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A shock performance from AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda turned the heat up on Formula 1’s leading drivers during the final moments of Q1 in Azerbaijan. Tsunoda’s blistering lap has shaken up the order, leaving high-profile names like Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen under immense pressure to improve their times or risk a stunning early exit from qualifying.
Tsunoda’s rapid lap around the challenging Baku street circuit caught the paddock off guard. The Japanese driver, piloting an AlphaTauri car that has struggled for consistent pace this season, delivered a near-perfect lap, jumping into the top slots and placing him among the front-runners. His performance sent a wake-up call to the top teams, who were perhaps too comfortable in their earlier efforts.
“We managed to put together a great lap, and the car felt really strong. I’m happy with that, but it’s not over yet,” Tsunoda said post-lap, acknowledging the fight ahead in the subsequent qualifying sessions.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Both drivers have struggled to find the optimal setup, and Tsunoda’s lap now forces them to raise their game on their final flying laps in Q1. Piastri, still adjusting to the challenges of Formula 1, will need a clean lap to ensure he advances, while Norris is under increasing pressure to lead the team back into Q2.
Verstappen, the reigning world champion and usually a dominant force, also needs to find time. While his early laps showed promise, the Red Bull star now faces the added pressure of improving his time as the window to advance narrows. Red Bull has already been tweaking his car’s setup, and Verstappen’s discomfort in the early stages of the session could cost him if he doesn’t find a quick solution.
“We need to improve; it’s that simple,” Verstappen said over the team radio, hinting at dissatisfaction with the current balance of the car.
With the clock ticking down in Q1, the top teams are now fully awake, scrambling to extract the maximum performance from their machines. The sudden threat posed by Tsunoda has not only injected drama into the session but also forced the likes of Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri to take risks in their final attempts.