Max Verstappen dominated the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After keeping his head amidst the qualifying chaos to take pole, Verstappen got away cleanly, controlled the pace, led every single lap, and secured the fastest lap.
Verstappen praised his team for their progress since the summer break. Although uncertain about his future prospects (Singapore is the only race on the current calendar Verstappen is yet to win), the reigning world champion considered his weekend ‘incredible’.
By contrast, Oscar Piastri had a torrid race that may have blown the title race wide open. After crashing out in qualifying and starting ninth, the championship leader jumped the start and tumbled down the order. Running last, Piastri locked up at turn five and ploughed into the barriers. His first retirement since the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
While Piastri foundered, Carlos Sainz secured what he considered the best podium of his career. After taking advantage of the ever-evolving conditions on Saturday and qualifying second, Sainz kept Liam Lawson at arm’s length during the opening exchanges. He may have lost out to George Russell, who successfully overcut Sainz on lap 40, but with third place the Spaniard has clinched his first points since Canada, his first podium for Williams and the team’s first podium since 2021. A marquee result he desperately needed given the disappointing season he’s had thus far.
In second was George Russell, whose ill-health did little to halt his steady progress. After being outqualified by his teammate for only the second time this year and losing out to Yuki Tsunoda on lap one, Russell repassed the Red Bull on lap 10 and opted for a lengthy first stint. By the time he left the pits on lap 40, he’d jumped both Sainz and Kimi Antonelli for second. A commendable performance given his personal discomfort.
On the other side of the Mercedes garage, Kimi Antonelli had his best weekend in recent memory. After holding fourth place off the start, Antonelli thundered past Lawson on lap 22. He was later leapfrogged by Russell thanks to the Brit’s tyre and pace advantage, but with fourth place, Antonelli will leave Baku having scored more points than he has in the last six races combined.
With all the fanfare surrounding Sainz and Williams, Liam Lawson’s efforts should not go unnoticed. After qualifying a career-best third, Lawson held firm for 22 laps before conceding to Antonelli. Russell’s overcut relegated him to fifth, but once there, Lawson produced the best defensive display of his career to date. In the closing stages, Lawson found himself under attack from Yuki Tsunoda, Lando Norris (on the comeback trail after qualifying P7), and Lewis Hamilton. Of the four combatants, Lawson was the only one without DRS and yet, through some consistent pace and immaculate car placement, Lawson hung on to take a career-best fifth-place finish. Quite the turnaround given his shambolic start to the season.
Behind that four-way battle, Charles Leclerc was unable to make any significant gains after his crash in qualifying. He may have passed Norris at the safety car restart, but as the race unfolded, his pace tailed off. Leclerc was eventually forced to let Hamilton pass for P8, as the latter tried to catch Norris. Who failed to make the most of his teammate’s misfortune and only finished seventh.
Isack Hadjar made some early gains and briefly ran as high as eighth, but as Norris and Hamilton got up to speed, the Frenchman was forced to settle for tenth place.
Gabriel Bortoleto finished eleventh ahead of Oliver Bearman and Alex Albon. The Williams driver originally finished 11th but was handed a ten-second penalty after colliding with Franco Colapinto on lap 17. Esteban Ocon collided with Nico Hulkenberg on the opening lap and finished 14th. Fernando Alonso incurred a five-second penalty for jumping the start and came home 15th, ahead of Hulkenberg, Stroll, Gasly, and Colapinto.
Verstappen's title hopes remain incredibly slim. However, with Red Bull having found a new turn of pace, Piastri having made a rare mistake and Norris failing to capitalise, this year’s driver's title is anything but a foregone conclusion.
