A smooth operation in Baku

September 28, 2025

Well done Baku! This race had excitement from start to finish. The action started Saturday, and continued through till Sunday’s race. An exciting (and red-flag filled) qualifying placed Max Verstappen on pole and Carlos Sainz on P2, the Spaniard’s first front-row start since moving to Williams. Further, Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli made up the second row, proving again that the rookies are not to be ignored this season. Further, Yuki Tsunoda qualified P6, his highest start this season. Unfortunately for the tifosi, Charles Leclerc’s crash at turn 15 (is three times a trend?) relegated his start to P10, while Hamilton didn’t even make it to Q3. Shockingly, Piastri also crashed during Q3, meaning our championship leader would start the race from P9, while Norris’s brush of the wall cost him any start higher than P7. A high enough points finish could have secured Mclaren the constructors, but Azerbaijan didn’t make it easy. 

Right off the bat, a false start from Oscar Piastri had his car stalled in the opening seconds of this grand prix, and cost Fernando Alonso, who started behind him, a 5 second penalty. But Piastri’s woes weren’t over, as a tire lock-up sent him straight into the wall before lap 1 could even finish, ending his race in the narrow streets of Baku. From here on, it was up to Lando Norris to get as high as he could to close the 31-point gap between Piastri and himself, and to secure the constructors. Unfortunately for him, the Redbull drivers didn’t come to play. Liam Lawson pulled a Singapore 2023 Sainz-reminiscent move with Yuki Tsunoda, holding Lando Norris back using a DRS train that kept him behind and Tsunoda out of danger. After the race, Tsunoda would comment that he didn’t attack Lawson in order to help Max Verstappen out as much as possible. Which ended up being the smartest move, as Max Verstappen won the race, earning his sixth career grand slam. He has managed to single-handedly place himself back into the title fight, and continues to drag Redbull up the constructors standings. Further down in the race standings, Haas left Ocon out to dry yet again as he completed 50/51 laps on the same set of hard tires, ending up 14th beneath his teammate. 

Honestly though, you can pretty much ignore all of that. The single most important thing to happen at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix stepped onto the bottom step of the podium for the first time all season. That’s right, Carlos Sainz defied the odds to take his Williams across the finish line and sail into P3!. This makes him the ninth driver to become a podium finisher so far in this 2025 season, as he sets a new stage for what Williams, and himself, are capable of. Solid strategy calls and strong driving kept the gap between Sainz and the Mercedes of Antonelli behind him to a manageable 1.5 seconds, one that lasted for the nail-biting final 10 laps. The full-on sprint from his car to the waiting Williams mechanics is honestly one of the best moments of the whole season, and as Carlos Sainz would put it, his “favorite podium ever.” 

So, Ferrari’s woes continue. Hamilton has yet to earn a podium this season, while Sainz (who he replaced) in a Williams managed to achieve it. Leclerc never truly recovered from his poor qualifying, and it seems Ferrari’s second place in the constructors might also fall through. Frankly, a typical season for Ferrari fans. 

See you all next weekend!