Oscar Piastri’s championship hopes endured a dramatic first-lap crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as McLaren team-mate Lando Norris was unable to leverage the opportunity, finishing only seventh. The crash marked Piastri’s second of the weekend and snapped his impressive 34-race streak of finishing within the first five corners.
With Piastri sidelined early, Norris had a golden chance to close the gap in the title fight. However, a sluggish start and limited overtaking opportunities on Baku’s challenging street circuit meant Norris could only claim six points, leaving Piastri’s championship lead at 25 points with seven rounds remaining.
Max Verstappen, starting from pole, controlled the race from start to finish, securing a dominant victory 14 seconds ahead of the field. This win marked Verstappen’s second consecutive victory and narrowed his deficit to Piastri to 69 points.
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Mercedes’ George Russell produced an impressive drive to finish second from fifth on the grid, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz achieved Williams’ first podium since 2021 by finishing third.
Piastri’s weekend had already been compromised after qualifying, where he crashed into the barriers and started ninth. Further issues at the race start, including an early jump and anti-stall activation, saw him drop to the back. His race came to an abrupt end when he locked up braking into turn five and collided with the wall.
Norris began the race in seventh after a disappointing qualifying session that failed to take advantage of Piastri’s absence. Early in the race, he was overtaken by Isack Hadjar and later lost ground when Charles Leclerc passed him following a safety car period caused by Piastri’s crash.
Despite being trapped behind Leclerc for much of the race, Norris benefitted from staying out longer during the first stint, only pitting on lap 38. However, a slow pit stop dropped him to eighth. On fresher tires, Norris charged back past Leclerc and moved into seventh, setting his sights on Yuki Tsunoda. Unfortunately, Tsunoda was held up by Liam Lawson, preventing Norris from gaining further positions.
Ferrari’s strategic swap of Lewis Hamilton ahead of Leclerc aimed to pressure Norris but failed to produce a successful challenge, with Norris ultimately finishing seventh and Hamilton eighth.
Russell’s steadfast performance despite illness was a highlight, while McLaren’s hopes for securing the Constructors’ Championship early suffered a setback, as they missed the chance to clinch the title with a record seven races remaining.