.png "os2 trasparenza (1)")
On Thursday, September 18, 2025, Oscar Piastri attends the press conference for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix presentation, and naturally, there are questions about what happened at the end of the Italian Grand Prix, when the Australian driver gave up second place to Lando Norris.
"Clearly, we’ve talked about it, and we’ve had some positive discussions within the team. It’s an episode that can spark debate, but we’ve clarified various points, and we know how we’ll race from now on, which is the most important thing. What happened is in the past now. There were many discussions about how we want to race, and a lot of those discussions will remain private because, in the end, if we were to disclose this information, we’d become an easy target since everyone would know how we’d approach certain situations. Would I have obeyed if the win was at stake? Probably yes, but I don’t know, it would have been different, but I’d rather think that I don’t plan to be in that position. What did Webber say to me after the race? Honestly, not much. In the end, the main thing for me regarding Monza is that it was a weekend where I deserved to finish third. I didn’t deserve second due to the pace I had; I was fast in some parts, but not fast enough throughout the weekend, and in the end, that’s the main point I take away from that race".
The record is very close. In Baku, McLaren can make another piece of Formula 1 history by winning the Constructors' Championship with seven races to spare - something no team has ever done, not even Red Bull Racing in 2023. To break the record, McLaren must have a 346-point lead over the competition: they currently have 337 points over Ferrari, 357 over Mercedes, and 378 over Red Bull Racing. This means that by gaining 9 more points over Ferrari, losing at most 11 to Mercedes, and 32 to Red Bull Racing, the dream will become a reality. According to Lando Norris, the main contributors to this success are two drivers who think about the team, and team principal Andrea Stella:
"We respect the team and we’re not selfish. I think that’s something you can’t find anywhere else. Then there’s Andrea and Zak. Andrea, for me, is one of the most important parts. If I had to point out one person, I’d say Andrea. I think he’s been key to all of this: he understands people perfectly and how to get the most out of them within the team. I’m pretty confident. It would be wrong not to have confidence that we’ll have another good weekend. But in Monza, we saw that the others are still close, and they can beat us, especially on low downforce tracks. We know there are some circuits where we’re not so strong. I wouldn’t say we have weak ones, but some tracks are certainly not as favorable to us. Last year, for example, we struggled to win here with Oscar".
After securing his third win of the season, Max Verstappen doesn’t want to stop. In Baku, the World Champion could once again be in the spotlight, joining the title fight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Baku circuit, despite having some differences compared to Monza, is still a track that requires low downforce. When it comes to unloading the car, Red Bull Racing tends to be more decisive than McLaren: with Max’s factor, the progress shown at the bottom of Zandvoort, and a few favorable episodes, the Dutch driver can’t be excluded from the fight for victory. But Max, naturally, keeps calm:
"We’ll wait and see, I don’t even know if we can repeat it. Monza was obviously a great GP for us, and it gave everyone a huge morale boost. I’m excited to be here and see how competitive we can be on this track. I think we’ve made good progress, but we need to wait and see how the car behaves on a track like this. Every track has different requirements, but I think for us, it’s important to try to have a bit more of a stable weekend without overdoing the setup. The grip is really low, and the track is always quite dirty at the start, then it improves a lot. There are many 90-degree corners, so I think the driving technique required here is very different from other circuits. So, I have no idea how competitive we’ll be. Obviously, I hope we will be, but we’ll see tomorrow how it goes. I think we need a couple more races to figure out if this is the right direction. I believe we’ll aim for a slightly more stable balance. Our car has always had some difficulty getting a good balance in corners, being a bit more predictable. That’s what we discovered at Monza, and I hope we can move forward with that".
