Max Verstappen dominated the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in Baku. The Red Bull driver led all 51 laps unchallenged, securing back-to-back wins and closing the gap in the Drivers’ Championship to leader Oscar Piastri, who crashed out on the first lap.
Starting from pole, Verstappen held off Carlos Sainz into Turn 1 and steadily built a lead throughout the race. George Russell finished second despite battling illness all weekend, while Sainz earned his first podium for Williams with a strong third-place drive.
Piastri’s race ended early after he jumped the start, triggered anti-stall, and crashed into the barriers at Turn 5. His retirement opened the door for Lando Norris to cut into his title lead, though the McLaren driver could only finish seventh after struggling to move up the order.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed the podium in fourth, while Liam Lawson delivered a career-best performance in fifth for Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda followed in sixth, holding off Norris in a tight battle during the final laps.
Ferrari endured a tough day, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finishing eighth and ninth, followed by Isack Hadjar in tenth for Racing Bulls. Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman, and Alex Albon followed, though Albon received a 10-second penalty for a collision with Franco Colapinto.
Esteban Ocon climbed to 14th after starting last due to a post-qualifying penalty. Fernando Alonso received a five-second penalty for jumping the start and finished behind Ocon.
The race ended with Verstappen extending his winning form and reducing Piastri’s lead to 69 points. With seven rounds left in the season, the title fight remains open.
Next up, Formula 1 heads to Singapore for the Grand Prix at Marina Bay on the weekend of October 3 to 5.
