Sebastian Vettel qualified in pole position on Saturday for the third straight time this season ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver, who leads the championship standings, beat his closest title challenger Lewis Hamilton by 0.179 seconds to take the top spot for Sunday's race in Baku.

Saturday's cooler, windy conditions seemed to favor Vettel and Ferrari, who had struggled for grip in Friday practice.

"When it clicks, it just keeps coming and it was really enjoyable," Vettel said.

Baku's tight corners and narrow streets mean any incidents in the race will likely mean the safety car comes out and could offer chances for drivers starting further back.

"I think it will be an intense race," Vettel said. "Anything can happen, safety cars are very, very likely."

Hamilton promised a tough race.

"We did the best job we could. It was very, very close," Hamilton said. "We're going to try to give Sebastian a hard time tomorrow."

Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was third, 0.160 seconds off Hamilton's time. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was fourth after barely scraping into the top-10 shootout.

Vettel's teammate Kimi Raikkonen was heading for pole position until he slid the car. He qualified sixth.

Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly almost smashed into his teammate Brendon Hartley in the first session when Hartley was driving slowly due to a puncture. Gasly had to go into a runoff area to avoid a collision, ruining his lap.

"This is unacceptable," Gasly shouted over team radio, while Hartley apologized for getting in his teammate's way, saying he felt "pretty stupid."

The two drivers collided at the last race in China.

Romain Grosjean qualified last for Haas after sliding off the track and stalling, meaning he failed to set a time.

 

Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Full qualifying classification

Q3

1. Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari 1m 41.498s

2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1m 41.677s

3. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1m 41.837s

4. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 1m 41.911s

5. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 1m 41.994s

6. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Scuderia Ferrari 1m 42.490s

7. Esteban Ocon FRA Sahara Force India F1 Team 1m 42.523s

8. Sergio Perez MEX Sahara Force India F1 Team 1m 42.547s

9. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault Sport Formula One Team 1m 43.066s

10. Carlos Sainz Jr. ESP Renault Sport Formula One Team 1m 43.351s

Q2

11. Lance Stroll CAN Williams Martini Racing 1m 43.585s

12. Sergey Sirotkin RUS Williams Martini Racing 1m 43.886s

13. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren F1 Team 1m 44.019s

14. Charles Leclerc MON Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 1m 44.074s

15. Kevin Magnussen DEN Haas F1 Team 1m 44.759s

Q1

16. Stoffel Vandoorne BEL McLaren F1 Team 1m 44.489s

17. Pierre Gasly FRA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 1m 44.496s

18. Marcus Ericsson SWE Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 1m 45.541s

19. Brendon Hartley NZL Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 1m 57.354s

20. Romain Grosjean FRA Haas F1 Team No time set