After the Italian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc admitted that he didn’t think he would win a race this season. However, after releasing some frustration and taking a few days to rest, the Monegasque driver has regained his energy and confidence, arriving in Baku in a good mood. After four consecutive pole positions in Baku, Charles Leclerc believes he will still be in the fight for pole, but realistically, McLaren and Red Bull Racing will be the favorites:
"Baku definitely suits me; it’s a track where we’ve been strong even in years when it was tough to be. So, I’m hopeful of winning, but from pole to victory, there are many more laps… It’s only Thursday, and I always have hope, just like I did in Monza, but I don’t want to speak too soon. We’ll see where we are on the grid; we’re definitely not the best car. McLaren is, obviously, but I expect great things from Red Bull and Verstappen too. These two teams are much stronger than us. In qualifying here, we’ve done some great things, but qualifying doesn’t count much; the race is what matters, and there I’ll give it my all".
The Lewis Hamilton who returned from the summer break is, at least in words, a different one from the pessimistic version seen in recent months. The World Champion has a different approach both with journalists and on track, and despite the unsatisfactory results in Zandvoort and Monza, the English driver is at least closer to Charles Leclerc’s pace:
"I’ll be driving a very different car from the ones I’ve driven here in the past; it has much more mechanical grip, which should be good. So, I’m excited to see how it goes and what I can achieve. A win seems a bit unlikely, considering I’ve been sixth, seventh, and eighth for most of the season. But I’d love to get on the podium for the team sometime. Charles has been there four or five times, so I’m optimistic for the weekend. I feel like I’ve found a couple of things, and now I have to work to take advantage of them. I really hope this weekend can be the start".
Formula 1 is ready to return to action for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This race will be important in the championship battle between the two McLaren drivers, but it’s also crucial for Ferrari, who just one year ago came close to victory with Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver considers this street circuit one of his favorites on the entire calendar. Team principal Frederic Vasseur commented:
"Baku is always a stimulating weekend. The track combines long straights with a very technical central sector. The races are usually unpredictable and full of opportunities, so it’s important to execute everything perfectly and focus on ourselves to maximize the package we have. The team has worked hard to refine the preparation for the weekend and the operations on track, and we know that in races like this, on a street circuit, every detail can make the difference. Our goal is to put everything together to get an important result with both drivers".
Baku is one of the least favorable tracks for anyone trying to have a trouble-free race, especially for a debutant, but Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s mission is precisely that. Toto Wolff clearly stated that more could have been done in the last Grand Prix, and the Italian driver does not shy away from this fact, speaking about it in the press conference:
"Wolff’s criticism is understandable; our relationship is always honest. I think Toto’s reference is more to the race than the qualifying because qualifying actually went pretty well, and I hope to find the same sharpness in qualifying here in Baku that I had in Monza. The goal is to have a clean weekend because the mistake at Lesmo-2 in FP2 at Monza prevented me from doing the long run, and I went into the race pretty much blind, which cost me during the stint with the hard tires. Baku is a complicated track, with various bumps under braking that make it tricky, but it’s a great circuit, complicated but fun for the drivers. Other teams, unlike us, have recently brought upgrades, which makes things even harder for us because we have to be perfect to be competitive".
It’s just over a week since Toto Wolff expressed his frustration after the Italian Grand Prix, where the Mercedes team principal appeared dissatisfied with his drivers’ results, instead praising Max Verstappen. In the opinion of the Austrian manager, the performance had made everyone look foolish. But now, for Wolff and Mercedes, it’s time to turn the page just days before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. For the Austrian manager, the goal is obviously to bounce back with both of his drivers, not only to forget the previous performance but also to avoid losing more ground in the standings:
"Now that the European part of the season is over, this weekend marks the start of the final third of the season. It will be a tight race to the finish line in Abu Dhabi, with three teams fighting for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. We lost ground to our competitors in Monza, and we know that in the last eight races, we’ll have to do better than we did in Italy if we want to get to the top. The overseas races start with two street circuits. The first is in Azerbaijan, before heading to Singapore in two weeks. The Baku circuit is a challenging mix of high-speed straights, 90-degree corners, and the narrow, winding castle section. It’s a good test for both the car and the driver. The grid is tight, and once again, small margins will make a big difference. If we manage to give our best, then we can hope for a weekend of hard work, fighting for the top positions".
