World champion Max Verstappen reminded everybody why he ought to by no means be dominated out whereas his essential rivals tripped up on an terrible weekend for McLaren.
Listed here are our greatest winners and losers from the 2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Baku lived as much as its bonkers greatest…
Winner – Max Verstappen
On a weekend McLaren shot themselves within the foot, Verstappen as soon as once more demonstrated why he’s the perfect driver in F1. As most of his rivals misplaced their heads and made key errors in a drama-filled qualifying, Verstappen stormed to pole place, which he transformed into one other dominant win.
The Dutchman was in whole management in Baku as he made it back-to-back victories to extend the strain on the duelling McLaren pair within the 2025 title battle with a efficiency that underlines Pink Bull’s current revival.
Verstappen crosses the road to win
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Loser – Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri will need to put the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix behind him rapidly following a scrappy weekend that featured two uncharacteristic – and doubtlessly large – errors.
The championship chief, who has been faultless for many of the season, endured his lowest second in Baku as he crashed out of qualifying and Sunday’s race as McLaren missed the prospect to clinch the constructors’ title.
Regardless of his horror present, Piastri retains a comparatively snug buffer within the title race after Lando Norris failed to totally money in on his teammate’s uncommon errors. The Australian will know he has been let off the hook.
Winner – Carlos Sainz
An excellent efficiency from Carlos Sainz was rewarded together with his first podium for Williams, and their first of what has been a robust season.
After beginning second following a shocking efficiency in qualifying, Sainz drove a flawless race and hung onto third to say the ultimate spot on the rostrum and safe Williams’ first rostrum look because the washed-out 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
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A breakthrough end result for Sainz in what has in any other case been a troublesome first marketing campaign with Williams, who additional consolidate their grip on P5 within the constructors’ championship.
Sainz and Williams have fun their first podium collectively
Loser – Ferrari
One other weekend of ‘what ifs’ for Ferrari after an encouraging exhibiting throughout apply culminated in but extra disappointment come Sunday night.
Each Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have been left to rue a missed alternative in qualifying that left them a lowly P10 and P12 on the grid. Within the race, Ferrari lacked tempo and completed an underwhelming P8 and P9.
Ferrari have surrendered second place within the constructors’ championship on a weekend that highlighted they should make enhancements each operationally and by way of outright efficiency.
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Winner – Mercedes
Mercedes bounced again from a disappointing Italian Grand Prix by scoring huge in Baku with a end result that sees them leapfrog Ferrari.
George Russell, who battled sickness all weekend, put in a herculean effort to climb onto the rostrum with P2, whereas teammate Kimi Antonelli, described as “underwhelming” by Toto Wolff in Monza, took a robust fourth to arrest his current type woes.
Russell was poorly all weekend in Baku
Loser – Alex Albon
A really poor and out of character weekend for Alex Albon. Am “amateurish” mistake noticed the British-born Thai develop into the primary driver to crash out of a bonkers qualifying session, earlier than he picked up a penalty for tagging Franco Colapinto right into a spin on his approach to thirteenth in a scruffy race.
Winner – Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson despatched a defiant message to his employer Pink Bull by producing his greatest efficiency of the season in Baku to proceed Racing Bulls’ nice type.
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After securing a shock third on the grid with an outstanding lap in qualifying, Lawson turned in a defensive masterclass on Sunday to carry off Yuki Tsunoda’s Pink Bull, Norris’s McLaren and the 2 Ferraris with out the help of DRS to bag fifth place.
Lawson is quietly and impressively turning round a season which threatened to spoil his popularity after a disastrous two-race stint with Pink Bull as he seems to be to stay on the F1 grid subsequent 12 months.
Lawson held off a handful of sooner vehicles
Loser – Aston Martin
Having loved one thing of a mini resurgence of late, Aston Martin come away from a grand prix with nothing to indicate for his or her efforts for the second consecutive weekend.
A five-second penalty for a leap begin all however ended any hopes Fernando Alonso had of scoring factors, whereas Lance Stroll had one other nameless weekend. Because of this, Aston Martin have slipped behind Racing Bulls within the constructors’ championship and at the moment are nearer to eighth-placed Sauber than these forward of them.
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Winner – Yuki Tsunoda
A much-needed confidence increase for Tsunoda, who scored his greatest end result since becoming a member of Pink Bull by qualifying and ending sixth in Baku. The draw back for the Japanese racer, who’s preventing to maintain his Pink Bull drive for 2026, was being outclassed by Lawson within the sister Racing Bulls automotive.
Loser – Alpine
It was a woeful weekend for Alpine
One other depressing weekend for Alpine, who have been the slowest group in Azerbaijan. After a nightmare qualifying noticed Pierre Gasly and Colapinto drop out in Q1, the pair trundled residence final and second final of the labeled finishers in a forgettable race.
