made sure he got his second lap in first, lowering the benchmark to 1:40.203 – with Verstappen unable to beat it and ending up 0.188 slower.
“We came into the weekend thinking that it would be a great weekend if we were in front of Aston Martin and Mercedes in qualifying,” said the Ferrari driver, whose team mate Carlos Sainz qualified fourth.
“And at the end, we are on pole, so it’s a good surprise,” added the Monegasque, who has yet to win at a circuit that has yet to see a repeat winner or indeed anyone not driving a Red Bull or a Mercedes.
“We must not forget that our car is probably behind the Red Bull, so it’s going to be difficult to keep the lead. But that’s the target,” added Leclerc.
Verstappen, winner in Baku last year, was sanguine about the session.
“We are P2, we know we have a very good race car so all in all it’s not bad. You want to start ahead but we’ll have to pass one car,” he said.
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes fifth on the grid, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso alongside.
Lando Norris will line up seventh in an upgraded McLaren with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda eighth and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren on the row behind.
Hamilton only just scraped through to the final top 10 shootout, beating team mate George Russell by a mere 0.004.
“Ah, sugar,” Russell exclaimed in frustration when told he had failed to make the cut.
The first phase was halted with 10 minutes to go after Nyck de Vries took too much speed into turn three, locked up and speared his AlphaTauri nose-first into the Tecpro barrier.
The session resumed after a 16 minute delay to extract the wrecked car.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly started the opening session after his mechanics hurriedly replaced the gearbox and power unit following a fire in practice but any joy was short-lived.
Gasly had red flags waving for the second time, triggering another delay, when he also hit the wall at turn three with seven and a half minutes to go.
“I’m sorry, I locked the fronts,” said the Frenchman, who qualified 19th, over the radio.
Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen qualified 17th and 18th respectively with Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou also failing to make it through the first phase when Leclerc was also quickest.
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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