<a href='https://ads.independent.com.mt/www/delivery/ck.php?n=afef72b0&cb=168' target='_blank'><img data-src='https://ads.independent.com.mt/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=22&cb=168&n=afef72b0' border='0' alt='' /></a>Max Verstappen took pole position and championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out in qualifying for Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a marathon session with constant crashes, rain and a record six red flags. ADVERTISEMENT"You just have to send it," Verstappen said of his final lap, trying to beat a time Sainz had set in much drier conditions. Piastri slammed into the barrier while chasing pole position on a track left slippery by earlier rainfall. Piastri qualified ninth ahead of Sunday's race after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also crashed earlier while seeking what would have been a fifth consecutive pole position in Azerbaijan. Williams nearly makes historyFor a few minutes, the Williams team dreamed of a first pole position in 11 years.