Formula 1 drivers' championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out of qualifying in Azerbaijan, but his teammate and championship rival Lando Norris was unable to make the Australian pay.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position around the streets of Baku, in a qualifying session that lasted two hours and had an F1 record six red flags.
The final of the red flags came out in Q3 when Piastri crashed at the 90-degree third corner while trying to set a fastest lap.
Rain had fallen in the minutes prior, during another stoppage for a crash from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Piastri was travelling at high speed and locked his brakes, sending him into the wall.
The crash means the Australian qualified ninth for Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
"I think I just braked a little bit late," he told the media.
"Disappointing, obviously. I felt like the car was in a good place.
"The first two corners were really good, then I don't know if I just tried a bit too much or, you know, the rain has been around.
"There were some corners on the out-lap that felt a little bit tricky, but I don't know if that was one of them."
The rare Piastri mistake opened the door for his teammate Lando Norris, who enters this weekend 31 points behind the Australian in the fight for the drivers' championship.
But with an opportunity to put a big gap between him and Piastri for the grand prix, Norris could only manage seventh fastest as he clipped the wall on his only flying lap in Q3.
The disastrous qualifying for McLaren and Ferrari, where Lewis Hamilton failed to get out of Q2, allowed Verstappen to take pole ahead of Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls).
The pole position continues a recent resurgence from Red Bull, after Verstappen converted pole to victory last time out in Monza.
"Hard to get your tyres in condition with so many stoppages," the Dutchman said.
"We definitely were in there for pole, but I'm just happy as since Monza we are doing a better job."
ABC Sport will have a live blog of the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, from 7pm AEST on Sunday, September 21.