After a two-week break, F1 cars burst back into action at the Baku City Circuit when the green light switches on at the end of the pit lane at 12:30 p.m. local time - plenty of drivers quick to head out on track amid cloudy but dry weather conditions. Both McLaren drivers receive interesting radio messages in the early stages of the session, with Norris being told to return to the pits to remove something, which turns out to be a component cover, and Piastri being urged to back off and avoid full load. Elsewhere, Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto proves just how slippery the track conditions are by going deep at Turn 3 and taking to the run-off, while Alex Albon loses one of the mirrors from his Williams and George Russell reports that he can smell burning. Just under a quarter of the way into the session, with plenty to talk about already, an issue at Turn 16 triggers the first red flag of the weekend. Replays then show that the incident is caused by Williams’ Carlos Sainz running over the kerb and leaving part of it loose. Norris rises to the top of the timesheets just before that red flag is thrown, producing a time of 1'43"747 on Pirelli’s soft compound tyre to comfortably lead Russell (also battling illness and a serious amount of bottoming), Leclerc, and Max Verstappen. After a delay that allows marshals to repair the kerb, the session resumes with around 20 minutes remaining and drivers pick up their respective programmes - Piastri is back in the cockpit thanks to McLaren mechanics seemingly rectifying his power unit problem. Provisional pace-setter Norris continues where he left off to pump in a 1'42"704, putting him a full second clear of Verstappen and team mate Piastri, while Lewis Hamilton clips the wall on the entry to Turn 5 and is forced to return to the pits with front wing damage. As the final soft-shod laps come in, Piastri gets a solid effort on the board to slot three-tenths behind Norris, with serial Azerbaijan polesitter Leclerc - who tops the last four Qualifying sessions in the land of fire - half a second adrift in third. Russell winds up fourth in the lead Mercedes, from Albon (who thumps the wall late on) and the Red Bull cars of Yuki Tsunoda and Verstappen - the reigning four-time World Champion abandons a lap when he runs out of road on entry to the tight Turn 15. Sainz makes it two Williams cars inside the top 10 positions, followed by the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar (the French rookie another to take to the run-off in the closing stages), and the Silver Arrows machine of Kimi Antonelli.
Even in the opening minutes of the FP2, the Baku run-off areas are put into use, Liam Lawson running deep at the downhill left-hander of Turn 15, with Hamilton doing the same at Turn 7 as drivers explore the limits for the second one-hour session. Having spent a large portion of the opening session in the garage while a power unit issue is rectified, Piastri hits the track almost immediately in FP2 with the soft Pirelli tyre, posting a 1'43"307 on his first flying lap that puts him to the top of the times initially. But the times soon begin to tumble as more rubber is put down on the circuit and drivers utilise the softest compound, with Norris' leading lap from FP1 easily beaten inside the opening 10 minutes. After the opening flurry Norris is left fastest with a 1'42"199, fractionally faster than Leclerc, the Ferrari driver having taken pole position for the last four editions of the Azerbaijan GP and showing his prowess again around the street circuit, becoming the first driver to dip below the 1'42"0 mark with a 1'41"786. Team mate Hamilton slots into second less than two-tenths behind before jumping to the top with a 1'41"543 on the 20-minute mark, both laps having been achieved on the medium rubber to give teams a possible tyre conundrum ahead of Qualifying on Saturday. Norris' session then unravels at the halfway point, the McLaren driver striking the wall on the exit of Turn 4 which damages his left-rear suspension, and although the Briton is able to recover back to the pits, he remains in the garage until the chequered flag. Just minutes later, Drivers' Championship leader Piastri joins his team mate in the pits having glanced the Tecpro barrier at Turn 15 before being sent on his way after precautionary checks. Meanwhile, Leclerc moves back to the top of the times with a 1'41"367 as the Ferraris engage in their own personal duel, Hamilton going fastest on a 1'41"293 on the softs with just over 10 minutes left for the fastest lap of the day. Mercedes' George Russell finishes best of the rest, just under half a second behind Hamilton, and ahead of team mate Kimi Antonelli, Haas' Ollie Bearman, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lawson (Racing Bulls). Esteban Ocon completes a positive day for Haas in eighth from Alex Albon, Norris and the second Williams of Carlos Sainz. Lewis Hamilton starts the weekend in Baku in the best possible way, taking first place in FP2. Ferrari's double podium boosts expectations for the rest of the weekend on a circuit that hides the SF-25's flaws better than most, but the team must not fall into the trap of thinking they're competitive, as Frederic Vasseur has warned. Hamilton knows this well, but he wants to emphasize that it was a positive day not only for the result but also for a better understanding of the car from FP1 to FP2:
"Overall, it was a productive day. The first session was tough because I had to get used to the brakes, but we made some good changes for FP2. The car felt better, everything started working well, and I became more and more comfortable lap by lap. It was really positive to have such a solid second session, probably my best FP2 of the year so far, which shows the progress we're making. There are still some areas we can improve for tomorrow, but I believe we're heading in the right direction".
