Azerbaijan GP: Another Verstappen masterclass, Piastri heartache
F1 NewsSunday, 21 September 2025 at 14:46
Max Verstappen delivered another one of his Formula 1 masterclasses to dominate the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit on Sunday, on a day when Oscar Piastri suffered a major blow to his title lead when he crashed on the opening lap after making an appalling start.
From pole position, with none of the usual suspects around him on the grid and his Red Bull on Pirelli hard tyres, Verstappen simply blasted into the lead and was never headed again. He crossed the line at the end of 51 laps with a 15 sec0nds lead over George Russell in P2. And he probably had a lot more in reserve.
The 2025 Formula 1 world title is not in a McLaren driver's pocket until Max throws in the towel. Today, he did the exact opposite. Shots fired!
It was classic Verstappen doing what he does best: dominate. Since Monza, the hitherto troublesome Red Bull RB21 has been tamed, it seems, and the Dutch ace knows what to do with a race-winning care better than most. Even his beleaguered teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, could drive the car this weekend as P6 testifies. His best result as a senior Bull.
In parc ferme after the race in Baku, Verstappen said of his 67th Grand Prix victory: "This weekend has been incredible for us. Monza was already great but for us to win here is fantastic. The car was working really well on both compounds.
"We had clean air all the time, so you could look after your tyres, and it was pretty straightforward. It's never easy around here; it's very windy today, so the car was moving around a lot. I'm incredibly happy with this performance," declared the reigning World Champion.
Russell: Happy to be back on the podium
A not fully fit Russell turned P5 on the grid into a solid drive to claim the second step of the Baku podium, made easier by the 'unusual suspects' that flooded the top end of the grid for this race after a hurly-burly qualifying on Saturday.
Russell said in parc ferme: "Firstly, congrats to Carlos and Williams. An amazing result for them. For us really happy to be back on the podium. It has been a bit of a rough weekend for me personally but the car was great. Kimi in P4 as well, so happy with that.
"I was pretty glad when I saw the chequered flag, to be honest. Fortunately, I felt much better today than I felt on Friday and Saturday. Looking forward to a bit of rest now but just happy with the result. For us as a team, trying to beat Ferrari in the constructors', was a good step towards that," added Russell, on the occasion of his 22nd podium finish.
Williams driver Carlos Sainz, starting P2, was never going to challenge Verstappen with the kit he has at his disposal. But the Spaniard gave it his best shot to hang on to P3 after succumbing to Russell for second place with ten laps to go.
Sainz was Driver of the Day
Driver of the Day, and rightfully so, Sainz split the Mercedes duo on the results sheet to claim his first podium for Williams and his first top-three finish since Abu Dhabi last year, his final race with Ferrari. The Spaniard thus denied Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli his second career podium celebration.
Delighted Sainz explained the importance of the podium today: "I cannot describe how happy I am and how good this feels. It tastes even better than my first ever podium. We have been fighting hard all year and we proved when we had the speed, we had it all year and everything comes together and we can do some amazing things together.
"We nailed the race, not one mistake and we managed to beat a lot of cars yesterday that we wouldn't have expected to beat. I'm extremely proud of everyone at Williams for pushing through a very difficult year.We have proven to everyone the massive step we took compared to last year. We are on the rise and the right direction," Sainz concluded,
The Italian teenager absorbed the pressure on his young shoulders that comes with driving for Mercedes, producing a stonking effort in qualifying to claim P4 on the grid and finish there in the end. His raw speed is undeniable, but the race was always going to be his biggest challenge. He delivered. A good day for Antonelli.
Lawson shines for Racing Bulls, Tsunoda better
Lawson once showcased his improvement since his Red Bull axing earlier this year, resisting relentless pressure to finish fifth. After repassing Yuki Tsunoda following the Red Bull driver’s pit stop, the New Zealander spent the closing laps defending firmly but fairly against a DRS train that included Tsunoda, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
Tsunoda crossed the line sixth after being unable to find a way past Lawson. But the Japanese driver enjoyed the best race of his Red Bull tenure, and can be credited for being a proper wingman for his teammate had he needed it. His plummeting shares took a more positive turn this Sunday.
In what was McLaren's poorest show of the season (embarrassing, actually, for the dominance they have shown), Norris had to settle for P7 in a frustrating afternoon marked by a slow pit stop that cost him track position.
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton recovered to eighth, his Ferrari showing flashes of pace on the medium tyre in the closing stages but not enough to breach the train ahead.
