Max Verstappen cruised to victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, giving Red Bull a strong boost in the Formula One season. The Dutch driver led every single lap on the streets of Baku, finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell in second and Williams’ Carlos Sainz in third. This marks Verstappen’s fourth win of the year and his second straight triumph, signaling a Red Bull comeback that has McLaren on edge.
While Verstappen dominated, the real drama unfolded behind him. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the current F1 Drivers’ Championship leader, had a nightmare start. Starting from ninth after a qualifying crash, he jumped the lights at the beginning, stalled his engine, and dropped to the back. Just a few corners in, Piastri tried a bold outside pass on Esteban Ocon’s Haas but lost control and slammed into the barriers at Turn 5. His early exit handed a golden opportunity to teammate Lando Norris.
Norris started seventh but couldn’t capitalize fully. He dropped to ninth on the opening lap after contact with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, then battled through traffic. McLaren stretched his first stint for a late push on fresh tires, but a sluggish pit stop—his second messy one in a row—cost him dearly. Norris rejoined stuck in a DRS train behind Liam Lawson, who delivered a standout drive to claim fifth place, his best result yet. Norris pushed hard but finished seventh, just like he started, picking up only six points and cutting Piastri’s championship lead to 25 points.
Liam Lawson shone for Racing Bulls, holding off Yuki Tsunoda, Norris, and Lewis Hamilton over the final 10 laps. Tsunoda grabbed sixth, his top finish with Red Bull, while Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took a solid fourth after a clean run. Lewis Hamilton led Ferrari’s recovery from the midfield to eighth, ahead of Charles Leclerc in ninth and Hadjar in tenth.
For Williams, Sainz’s podium was a huge moment—his first since joining the team and their best result since 2021’s Belgian Grand Prix. He started second on the grid and kept it together for third. Russell, shaking off recent illness, nailed a long stint on hard tires to climb from fifth to second. McLaren, though, left Baku frustrated, pushing back their Constructors’ Championship clinch as Red Bull closes the gap.
Verstappen praised his car’s setup, saying, “This weekend has been incredible for us. The car was working beautifully.” He also nabbed the fastest lap point after switching to medium tires late on. Norris tipped his hat to Lawson’s defense: “He defended brilliantly. We tried to use the strategy, but the pit stop didn’t help, and once you’re in that DRS train, it’s almost impossible.”
Lower down the order, Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto took 11th, followed by Ollie Bearman, a penalized Alex Albon (10-second hit for colliding with Franco Colapinto), and Esteban Ocon in 14th after starting last due to a wing issue. Fernando Alonso got a jump-start penalty for Aston Martin, finishing 16th, with the rest of the field rounded out by Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, and Colapinto. Piastri was the only retirement.
With seven races left, Verstappen trails Piastri by 69 points but showed real pace in Baku that could shake up the F1 title fight. The next stop is the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay on October 5, where high downforce tracks will test the teams all over again.
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