Charles Leclerc is second, just 0.074s behind his teammate, using the same tires, though Hamilton had the advantage of having already tried the Medium compound, which seems to give drivers more confidence both in fast laps and race pace. Beyond the qualification strategy, the good news is that the two SF-25s appear to have almost immediately found the right setup and balance, unlike McLaren, which after a strong start in FP1 lost direction in FP2. Perhaps that's why, despite being cautious, even Leclerc seems to be letting his guard down a little:
"I think there's a lot of potential this weekend. We did a good job today, but I want to get even more out of it. Our competitors look very strong, and I expect some surprises in qualifying tomorrow, but on this track, anything can happen. We'll see what the track has in store, but I'm confident we can fight for a good position on the starting grid".
Frederic Vasseur is known for going against the tide, dampening enthusiasm when Ferrari performs well and highlighting the positives when results are not in their favor. In Baku, the first case occurs: the French manager does not want to hear about victory or an easy weekend.
"I'm happy, but dreaming is never a good thing; we need to focus on what we're doing. The margins are tight because the McLarens didn't complete their lap, but they're fast too. Mercedes probably didn’t fully use the engine: the field will be very close. The important thing was the race simulation, even though it was only 4-5 laps, but it went very well. We need to focus on ourselves, try to get the best out of what we have, and then we'll see tomorrow. It’s a good Friday, but we don’t know the fuel levels of the others, the worst thing would be to think it's all easy. We're always trying to chase the last millisecond to do our job".
Unlike previous seasons, the choice between C5 and C6 tires will be crucial for the key moments in Q3, with the Medium tire possibly being the best option due to its consistency in lap time:
"In Canada, Imola, and Monaco there was this doubt. It’s never been a clear choice. We've done some cross tests here in Baku, and I think the others have done the same. In both cases, we have a couple of sets of medium tires, and in Q3, we can only use one".
How can you turn an excellent FP1 into a day to forget as quickly as possible? Lando Norris knows this well, as after dominating the first session with a 0.3s advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri, and more than half a second over Charles Leclerc, he ended FP2 prematurely, crashing into the wall. A driving mistake that, while occurring at a point when nothing is at stake and doesn't ruin the weekend, undoubtedly complicates the British driver’s preparation for the upcoming - likely intense - Qualifying session and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
"It was a costly mistake, especially on a track like this. Until that point, everything was going well, but I'd rather push and find the limits than not push at all. So yeah, it’s annoying, and I would’ve liked to do some laps with a full tank of fuel at the end of the session, especially with these softer tires compared to last year. But that’s how it went, and now I need to make up for it. I had to push because I’m up against very strong drivers, so it was important to find the limit. The track is also much different than last year... It’s a bit faster, and the tires are the softest, which we don’t use that often. I'm definitely behind in terms of learning the circuit, but it was a confusing session for both me and Oscar. He seemed to have some difficulties with the car too. We’ll see what we can recover tomorrow".
