Azerbaijan GP: Verstappen cruises, Piastri’s title hopes hit by first-lap crash

THE 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit had drama from the opening lap, but ended with a commanding victory for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The reigning champion led calmly from pole position to win by nearly 15 seconds, securing his second successive triumph after the summer break. Verstappen described the weekend as “incredible” and said the car worked exceptionally well on both tyre compounds. 

With clean air for most of the race, he was able to manage his tyres comfortably, making the run to the flag “pretty straightforward.”

Piastri’s costly early exit

The defining moment came immediately on lap one when championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out.

After an uncharacteristic qualifying crash the previous day, the McLaren driver’s Sunday unravelled from the start. He jumped the lights, dropped to the back of the pack, and then misjudged his entry into Turn 5, slamming into the barriers and bringing out a Safety Car.

Piastri admitted the opening blunder was a “silly, simple error” because he “anticipated the start too much.” On the crash, he accepted responsibility: “I didn’t anticipate the dirty air in the way I should have,” he said, adding he went into the corner “way too hot.”

The retirement ended his run of 45 consecutive race finishes.

Norris misses his chance

With Piastri out, teammate Lando Norris had a golden opportunity to cut the title gap. But after starting seventh, he could only finish in the same position, collecting six points.

Norris lost places early and was hampered by a slow pit stop of over four seconds. That delay left him behind Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls).

McLaren attempted a long opening stint to create a tyre offset, but Norris found himself stuck in a DRS train. He later reported that overtaking was “just impossible.” Team boss Andrea Stella admitted the car lacked the speed to break through, saying Norris spent the race “stuck in traffic.”

As a result, Piastri’s championship lead shrank only slightly, from 31 to 25 points. Verstappen’s victory cut his own gap to Piastri to 69 points, though he conceded his title hopes remain “extremely faint.”

Podium and standout drives

Behind Verstappen, George Russell delivered a gritty performance to finish second for Mercedes despite illness throughout the weekend.

Carlos Sainz secured third for Williams, giving the team their first podium since 2021. The Spaniard called it his “best podium of his career.”

Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli impressed with fourth, while Lawson earned a career-best fifth. Tsunoda followed in sixth, with Lewis Hamilton climbing from 12th on the grid to eighth for Ferrari, just ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

Isack Hadjar rounded out the points in tenth, completing a double-points haul for Racing Bulls.