The 2025 Formula 1 season continued this weekend around the temporary street circuit in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, and this afternoon Max Verstappen cruised to a clear-cut victory, with the Drivers’ Championship leader, Oscar Piastri, having crashed out on the opening lap and with Lando Norris failing to significantly reduce the points advantage of his McLaren teammate.


The two major talking points in the Formula 1 world since the previous round in Italy two weeks ago have been Verstappen’s outstanding performance at Monza in setting the fastest qualifying lap in F1 history and taking a dominant race victory ahead of the two McLarens, plus the latter team’s contentious team orders decision late in the Grand Prix, which benefited Norris at the expense of Piastri. To its credit, McLaren always tries to play fair with its drivers these days and allows them to race each other hard under what it likes to refer to as its Papaya rules, which relate to what is allowed and what isn’t, the latter including contact between the pair. There’s a widespread feeling that the Monza incident set a precedent, which could well lead to further issues down the line as its two drivers battle for supremacy.

More drama was to follow in Friday’s second practice period as both McLaren drivers pushed too hard and hit the ever-threatening trackside walls, leaving a much-improved Hamilton to lead the way, followed by Leclerc, Russell and a more competitive Antonelli.

On a different, if equally topical front, the contracts of modern Formula 1 drivers are usually very restrictive in terms of what other activities, racing or otherwise, they are allowed to undertake when not racing for their F1 teams, as the latter understandably do not want their often highly paid prize assets to risk unnecessary injury. However, in a throwback to the days of old when F1 drivers regularly competed in other racing categories, last weekend Red Bull allowed Verstappen to compete in the Nürburgring Endurance Series on the famous Nordschleife circuit in Germany’s Eifel mountains, driving a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS.

It’s a 12.9-mile-long challenging track with over 73 corners, which I know well from personal experience of driving round it, if hardly at Verstappen pace! However, it’s also best known as the circuit where Niki Lauda suffered near-fatal fiery injuries in 1976 during the German Grand Prix. Despite being a four-time Formula 1 world champion, Verstappen still had to deal with the requirements of the German Motor Sport Federation to be issued with a racing licence for the Porsche and then a higher-level one for more powerful GT3 cars. The Dutch racer intends to compete at the same venue next weekend in a Ferrari amidst his ongoing F1 commitments, and his ultimate aim is to compete in the iconic annual 24-hour race there, with his sights set on the 2026 event in mid-May.

Today was pretty much a day to forget, though, for Ferrari, as Hamilton and Leclerc ended up only eighth and ninth, with Hadjar completing the top ten finishers.

Meanwhile, the F1 paddock was rife with persistent rumours that Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar was set to replace Yuki Tsunoda in the main Red Bull team next year. On the 2026 calendar front, during the build-up to this weekend’s round in Azerbaijan, F1 revealed the six venues which will feature a sprint race as well as a grand prix next season. China and Miami have retained their current slots, with Canada and Singapore as newcomers, Silverstone returning and Zandvoort holding one as part of its F1 swansong.

George Russell proved to be the best of the rest

The Race

Turning to the on-track action in Baku this weekend, it began on Friday with the hour-long opening free practice session, but 26 minutes of track time were lost due to a need for kerb repairs at the final corner. The end of the running, Norris topped the timing screens ahead of Piastri, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the Mercedes of George Russell, with Kimi Antonelli in the other silver and black car only 11th and Lewis Hamilton in the other red one only 13th. More drama was to follow in Friday’s second practice period as both McLaren drivers pushed too hard and hit the ever-threatening trackside walls, leaving a much-improved Hamilton to lead the way, followed by Leclerc, Russell and a more competitive Antonelli. Norris and Piastri were back in business, though, for yesterday’s windy final practice session, in which they sandwiched Verstappen at the head of the field.

Yesterday’s three-part qualifying process to set the grid for this afternoon’s race, there was an early red flag interruption after Williams’ Alex Albon had hit the inside barriers at the opening lefthander, meaning it was game over for the Thai-British driver. Just five minutes after the session had been restarted, red flags flew again after Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber had collided with the wall at Turn 4, but the German survived the incident and continued when Q1 resumed. Soon though Pierre Gasly’s Alpine headed into the Turn 4 run-off area, and the sister car, driven by Franco Colapinto, hit the nearby wall, bringing out yet more red flags and signalling the end of qualifying for both Alpines.