Ferrari, which ended FP2 with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in first and second place, therefore seems to be a serious threat:
"Last year they were by far the fastest here, even though Oscar won in the end. So Ferrari will be fast, and Red Bull will also be fast. They’re never fast on Fridays, but then they go to sleep and wake up in the front again. I expect a battle from at least three other teams tomorrow in qualifying".
After his victory in Monza, Max Verstappen approached the Baku event with confidence. And although the results from the first practice sessions don’t seem to support him, the World Champion evaluates his work positively, where he was stronger on race pace than on qualifying pace. The Dutch driver, who was seventh in the morning and sixth in the afternoon, is already fine in terms of rhythm, and will likely use FP3 to be as competitive as possible in Qualifying:
"It didn’t go badly. The car is good, which is positive. We’ve found a stable balance on this rather specific track. That’s what we need. Everything has to work perfectly to have a good Saturday. We’re still a little behind on the fast lap; there’s still room for improvement both for the car and for me. I hope tomorrow will go a bit better".
The most positive aspects of the day relate to the race setup:
"The long run went well. It's always slippery here and difficult for the tires with the softer compounds. I expect some teams to be very close to each other, so it’ll all come down to doing a perfect lap".
Returning from the summer break with two FP sessions marred by incidents, Andrea Kimi Antonelli finally avoids mistakes and can focus on preparing for Qualifying with more peace of mind, without the pressure of recovering lost time. The Italian driver, on a track that requires a lot of confidence in the car and oneself, finishes in fourth place:
"I think it was a pretty positive day. I tried to improve, taking it a bit more calmly today, and I worked on building confidence step by step. Especially in FP2, things went quite well. There was a big interruption in FP1, so you lose a bit of rhythm, but in FP2, I was able to improve lap by lap, even though there’s still some work to do. I believe there are still two or three tenths to recover, but I think it was a day we can build on tomorrow".
Antonelli even suggests that Baku might be a repeat of Montreal, where Mercedes won their only race of the season:
"Ferrari seems pretty fast, and McLaren didn’t show their true pace today, but I think we can fight too. Tomorrow will be very competitive, and we’ll see what to do with the tires, as it seems the mediums are the fastest".
Although the circuit is dry for the final one-hour session of practice, heavy overnight rain removes much of the rubber that was put down on Friday, while high winds create a difficult situation for drivers into the many braking zones. Ollie Bearman becomes the first driver to use the run-off area, heading deep at Turn 4 inside the opening 10 minutes and reporting that it's challenging with this wind, as almost the entire field remains sheltered in the garages approaching the 20-minute mark. Norris is eventually one of the first to set a time, the McLaren driver having lost half of his running in FP2 after clouting the wall and immediately using a set of soft Pirelli tyres. McLaren teammate Piastri does the same, both drivers having had scrappy Friday running. Having taken pole position at the last four events in Azerbaijan, Charles Leclerc immediately sets the pace, posting a 1'43"048 despite running deep at the final braking zone, while teammate Lewis Hamilton has to recover after running off track at Turn 3. The Briton continues his encouraging performance from Friday by jumping to the top of the times on his next lap with a 1'42"988, although it's still almost two seconds slower than his own session-best from FP2. As track conditions improve, so do lap times inside the final 30 minutes, with Leclerc lowering the benchmark to a 1'42"354 and surviving a brush with the wall on the entry to Turn 7 on a later lap, while Liam Lawson suffers a full 360-degree spin at Turn 16. Meanwhile, Verstappen becomes the first driver in FP3 to set a time below the 1'42"0 barrier, posting a 1'41"727 as teams and drivers focus on Qualifying simulations in the final 15 minutes. Norris sets the new fastest benchmark across all three sessions with a 1'41"223, while Piastri has to abort his flying lap after suffering a moment of oversteer through Turn 4. The Drivers' Championship leader then runs deep at Turn 1 on his next lap. Piastri is able to register a competitive lap time, but finds himself three-tenths behind Norris as Verstappen and then Hamilton slot between the two title rivals. Piastri improves with his final lap but only jumps to third and remains over two-tenths adrift of Norris as Verstappen stays between the pair, with Hamilton and the Mercedes cars of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell completing the top six. Alex Albon (Williams), Bearman (Haas), Lawson (Racing Bulls), and Leclerc round out the top 10, the Ferrari driver failing to improve with his final lap after running deep at Turn 4. Isack Hadjar sits just outside the top 10.
