Verstappen wins in Baku after Piastri crashes out

Lando Norris, a McLaren driver, finished seventh in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, extending Oscar Piastri’s championship lead to 25 points after the Australian crashed out on the first lap.

Max Verstappen’s dominant victory at Red Bull reinforced McLaren’s concern that he might one day challenge for the title, despite being still 69 points adrift in the seventh race.

However, because main rival Norris couldn’t make any ground from his seventh-ranked position on the grid, Piastri’s first major error of the season was less costly than it could have been.

Norris lost only six points on the Piastri because he was unable to move beyond other cars.

In an effort to give Norris a tyre advantage in the final two turns, McLaren used an offset strategy by making a late pit stop.

However, Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Norris, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton ran nose-to-tail for the final 10 laps, failing to make progress.

Verstappen and George Russell both used the same strategy to move up from fifth to second, while Carlos Sainz held on for Williams’ first podium since the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

The race’s main narratives were:

McLaren will have to wait at least another race after a challenging weekend in Baku, but they did so on the verge of winning the constructors’ title.

Piastri crashed out of both qualifying and racing in a typically scrappy weekend, 31 points clear of Piastri in the drivers’ championship heading into the weekend.

The Australian won the grand prix even before the lights went out, jumping from the start and having to stop once more before beginning.

Five corners later, his race came to an end with him in the back of the field and into the first corner.

He slid straight into the barrier after finding no grip and attempted an ambitious move into Esteban Ocon’s Haas’s exit.

The Briton should have been able to capitalize, but Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who had just started the race, took a chance on Norris’ behalf.

Norris quickly passed the Frenchman, but he spent the first half of the race stranded behind Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

McLaren attempted to give himself a tyre offset on the way ahead by prolonging his first stint by leaving his pit stop as late as possible.

However, he was forced to slow down for two seconds due to a problem with the right-front wheel gun, which caused much discussion about McLaren’s decision to order Piastri to let him back after losing a position as a result.

He rejoined the race two seconds behind Lawson and Tsunoda, but that gave him what he had in mind to jump ahead of them.

Verstappen had the lead in the first round, as was expected, with his main rival McLaren and slower cars battling it out.

He set his pace early, ensuring the hard tires he had chosen for a protracted first stint, and managed the race to perfection, recording his fastest lap in the season’s final race, fewer than Norris.

Red Bull believed that their car had made a breakthrough at the previous race in Italy, with a new floor allowing for a better balance than they had been a year prior.

Even if McLaren’s advantage persists, it is still a warning shot across the bows despite the fact that it is still proven on a variety of circuit types – Baku is not dissimilar from Monza with its combination of long straights and slow corners.

Verstappen remarked, “This weekend has been incredible for us.” The vehicle was flawless, they said.

Russell, who has been struggling all weekend, ran a remarkable race to lead Kimi Antonelli, who had previously done so in a previous stint, using his unique method of long runs on hard tyres before switching to mediums to win.

And Sainz added a strong race to seal the victory, confirming Williams’ continued success this season, with a strong race that consolidated his excellent qualifying performance.

Carlos and Williams had an amazing outcome, Russell said. for us . We’re thrilled to be back on the podium. Although it’s been a little rough for me personally, I’m so happy with the car.

When I saw the chequered flag, I was relieved. Thankfully, I felt much better than I did on Friday and Saturday. Looking forward to some time of rest.

Sainz, who left Ferrari for Ferrari this year after being replaced by Hamilton, remarked, “I can’t even describe how happy I am and how good this feels. Even better than my first podium ever, which I won.

“Everything comes together, and we can do some amazing things together,” according to the statement “We nailed the race without a doubt, and we were able to defeat a lot of cars that I wasn’t expecting to defeat.”

Hamilton, the last car in the train behind Lawson, placed eighth, while Antonelli placed fourth after receiving the kind of clean weekend that his team boss Toto Wolff had requested.

1. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen

2. George Russell (Mercedes)

3. Williams vs. Carlos Sainz

4. (Mercedes) Kimi Antonelli

5. (Racing Bulls) Lawson

6. Red Bull, Yellow Bull, Yuki Tsunoda

7. McLaren’s Lando Norris

8. Robert Hamilton (Ferrari)

9. (Ferrari) Charles Leclerc