(Reuters) – Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed on his final flying lap but still secured pole position for Formula One’s first standalone sprint race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday.
The pole completed a double for the Monegasque, who will also start from the top slot in Sunday’s grand prix after qualifying fastest on Friday.
Mexican Sergio Perez will join Leclerc on the front row for the sprint race with Red Bull team mate and championship leader Max Verstappen lining up third and George Russell fourth for Mercedes.
The Saturday qualifying session is a new format approved by teams earlier in the week, replacing what had been a final practice. The top eight in the sprint race score points.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Andrew Heavens)
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