With drops of rain falling and high winds playing their part, conditions are variable and likely to cause unpredictability for drivers, prompting the majority of the field to immediately head out as the green light flashes on at the end of the pit lane. After the opening salvos, Leclerc leads the way on a 1'41"982 from Verstappen and Norris, both McLarens and both Red Bulls using the medium Pirelli tyre for their opening laps. But before Piastri can finish his lap, the red flags are deployed, Albon having hit the inside wall at Turn 1, which brings his Williams to a stop with damaged suspension and leaves him out in Q1 with 11 minutes still remaining. Drivers once again queue in the pit lane even with three minutes left until the pit exit reopens, such is the urgency to register quicker lap times with another stoppage likely, given the unforgiving nature of the Baku Circuit. This comes with just over six minutes remaining, Hulkenberg having run head-on into the barrier at Turn 4 before rejoining minus his front wing. The red flag drops just after Piastri sets a time good enough for second behind new pace-setter Hamilton, the Ferrari driver posting a 1'41"821. The driver under most pressure once running resumes is Antonelli, the Mercedes rookie having lost his best lap time after running wide at Turn 16 and also being placed under investigation for a yellow flag infringement following Albon's earlier incident. The Italian delivers on the medium tyre, jumping up to sixth initially, while Russell, Leclerc, and then Norris all occupy the top spot in quick succession. On the cusp of elimination, Hadjar jumps to P5 as both Aston Martins avoid the drop zone just as a third red flag is deployed after drama for the Alpine drivers at Turn 4 in separate incidents. Gasly is left in the run-off area and, only seconds later, Colapinto loses the rear through the corner and slams into the wall. The Argentinian driver is left stranded and out in P16, while Hulkenberg, Ocon, Gasly, and Albon are also eliminated in Q1, as Norris heads Verstappen, Leclerc, and Russell at the top of the order, with Piastri finishing P7. The incidents continue immediately in Q2, Hadjar taking to the run-off area on his out-lap at Turn 4 before Bearman brings out the fourth red flag when he hits the wall on the exit of Turn 2. While Leclerc bails out on his first flying lap after running deep at Turn 1, Norris jumps to the top on a 1'41"396 with the soft tyre, as Russell and Antonelli on the medium slot in behind, with Piastri fourth and more than two-tenths behind his teammate having glanced the barrier at Turn 15.
Verstappen jumps to second as a scrappy lap for Hamilton leaves him in danger ahead of the final runs, with Leclerc still yet to register a lap time inside the final five minutes, having run deep at Turn 3 and squandered another attempt. Leclerc eventually sets a lap time good enough for fourth and safety on the medium despite glancing the barrier at Turn 2, but Hamilton is left just 10th despite a small improvement on the soft tyre and is soon in the drop zone and eliminated. Tsunoda, meanwhile, demotes Alonso to make Q3 as teammate Verstappen launches to the top of the times with a 1'41"255 on the medium tyre to head Norris, Piastri, Russell, Antonelli, Leclerc, Lawson, Hadjar, and Sainz. Joining Alonso and Hamilton in the elimination zone is Bortoleto after sliding out of Turn 16, Stroll who runs into the run-off area at Turn 1, and the timeless Bearman. With drops of rain starting to fall, eight drivers immediately hit the track on a mixture of medium and soft tyres, while the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Tsunoda remain in the garage. Norris is forced to back off on his first attempt after Russell ahead goes into the run-off area at Turn 4, with Sainz setting the fastest time from Lawson and Hadjar. Piastri is seconds away from completing his lap but the fifth red flag of Qualifying is shown after Leclerc hits the wall at Turn 15, causing another delay. On the restart, Verstappen and Norris are setting fastest sector times but it is Piastri's turn to hit the barrier, this time at Turn 3, to cause yet another stoppage. When the session resumes again - as the total time for Qualifying approaches two hours - conditions are far from optimal and Norris sets a scruffy lap after glancing the barrier at Turn 15, which ultimately leaves him P7 and just two spots ahead of title rival Piastri. Behind, drivers are improving, including Lawson, who does enough to secure third, while Verstappen is the only one capable of beating Sainz's effort, posting a 1'41"117. Antonelli is best of the rest from Russell and Tsunoda, with Norris heading Hadjar and the timeless Piastri and Leclerc. In a season where he likely won’t win the world championship, Max Verstappen takes his sixth pole position of the year. An astonishing result, especially considering how dominant McLaren has been. In Q3, constant interruptions left the drivers with only one attempt, and to make matters worse, the track was slippery due to light rain.
