Piastri’s Nightmare Weekend
Oscar Piastri’s Azerbaijan GP was a collapse in slow motion. The warning signs were already there in practice. In FP3 he spun at Turn 16, adding to a messy sequence of incidents after limited clean running earlier in the weekend. FP1 and FP2 had already seen him trailing Lando Norris on pace, with the car feeling nervous over the kerbs.
Qualifying turned disastrous when he crashed heavily, damaging the chassis beyond repair. McLaren switched him to the spare car, but because it was of identical specification and setup, he avoided a pitlane start. FIA regulations allow a spare chassis after an accident if the car remains in identical spec, with suspension geometry carried over exactly. The FIA checks this with scrutineers, cameras, and telemetry, leaving no room for hidden changes.
It didn’t save him. At the race start, Piastri jump-started, triggered anti-stall, and crashed into the wall within the first sector, retiring on lap one. That sequence, practice spin, qualifying crash, false start, anti-stall, and race-ending crash at the same corner as in quali, was one of the worst weekends ever seen from a championship leader. It ended his 42-race scoring streak and handed momentum back to his rivals.
Alonso Caught Out
Piastri’s chaos also took Fernando Alonso with it. Reacting to Piastri’s jump, Alonso jumped early too and wrecked his start. His race never recovered, and he limped home a muted P15. Aston Martin’s struggles have been mounting for weeks, and this race only underlined it.
Hamilton Nostalgia and Ferrari Farce
Lewis Hamilton provided a flash of the old days with a brave move on Alonso at the start, a reminder of their 2007 battles. For a moment, the dream of a final Hamilton-Alonso-Verstappen title fight flickered.
Ferrari’s day, however, devolved into comedy. Mid-race, Hamilton was waved past Charles Leclerc, only for the team to order the positions swapped back on the final lap. But the timing was bungled, Leclerc had been told earlier, Hamilton only right at the end. The result was Hamilton slowing dramatically on the main straight as Leclerc blasted past across the line. It was Ferrari chaos at its finest, with no benefit to either driver. Post-race, Hamilton admitted he misjudged it and promised it wouldn’t happen again, while Leclerc shrugged it off as irrelevant given it was only for P8/P9.
Norris’s Pit Stop Woes
For the second consecutive weekend, Lando Norris was compromised by a slow stop, 4.1 seconds this time after trouble with the front-right wheel gun. This followed a similar issue at the previous race. The recurring problem isn’t simply crew error: at counterclockwise circuits like Baku, the front-right becomes the stressed tire, interacting inconsistently with wheel nuts and hubs. It will require an engineering solution rather than just new equipment. For Norris, though, it meant another lost opportunity to capitalize on Piastri’s implosion.
Midfield Storylines: Lawson, Hadjar, and Albon
The midfield was where Baku truly delivered. Liam Lawson drove a masterful race to P5, his career-best finish, while Isack Hadjar brought home P10 for double Racing Bulls points. Lawson’s defense was particularly impressive, calm, precise, and mistake-free under immense pressure. Turn 16 was the key: throttle too early and the rear slides, too late and the car loses all momentum. He nailed it every lap, even without DRS, and held off faster cars behind.
It was a drive of maturity and calculation, cementing his status as one of the season’s breakout performers. That he defended against Ferrari, Red Bull, and even his former team made it sweeter. For Racing Bulls, it marked their strongest team result of the season.
Not everyone fared as well. Alexander Albon’s clumsy contact with Franco Colapinto ended Colapinto’s race, an error described as sloppy and avoidable. Hülkenberg and Ocon also tangled, adding to the midfield carnage.
Mercedes: Sharp Execution and Russell’s Ironman Run
Mercedes maximized every opportunity. George Russell claimed P2 thanks to a razor-sharp overcut, with a pit entry and stop executed to perfection. Rookie Kimi Antonelli secured P4, underlining Mercedes’ growing consistency.
Russell is now the only driver to finish every race this season, a mark of reliability even after illness had sapped him in recent weeks. His consistency contrasts sharply with McLaren’s error-prone campaign and Piastri’s collapse in Baku.
Sainz and Williams Make History
The story of the day belonged to Carlos Sainz. Delivering a flawless, composed drive, he secured P3, Williams’ first podium since 2021, and their first under green flag conditions since 2017. On the radio he declared it the best podium of his career and his first “smooth operation” with Williams.
It was historic: Sainz became only the second driver after Alain Prost to podium with Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams. He was voted Driver of the Day, and his celebrations in parc fermé captured the moment. The entire Williams team joined in, with Alex Albon celebrating alongside in the crowd.
Sainz’s turnaround from a miserable season to this podium was the most wholesome moment of 2025 so far, alongside Nico Hülkenberg’s earlier podium and Hadjar’s breakthrough. Even in post-race interviews, Sainz’s joy was palpable, impossible for anyone not to share.
The podium also added to Baku’s quirky legacy: for the second year in a row, a driver fired by Ferrari took a podium in Baku the following season, echoing Vettel’s 2021 run.
Verstappen’s Relentless Dominance
At the front, Max Verstappen was untouchable. He claimed victory, his 6th career grand slam, tying Hamilton for second-most in history, behind Jim Clark’s 8. He is also the only driver to achieve grand slams in five consecutive seasons. Leading every lap in modern F1, with pit stops, safety cars, and fastest-lap strategies in play, is extraordinarily difficult, making this feat all the more impressive.
Verstappen has now cut his deficit to Piastri from 109 to 69 points in just two races. He sits third on 255, behind Norris on 299 and Piastri on 324. The Constructors’ battle is just as fierce: Mercedes 290, Ferrari 286, Red Bull 272.
The title fight is still McLaren’s to lose, but Verstappen’s momentum has reopened the door. To win, he must outscore McLaren by about 10 points per race, a monumental ask, but Singapore and COTA loom as potential swing rounds. With Ferrari and Mercedes also in position to take points from McLaren, the fight is far from settled.
The State of the Season
Seven different teams have now stood on the podium in 2025, the most diverse season in years. Yet the racing itself remains divisive. Some see it as the best season since 2021, full of unexpected podiums and shifting narratives. Others argue the wheel-to-wheel racing has lacked intensity, especially compared to Verstappen vs Hamilton in 2021.
Still, the Azerbaijan GP embodied the season’s contradictions: chaotic, dramatic, occasionally farcical, and ultimately unforgettable. From Piastri’s implosion to Ferrari’s swap fiasco, from Norris’s pit woes to Lawson’s defensive masterclass, from Russell’s consistency to Sainz’s historic podium, and Verstappen’s relentless record-breaking dominance, Baku once again proved itself F1’s ultimate theatre of chaos.