Max Verstappen dominated the Components 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a flawless victory, whereas Oscar Piastri crashed out on the primary lap, with Lando Norris solely seventh to make a small acquire within the title battle.
Verstappen ran largely unopposed as a dramatic qualifying noticed Williams man Carlos Sainz and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson present a useful buffer between the world champion and his direct rivals from Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.
However Verstappen's lightning tempo by means of the streets of Baku confirmed that even in a straight battle it could have taken some doing to problem the Dutchman. Beginning on laborious tyres, Verstappen delayed his solely pitstop to mediums to lap 41 of 51 after which crossed the road with a 14-second lead on Mercedes' George Russell, who recovered from sickness to take second.
A buoyant Sainz took the third step on the rostrum, his first for Williams, as he delivered a faultless drive from second on the grid however was powerless to maintain Russell at bay.
One month after Norris' retirement in Zandvoort, the 2025 title battle between the Briton and McLaren team-mate Piastri noticed one other swing because the championship chief crashed out on the opening lap.
After a shunt in Q3 which left the Australian championship chief ninth on the grid, Piastri induced a false begin and shuffled to the again as he struggled to stand up to hurry. As Piastri tried to claw his approach again by means of the sector, he locked up on the soiled exterior line into Flip 5.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photograph by: Rudy Carezzevoli / Getty Photographs
In the meantime, Verstappen was capable of safeguard his lead from Sainz, Lawson and each Mercedes automobiles, whereas Norris – who additionally suffered a poor qualifying session – had dropped one place to eighth after being handed by Isack Hadjar.
On the lap 5 restart Russell was shuffled behind Tsunoda following fierce defending from Mercedes team-mate Antonelli, however quickly repassed the Japanese driver. Norris additionally made a poor restart and was mugged by Leclerc, with the pair then quickly making their well past Hadjar.
The race became a battle of reverse methods as medium-starter Sainz was challenged by Russell on hards. Russell obtained clear air as soon as Sainz pitted on lap 28 and the Briton constructed sufficient of a niche to return out forward of the Spaniard to take over second. However Sainz held off the second Mercedes of Antonelli to say an emotional maiden Williams podium.
Third-place starter Lawson initially appeared to efficiently fend off an undercut try by Antonelli, however was nonetheless picked off by the Italian on the next lap, who then merely drove away from the Racing Bulls driver. Lawson then obtained the corporate of Charles Leclerc, who was additionally on the identical medium-to-hard technique.
In the meantime, having began on mediums and being caught behind hard-tyre runner Yuki Tsunoda, Norris delayed his solely pitstop till the ultimate quarter. However his undercut try failed as a result of a sluggish front-right tyre change, with the Briton critically additionally dropping behind the Lawson-Leclerc battle.
As these two duels converged into an entertaining four-car battle for fifth, Lawson instantly pounced as Tsunoda's tyres acquired as much as temperature to move his former team-mate, adopted by Leclerc and Norris. Norris acquired by a fading Ferrari driver for seventh after which hunted down Lawson and Tsunoda within the remaining 10 laps.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
Lawson wanted inch good Flip 16 exits onto Baku's mammoth straight to maintain Tsunoda and Norris behind, and by holding agency the New Zealander was rewarded together with his best-ever grand prix lead to fifth. Beneath-pressure Tsunoda additionally grabbed a much-needed lead to sixth, the Japanese surviving a last-lap try from Norris.
Norris' seventh place, the identical place he began from, was a wasted alternative to capitalise on Piastri's exit, solely closing the hole to his team-mate by six factors because the Australian now leads by 25 factors.
Hamilton additionally handed Leclerc to connect his wagon to the Lawson DRS practice, however was a spectator as he completed eighth forward of his Scuderia stablemate – showing to strive however fail to provide the place again to Leclerc on the line, having been waved by earlier within the race to assault these forward.
Hadjar claimed the ultimate level in tenth after dropping floor at the beginning, as different midfield groups struggled to capitalise. Fernando Alonso earned a five-second penalty for following Piastri right into a false begin, whereas Alex Albon was handed a 10-second penalty for a careless lunge on Franco Colapinto which spun the Alpine driver.
