Azerbaijan GP: Verstappen dominates – Sainz on the podium!

Max Verstappen stamped his authority on the 2025 Formula 1 season once again by storming to victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his second consecutive win after Monza.

The Dutchman was in a league of his own around the streets of Baku, converting pole position into a commanding triumph that never looked under threat.

Starting on hard tyres, Verstappen controlled the pace at the front, even as chaos unfolded behind him. He stretched his first stint all the way to lap 41 before switching to mediums, then cruised to the flag with a 14-second cushion over George Russell.

• 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Race results

The reigning four-time champion’s mastery in Baku not only silenced doubts about Red Bull’s competitiveness under Laurent Mekies’ new management but also reasserted Verstappen as a looming figure in a championship previously thought to be a McLaren-only contest.

The reigning world champion’s precision through the trickiest corners, plus his superior tyre management, meant even in a straight fight, Mercedes or Williams would have needed something special to challenge him.

Russell’s Grit and Sainz’s Joy

Behind Verstappen, Russell delivered a gutsy performance. The Mercedes driver had been unwell during the weekend but summoned the energy to climb from fourth to second, using a hard-starting tyre strategy to leapfrog Carlos Sainz after the Williams man pitted.

Russell’s reward was a hard-fought podium, his recovery capped with an emotional message over team radio thanking his crew for carrying him through a difficult weekend.

For Sainz, third place was no less meaningful. The Spaniard produced a flawless drive, securing his first podium for Williams.

Starting second, he defended gamely but could do little against Russell’s fresher tyres and superior pace. Still, it was a landmark result for both driver and team — a validation of Williams’ resurgence in 2025.

Piastri’s Nightmare Continues

The biggest drama came on the opening lap, when championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out. After a mistake in qualifying that left him ninth on the grid, Piastri compounded the damage with a disastrous start. His car crept forward before the lights went out, causing a false start, and he quickly tumbled down the order.

Desperate to recover, Piastri pushed too hard on the dirty outside line into Turn 4, locking up and slamming into the barriers — the very corner where he had crashed in qualifying.

The Australian’s wreck not only ruined his own afternoon but also reshaped the title fight, gifting rival Lando Norris a golden opportunity to claw back ground. Yet Norris failed to seize it.

Norris Squanders a Chance

Norris started seventh and ended seventh, despite Piastri’s retirement. A messy qualifying left him out of position, and a scrappy race did little to improve matters. He lost a place to rookie Isack Hadjar early on and was later mugged by Charles Leclerc after the restart.

McLaren attempted to recover Norris’ race with a long first stint on mediums, but a slow pit stop wrecked the strategy. The Briton found himself stuck behind the Lawson–Tsunoda–Leclerc fight for fifth, and although he eventually muscled past a fading Leclerc, he couldn’t dislodge the Racing Bulls or his former teammate Tsunoda.

The result means Norris cut just six points out of Piastri’s lead, which now stands at 25. For a title battle hyped as an inter-McLaren duel, the squandered opportunity was glaring.

Lawson Shines in Baku Thriller

If Verstappen dominated at the front, the fight of the day unfolded behind. Liam Lawson was one of the stars, backing up his sensational qualifying third with a composed race that ended in a career-best fifth.

Lawson’s afternoon wasn’t without jeopardy. He lost ground to Kimi Antonelli mid-race and then found himself embroiled in a ferocious scrap with Tsunoda, Leclerc, and Norris.

The young Kiwi needed inch-perfect exits from Turn 16 to hold position down Baku’s mammoth straight, but he never cracked under pressure.

In the end, Lawson clung onto fifth place, beating both Norris and Leclerc on pure merit. Tsunoda survived to finish sixth, with Norris frustrated in seventh.

Hamilton, Leclerc, and the Rest

Lewis Hamilton joined the Lawson DRS train late on, sneaking past Leclerc to claim eighth. The Ferrari man appeared to expect Hamilton to give the place back after being waved through earlier in the race, but the seven-time champion held firm at the line. Leclerc, left ninth, looked dejected.

Hadjar rescued a solitary point in 10th after a rough start, while the midfield largely failed to shine. Fernando Alonso picked up a five-second penalty for jumping the start alongside Piastri, while Alex Albon earned the stewards’ wrath for spinning Franco Colapinto with a clumsy lunge.

The Bigger Picture

Baku may have delivered its usual share of drama, but the narrative was clear: Verstappen is back, and the title race might not be a McLaren-only affair after all.

For Piastri, the costly crash leaves him with work to do. For Norris, seventh was a wasted chance to apply real pressure. For Williams, a first Sainz podium marked progress. And for Racing Bulls, Lawson’s rise to the top five offered a glimpse of a driver maturing fast.

But above it all, Verstappen reigned supreme. The Dutchman left Baku not just with another win, but with a reminder: write him out of the title fight at your peril.

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