Max Verstappen made it back-to-back Formula 1 wins with a commanding drive in Baku. In the 2025 Azerbaijan GP, George Russell steered Mercedes to second, while Carlos Sainz delivered Williams’ first podium since 2021. The big story came at lights out: championship leader Oscar Piastri jumped the start, hit anti-stall, then locked up and crashed out on Lap 1.
Key Points – Azerbaijan GP 2025
- Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Podium: George Russell (Mercedes), Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Key moment: Piastri’s jump start and crash on Lap 1
- Strategy: One-stop, Hard–Medium or Medium–Hard
- Notable: Verstappen’s sixth career Grand Slam, Williams’ first podium since 2021, Russell’s 22nd career podium
Azerbaijan GP 2025 – Quick Summary
- Verstappen delivers a Grand Slam in Baku.
- Russell back on the podium after a long stint strategy.
- Sainz makes Williams history with first podium since 2021.
- Piastri crashes out on Lap 1, Norris delayed by slow stop.
Azerbaijan GP 2025 – Full Race Results
Full FIA classification available on the Formula 1 Results page.
Race Recap – Baku F1 2025
The Start
Lights out. Verstappen launched clean from pole, starting on the Hard tyre. Sainz followed in P2. Behind them, chaos. Oscar Piastri jumped his grid slot, hit anti-stall, then overshot Turn 5 and slammed into the wall. His day — and his 34-race points streak — ended on Lap 1.
The Safety Car bunched the field. Esteban Ocon made an early wing change and gambled on a long run. At the restart Verstappen pulled clear, Sainz held second, and Antonelli boxed in Russell, leaving Tsunoda to grab P5.
For more on how the grid shook out, read our Azerbaijan GP Qualifying report.
Early Phase
Russell regrouped. By Lap 9 he powered past Tsunoda into Turn 3, back into the fight. Up front Verstappen was already four seconds clear by Lap 13. Sainz kept second steady, Lawson running bravely in third with the Mercedes pair crawling over him.
Hamilton made moves, clearing Hadjar for ninth. Norris, on Mediums, was trapped behind Tsunoda and losing time.
Alpine’s race fell apart. Gasly admitted the car felt poor all weekend. Colapinto clashed with Albon and carried damage to the flag. “Not a good one for us,” Gasly said. “We really should not be finishing this far off.” Executive advisor Flavio Briatore was blunt: “This track doesn’t suit our car. Focus is already on 2026.”
Mid-Race Rhythm
Antonelli blinked first, stopping on Lap 18 for Hards. Leclerc and Lawson followed. Sainz went longer, boxing on Lap 28 and rejoining just ahead of Antonelli. That proved decisive.
Russell stretched his first stint deep, the overcut working to perfection. When Verstappen stopped on Lap 41, the order shook out as Verstappen–Russell–Sainz.
Further back, Lawson was still hanging on against faster cars. “We gave it everything,” he said. “The last laps were intense but P5 is huge for us.”
The Pit Stop Swings
Norris stopped late on Lap 38, but a slow right-front cost him dearly. He rejoined in traffic, behind Leclerc and Lawson. Tsunoda stopped a lap later, emerging wheel-to-wheel with Lawson. The Kiwi dug in, clung to the inside, and held position.
See how pit stop calls shaped Monza too in our Italian GP race report.
Hamilton cleared Leclerc in the closing stages to grab eighth. Norris salvaged seventh but left Baku frustrated. “The slow stop killed us,” he admitted.
Final Phase
Out front Verstappen was untouchable. He even found time to punch in fastest lap on his penultimate tour, sealing his sixth career Grand Slam. It was also his 67th career win, Red Bull’s 126th, and his second triumph in Baku after 2022.
Russell, under the weather all weekend, hauled his Mercedes to second. “I was glad to see the chequered flag,” he said. “But to be back on the podium feels good.” It was his 22nd career podium, and a big swing in Mercedes’ Constructors’ fight.
Sainz clung to third, helmet tapped by jubilant Williams mechanics, “Smooth Operator” echoing over the PA. “This feels even better than my first podium,” he told reporters. “A life lesson to keep believing, because sooner or later it all pays off.” Williams’ first podium since 2021, their first in Baku since Stroll in 2017.