In the other Ferrari, Charles Leclerc’s race was undone by a scrappy qualifying and an early pit stop that dropped him into traffic. He came home P9, ahead of Fernando Alonso who salvaged a point in P10 for Aston Martin despite a jump start penalty.
Finally, the saddest story of the day for McLaren fans and neutrals, championship leader Oscar Piastri’s afternoon ended at Turn 5 of the opening lap, locking up and crashing his McLaren into the barriers after a bafflingly poor getaway.
Piastri DNF a blow to his Championship lead
The Australian driver's prang and DNF brought out the Safety Car for an early spell. But more alarming for Piastri's title ambitions, he handed Verstappen and Norris an opportunity to eat into his championship lead. Oscar now leads Lando by 25 points, with Max now 69 points adrift of the leader.
Outside the points, it was a bruising afternoon for several big names. Esteban Ocon started from the back after his Haas was disqualified from qualifying and never recovered, finishing among the stragglers.
Alex Albon’s torrid weekend worsened with a clumsy clash with Franco Colapinto that earned him a 10-second penalty. The Alpine rookie at least showed flashes of pace before fading.
Ollie Bearman brought his Haas home quietly after Saturday’s crash, while Pierre Gasly struggled in the other Alpine. Gabriel Bortoleto’s Sauber lacked the speed to threaten points. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was anonymous in 14th behind his teammate.
2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Result Provisional
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Lap-By-Lap
Formation Lap: Verstappen leads the pack away on hards. McLarens start on mediums. Track temp dropping, wind gusting.
Lap 1: Verstappen covers off Sainz into Turn 1. Lawson P3. Piastri crawls off the line then crashes at Turn 5. Safety Car deployed. Norris loses to Hadjar, down to P8.
Lap 2: Ocon and Albon pit early. Order P1 Verstappen, P2 Sainz, P3 Lawson, P4 Antonelli, P5 Russell.
Lap 3: Safety Car stays out for barrier repairs. Hamilton climbs to P10 behind Leclerc.
Lap 4: Restart coming. Alonso and Piastri investigated for jump starts.
Lap 5: Green flag. Verstappen leads. Sainz P2, Lawson P3. Tsunoda passes Russell for P5. Leclerc overtakes Norris for P8. Alonso handed 5s penalty.
Lap 6: Norris reclaims P8 from Hadjar. Hamilton stays P9.
Lap 7: Verstappen leads by 1.4s. Order P1 Verstappen, P2 Sainz, P3 Lawson, P4 Antonelli, P5 Tsunoda, P6 Russell.
Lap 8: Norris pressures Leclerc for P7 but no move. Hamilton overtakes Hadjar for P9. Norris radio: “Pace is fine but dirty air behind Leclerc.”
Lap 9: Verstappen leads by 2s. Sainz P2, Lawson P3. Tsunoda still P5, holding Russell P6, with Leclerc P7, Norris P8, Hamilton P9.
Lap 10: Russell overtakes Tsunoda for P5. Leclerc P7, Norris P8, both chasing.
Lap 11: Clouds thickening. Bearman told on radio: “Rain in 20 minutes.”
Lap 12: Verstappen now 3s clear. Norris stuck behind Leclerc. Alonso steady in P12.
Lap 13: Russell fastest lap, closes on Antonelli P4, both chasing Lawson P3.
Lap 14: Verstappen 4s clear of Sainz. Antonelli within DRS of Lawson for P3.
Lap 15: Hamilton drops back from Norris, sits P9 in no man’s land.
Lap 17: Hamilton locks up at Turn 7, nearly in the wall, recovers.
Lap 19: Antonelli pits from P4 for hards, rejoins P12. Albon collides with Colapinto after stop. Chandhok on comms: “Clumsy move, Albon in trouble.” Stewards note incident.
Lap 20: Leclerc pits from P6 for hards, rejoins P12 behind Antonelli.
Lap 21: Lawson pits from P3. Quick stop, emerges just ahead of Antonelli.
Lap 22: Antonelli passes Lawson on main straight. Takes P8 on track, net P3 after stops.
Lap 23: Verstappen 7s clear of Sainz. Russell P5 running long. Russell told on radio: “Strong pace, may overcut Lawson.”
Lap 25: Norris P5, 20s ahead of Lawson and Leclerc. Overcut looks promising.
Lap 26: Half distance. P1 Verstappen, P2 Sainz, P3 Russell, P4 Tsunoda, P5 Norris, P6 Hamilton, P7 Antonelli, P8 Lawson, P9 Leclerc.
