For the second straight F1 weekend in a row, the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc took pole position. The Scuderia have managed to find an extra gear in recent times and it not only bodes well for the Italian team, but for F1 as a whole in terms of the entertainment factor. However, this sudden resurgence has caught everyone by surprise. No one expected Ferrari to make such a big leap in such a short amount of time; even the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is left amazed.

Speaking after the qualifying session in Baku, the Mercedes man said, “It’s a fantastic step that they’ve taken. I don’t fully understand it. I think they’ve always had a good car for some time and just down in power. I’m assuming they’ve taken a really good step with their engines because they’re now up there with everyone else.

“I think they already had a good car. It was just down the straights they were losing out. But then in these places they’re mastering these tyres, every single lap so it’s great to see three teams – three, four teams – at the front.”

Leclerc‘s pole position aside, his teammate Carlos Sainz also put in a solid performance. He was hot on the heels of the Monegasque in the three practice sessions but couldn’t quite keep up in Q3. Nevertheless, he still put in a great lap to take the P5 spot on the grid for the race.

But it wasn’t just the Ferraris that caught the eye.

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Lewis Hamilton believes this may be one of the most exciting F1 seasons in recent times

Apart from Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari, the AlphaTauri team also managed to strut their stuff. Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda both put in epic performances on a drama-filled qualifying day. The duo will start the race in P4 and P7, respectively.

Hamilton was happy to see how close the competition is this season. He said, “It’s great seeing the Renaults [sic, Alpines], it’s great seeing the McLarens in the mix and even the AlphaTauris – it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons that we’ve seen.”

The race in Baku is certainly shaping up to be a thrilling event. Who do you think will emerge as the winner of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix? Let us know in the comments below.

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