Tyre Strategy – Baku F1 2025
Baku was always going to be a one-stop race, but the timing of those stops decided the order. Pirelli’s stint data showed just how far the Medium and Hard could be stretched. The Soft compound was never used.
Front of the field
- Verstappen ran 40 laps on the Hard before switching to the Medium for the last 11. He even had enough left in hand to set fastest lap on Lap 50.
- Russell stayed out almost as long, boxing on Lap 39. The overcut worked. It moved him ahead of Sainz and secured second place.
- Sainz started on the Medium and stopped on Lap 27 for Hards. That timing kept him ahead of Antonelli and locked in the podium.
Mercedes split strategies
- Antonelli was the first frontrunner to blink, pitting on Lap 18 for Hards. The early call gave him track position mid-race but left him exposed late. He slipped behind Sainz and Russell to finish fourth.
Lawson vs Tsunoda
- Lawson stopped on Lap 20 for Hards. That undercut gave him the edge over Tsunoda.
- Tsunoda tried the opposite, stretching his Mediums to Lap 38. When he rejoined he attacked, but Lawson defended hard into Turn 1. That wheel-to-wheel scrap decided fifth and sixth.
Norris’ slow stop
- Norris ran his Mediums to Lap 37, but a 5.8 second right-front change ruined the plan. He came out behind both Leclerc and Lawson. Seventh was the limit.
Ferrari vs Mercedes
- Leclerc stopped on Lap 19 for Hards. Nursing them all the way, he faded late and slipped to ninth.
- Hamilton went to Hards on Lap 36. The fresher tyres let him catch and pass Leclerc for eighth.
Rookie points
- Hadjar boxed on Lap 29 and held station to score his first Formula 1 points in tenth.
- Bortoleto stopped on Lap 26 and finished eleventh after losing tyre performance in the closing laps.
- Bearman pitted on Lap 28 and crossed the line twelfth.
Long runs prove the point
- Ocon’s Haas went longest of all. After early repairs he completed 49 laps on a single set of Hards to finish fourteenth.
- Stroll matched Norris’ 37-lap Medium stint. It underlined how durable the yellow-walled tyre really was.
Mario Isola, Pirelli’s motorsport director:
“On this track, a one-stop has always been the mandatory strategy and today was no exception, even though we brought a softer range than last year. Cooler conditions helped, degradation was almost non-existent. Medium and Hard were close in performance. The C4 was most used, Soft didn’t appear. After the rain reset, the track evolved a lot across the race.”
Full details available via Pirelli Motorsport.
What Decided the Race – Azerbaijan GP 2025
Quick summary of the pivotal factors that shaped the Baku result:
Verstappen set the tone from the start. A clean launch on Hards and the pace to match. No one got close.
Piastri removed himself early. Jump start, anti-stall, wall. The championship picture shifted in a single corner.
Russell made his race by stretching the first stint long. That overcut on Sainz gave him track position he never let go.
Sainz still had enough in hand to defend with fresher Hards and keep Antonelli behind. A podium that meant everything to Williams.
Norris lost out in the pits. A sticky right-front and the fight was gone.
And Lawson? He dug in when it mattered. Wheel-to-wheel with Tsunoda and still came home fifth. A career best.
Key Moments – Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025
A concise timeline of decisive moments from lights out to chequered flag:
- Lap 1. Piastri jumps early, hits anti-stall, then the wall. Safety Car out.
- Lap 5. Verstappen restarts clean. Sainz stays second. Russell boxed in by Antonelli.
- Lap 9. Russell clears Tsunoda down the long straight. Norris still stuck.
- Lap 28. Sainz stops for Hards, rejoining sixth but crucially ahead of Antonelli.
- Lap 38. Norris’ slow stop costs him places.
- Lap 39. Tsunoda attacks Lawson, but the Kiwi refuses to yield.
- Lap 41. Verstappen pits last, keeps the lead.
- Lap 51. Chequered flag. Verstappen by 13s. Russell second. Sainz third.
Coffee Corner Take – Azerbaijan GP 2025
A day of opposites. Verstappen flawless. Piastri messy. The gap in the standings comes down to 25 points.
Russell, ill all weekend, still dragged himself onto the podium. Mercedes now edge Ferrari in the Constructors’.
And Sainz. A year into his Williams gamble and the payoff comes with champagne in Baku. Helmet taps, tears in the garage, “Smooth Operator” blasting. Proof the project is alive.
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