Yesterday at 18:04
Qualifying chaos, a calm race – and clear storylines
Six red flags in a record-breaking qualifying session set Baku up for fireworks. Race day was steadier, but the narratives were sharp: a vintage weekend from Max Verstappen, a resilient Mercedes, a landmark Williams podium – and costly misfires at McLaren and Ferrari.
Winners
- Max Verstappen: A commanding pole-to-flag victory, fastest lap and the sixth grand slam of his career, matching Lewis Hamilton and trailing only Jim Clark’s eight. Strategy, pace and execution in perfect harmony.
- Mercedes: George Russell, ill all weekend, delivered P2 and his seventh podium of the year; Kimi Antonelli’s P4 signalled a much-needed step forward for the rookie and lifted the team to P2 in the constructors’ race.
- Carlos Sainz: A front-row start and a composed P3 gave Williams its first fully completed race podium since 2017. A statement drive and a validation of the team’s trajectory under James Vowles.
Losers
- McLaren: Oscar Piastri’s Q3 crash, jump-start and DNF turned a 31-point cushion over Lando Norris into 25; Norris, stuck in a DRS queue and delayed by a slow stop, salvaged seventh but missed a golden chance to close.
- Ferrari: Early promise dissolved amid qualifying errors and a late-race team-order muddle between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Just six points, a drop to third in the constructors’, and intensifying scrutiny.
- Alex Albon: An uncharacteristic Q1 error and a penalty for contact with Franco Colapinto marred a weekend his Williams team-mate turned into a podium.
Driver ratings and debate
F1i’s post-race ratings reflected the split-screen nature of the weekend – excellence at the front, inconsistency in the chasing pack – while RacingNews365’s debrief chewed over whether Verstappen has muscled back into the title fight and how Piastri’s “worst nightmare” spiralled so quickly.