Lap 28: Sainz pits from P2, rejoins P6 with clean air. Sainz radio: “I wouldn’t let Russell get within undercut.”
Lap 30: Hadjar pits from P8, releasing Lawson and Leclerc to battle. Leclerc within DRS of Lawson.
Lap 31: Norris yet to pit, running P5. Projected to rejoin behind Lawson P7 and Leclerc P8 but with fresher tyres.
Lap 32: Verstappen relentless on old hards, only outpaced by Colapinto on fresh mediums. Lead over Russell out to 13s.
Lap 33: Branch spotted on the main straight but off line, no Safety Car needed.
Lap 35: Norris still hasn’t pitted, stretching mediums impressively. McLaren considering softs late, like Monza.
Lap 36: Hamilton brushes the barriers at Turn 15, continues undamaged in P6.
Lap 38: Norris pits after 36 laps on mediums, slow 4s stop due to front-right issue, rejoins P8 behind Lawson and Leclerc. Hamilton pits too, back out P9. Norris radio before stop: “If you can get closer to Tsunoda, we think we can undercut.”
Lap 39: Tsunoda pits, rejoins ahead of Lawson but is repassed at Turn 3. Lawson P5, Tsunoda P6, Leclerc P7, Norris P8.
Lap 40: Russell pits from long stint, emerges P2 ahead of Sainz. Strategy pays off with Mercedes overcut.
Lap 41: Verstappen finally pits, rejoins with 12s lead. Norris overtakes Leclerc for P7, chasing Tsunoda and Lawson next.
Lap 42: Light rain reported at Turn 16 but not affecting grip.
Lap 43: Lawson holds P5 under pressure. Tsunoda close behind, Norris watching in P7.
Lap 44: Hamilton overtakes Leclerc for P7, running strongly on mediums. Just two seconds off the Lawson-Tsunoda-Norris fight.
Lap 45: Battle for P5 tightens. Lawson leads Tsunoda with Norris lurking and Hamilton closing. Big few laps ahead.
Lap 32: Verstappen relentless on old hards, only outpaced by Colapinto on fresh mediums. Lead over Russell up to 13s.
Lap 33: Branch spotted on main straight but off line, no Safety Car needed.
Lap 35: Norris still hasn’t pitted, stretching mediums impressively. McLaren considering softs late, like Monza.
Lap 36: Hamilton brushes barriers at Turn 15, continues undamaged in P6.
Lap 38: Norris pits after long stint, slow 4s stop with front-right issue, rejoins P8 behind Lawson and Leclerc. Hamilton pits too, returns P9. Norris radio before stop: “If you can get closer to Tsunoda, we think we can undercut.”
Lap 39: Tsunoda pits, rejoins ahead of Lawson but is repassed at Turn 3. Lawson P5, Tsunoda P6, Leclerc P7, Norris P8.
Lap 40: Russell pits from long stint, emerges P2 ahead of Sainz. Mercedes strategy pays off.
Lap 41: Verstappen finally pits, rejoins with 12s lead. Norris overtakes Leclerc for P7, sets sights on Tsunoda and Lawson.
Lap 42: Light rain reported at Turn 16 but grip unaffected.
Lap 43: Lawson holds P5, Tsunoda P6 close behind, Norris P7 watching. Hamilton closing in P8.
Lap 44: Hamilton overtakes Leclerc for P7, now just two seconds behind Lawson-Tsunoda-Norris fight.
Lap 45: Lawson leads P5, Tsunoda P6, Norris P7, Hamilton P8. Four-car train forming for final points haul.
Lap 46: Sainz holding P3, keeps Antonelli at two seconds’ distance. Williams closing on first podium since Spa 2021.
Lap 47: Lawson defends superbly in P5 from Tsunoda and Norris, despite their fresher tyres. Hamilton joins DRS train in P8. Hamilton radio: “These guys are fast, mate, trying to catch up with them.”
Lap 49: Verstappen 15s clear in P1, Russell P2, Sainz P3. Tsunoda looks at Lawson into Turn 1 but can’t make it stick.
Lap 50: Lawson still P5 with Tsunoda, Norris and Hamilton in DRS train. No mistakes from the Racing Bulls driver.
Lap 51: Tsunoda defends Turn 1, Norris can’t pass. Verstappen takes chequered flag for dominant win. Russell P2, Sainz P3. Antonelli P4, Lawson P5, Tsunoda P6, Norris P7, Hamilton P8, Leclerc P9, Hadjar P10.
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