Fernando Alonso also received a penalty for jumping the start, as he reacted to the McLaren ahead of him moving rather than watching the lighting gantry.

The start of Q2 was then delayed to enable the track to be made serviceable again, and yet again red flags flew for a fourth time after Oliver Bearman had clouted the wall at the exit of Turn 2, damaging his right rear suspension. The surprise element of Q2, though, was the elimination of Hamilton after setting only the 12th fastest time, with the multiple champion blaming a strategy error by his team. Light rain started to fall as the top ten shootout was about to begin, and a further disappointment for Ferrari soon followed when Leclerc shunted his car into the wall at Turn 15, causing more red flags. When the running resumed, there was an even bigger shock when Piastri made a rare mistake and put his McLaren into the Turn 3 barriers, triggering a record sixth red flag stoppage. Verstappen then proceeded to claim pole position, but the real surprise was just to his rear, as Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson and Mercedes’ Antonelli set the next fastest times. However, Norris was unable to capitalise on Piastri's error, securing only seventh position, just two places ahead of his title rival.

The formation lap for this afternoon’s Grand Prix began at precisely 3pm local time, with everyone wondering whether further red flag stoppages might follow and how the McLaren duo would fare from their unexpectedly lower than usual starting positions. Piastri is a class act, and driving errors by the Australian are rare, but, after his gaffe in qualifying, worse was to follow today as he jumped the start, realised his error and stopped before restarting, with all the cars behind him sweeping past. He then somewhat clumsily crashed out on the first lap after putting his car into the Turn 6 barriers. It was no surprise that he was then in no hurry to return to the McLaren pit garages! Fernando Alonso also received a penalty for jumping the start, as he reacted to the McLaren ahead of him moving rather than watching the lighting gantry.

Carlos Sainz earned a thoroughly deserved podium finish

Norris must have felt his luck was in as he drove past the stricken car of his title rival during the related early safety car intervention, but ultimately he could only finish seventh. As at Monza, he suffered a further pitstop delay, his 4.1 second stop losing him vital track position.

Meanwhile, Verstappen was in a class of his own, converting his pole position into an unchallenged victory as he reached the chequered flag over 14 seconds ahead of second-placed Russell. The 51-lap race was hardly a classic, but it had its moments, including when firstly Yuki Tsunoda and later Liam Lawson acted like the cork in a bottle, holding up a queue of drivers behind on a track where overtaking was difficult, even with a DRS advantage. To their credit, though, both ultimately showed a decent pace and finished fifth and sixth behind Antonelli.

... the action will continue in a fortnight’s time as F1 heads to the hot and humid streets of Singapore for the 2025 running of its annual nighttime Grand Prix.

Occasionally Formula 1 throws up feel-good stories, like Nico Hülkenberg’s podium finish at this year’s British Grand Prix, and we had another fine example today as Sainz, starting second, also managed to finish on the third step of the post-race podium, earning 15 points which were gratefully received by both the Spanish driver and his Grove-based Williams team after a difficult season for him to date. Today was pretty much a day to forget, though, for Ferrari, as Hamilton and Leclerc ended up only eighth and ninth, with Hadjar completing the top ten finishers.

Ninth was not where Charles Leclerc wanted to finish

Today’s result meant that McLaren failed to wrap up the Constructors’ Championship in Baku, and Norris only reduced his deficit to Piastri from 31 to 25 points, but the action will continue in a fortnight’s time as F1 heads to the hot and humid streets of Singapore for the 2025 running of its annual nighttime Grand Prix.


2025 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1hr33m26.408s
2 George Russell (Mercedes) +14.609s
3 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +19.199s
4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +21.760s
5 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +33.290s
6 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +33.808s
7 Lando Norris (McLaren) +34.227s
8 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +36.310s
9 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +36.774s
10 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +38.982s
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +1m7.606s
12 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1m8.262s
13 Alex Albon (Williams) +1m12.870s
14 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1m17.580s
15 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1m18.707s
16 Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) +1m20.237s
17 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1m36.392s
18 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Lapped
19 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Lapped
20 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) Retired


2025 Drivers’ Championship
1 Oscar Piastri 324
2 Lando Norris 299
3 Max Verstappen 255

2025 Constructors’ Championship
1 McLaren 623
2 Mercedes 290
3 Ferrari 286