Max Verstappen was unbeatable. © APA/afp / LISI NIESNER

Verstappen's triumph and Piastri's disaster

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen celebrated a dominant start-to-finish victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

September 21, 2025

From: apa

The Dutch Red Bull driver won for the fourth time this season on Sunday in Baku, with Mercedes driver George Russell and Carlos Sainz in the Williams completing the podium. McLaren, on the other hand, had a Grand Prix to forget. Championship leader Oscar Piastri retired on the first lap, and teammate Lando Norris could only manage seventh place.

This limited the damage to Piastri in the World Championship duel with Norris; the Australian now leads the Briton by 25 points after the 17th of 24 races of the season. Meanwhile, the flawless Verstappen, who returned to the World Championship battle from a 69-point deficit, drove to his 67th Grand Prix victory and his second consecutive victory after Monza. In the end, the defending champion had a lead of almost 15 seconds over Russell. "An incredible race, on fire!" Verstappen radioed to the pits with satisfaction.

Max Verstappen celebrated at the finish. © APA/afp / OZAN KOSE

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli finished fourth ahead of Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. Yuki Tsunoda celebrated his best result of the season in sixth place in the second Red Bull. Ferrari trailed the field after a botched qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton finishing eighth, just ahead of Charles Leclerc. McLaren also missed the chance to clinch the Constructors' title early on the street circuit on the Caspian Sea. Their next chance will come in two weeks at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Rare Piastri blunders

In the chaotic qualifying session the day before, which featured six red flags, Verstappen had secured pole position for the first time in Baku. Behind them, Sainz and Lawson started the race, while Norris (7) and last year's winner Piastri (9) faced a charge to catch up. Unlike his direct rivals, Verstappen chose the hardest tire compound and easily defended his lead. Behind him, Piastri botched his start, dropped to the back of the field, and shortly afterwards, just as he had the day before, braked badly and hit the wall. This ended a streak of 34 Grands Prix and six sprints in the points for the Australian.

Oscar Piastri had a rough weekend in Baku. © APA/afp / OZAN KOSE

A safety car period followed, and at the restart, Verstappen once again left nothing to chance. While the four-time champion extended his lead over Sainz and Lawson, Leclerc, Norris, and Hamilton were stuck in seventh, eighth, and ninth places, respectively. Meanwhile, Piastri made himself comfortable at the side of the track just a few meters from the accident scene with two water bottles and a banana, following the race on his smartphone.

Russell strategy successful

On the 19th of 51 laps, Antonelli opened the pit stop sequence. However, Verstappen, like Russell and Norris, waited longer to make his only tire change. Norris pitted on lap 38, and a slow stop capped off a disastrous Papaya weekend. Russell, on the other hand, managed to strategically overtake Sainz and secure second place.

Carlos Sainz secured a podium finish for Williams. © APA/afp / ALEXANDER NEMENOV

The drivers coped with the once again gusty conditions in the "City of Winds" much better than the day before; apart from Piastri's mistake, the race was completed without any major accidents. Even the forecast rain didn't show up in the final stages.