All the top drivers made mistakes or underperformed - except Max Verstappen, who delivered a flawless lap to claim pole:
"It was a tough Qualifying, hard to find rhythm with all the interruptions, and maybe that played to my advantage. The wind made everything really tricky - just a slight error could cost you. We put the right lap together; it wasn’t easy to push when you see raindrops on your visor, but you have to do it. I’m confident for tomorrow - the car has performed well in the long runs, and like in Monza, since Friday we’ve only had to fine-tune things without making big changes".
In a Qualifying session to forget for Ferrari, McLaren didn’t do much better. After Charles Leclerc crashed into the barriers at the start of Q3, the sixth and final red flag was caused by Oscar Piastri, the current World Championship leader. As a result, the Australian will start from ninth on the grid. This incident could have provided a golden opportunity for Lando Norris to aim for the front row or a top position, and close the gap in the title fight. But Norris also missed the mark, tapping the barriers with his right rear tire at Turn 15, and only managed the seventh fastest time:
"Of course, I would have liked to take pole, but I wasn’t fast enough in the final part. I think everything had gone pretty well before that. We took the risk of going out first to try and set a time before any further incidents, but I think it turned out worse because it was still drizzling. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I’m not disappointed because I just made a small mistake touching the wall in my final lap. It was a tough track today since I was the first out, and I paid the price".
Lando Norris is somewhat disappointed, but fully aware of the challenges he’ll face tomorrow on the Baku circuit:
"Overtaking is really difficult here. We’re a few positions behind, and there are several cars in front of us. Verstappen has had the pace all weekend. I’ll try to win tomorrow, even though it might not be realistic - but we’ll try to fight through".
Oscar Piastri crashed violently into the barriers at the braking point of Turn 3. The Australian driver, speaking about the mistake he made, says:
"A disappointing end to qualifying. I pushed a bit too hard and, unfortunately, I paid the price. The car was good, and we were in a strong position to fight for pole, so it’s a shame. There are still plenty of opportunities to maximize the pace that I know we have, so we’ll see what we can do in the race".
McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, also looks at the race with optimism:
"Seventh and ninth positions are not the result we expected, given the car's potential. Oscar locked up the brakes and hit the wall after a strong start to his lap. Lando's final and decisive lap in Q3 was on course for a much higher position, but he touched the wall at Turn 15, losing a lot of time on the lap. The team will work hard to repair Oscar’s car ahead of what is shaping up to be a challenging race, and we want to fight for the podium".
After showing good pace during Free Practice, Lewis Hamilton failed to make it into Q3. The Brit finished with the 12th fastest time, just behind his teammate:
"There’s definitely something we need to take note of to improve lap execution. I think everyone in the Top 10 had three sets of mediums - I only had two. You could clearly see that the mediums were faster, so that was unfortunate. I wanted to go for another lap, but I didn’t have enough fuel for a warm-up lap. Still, there were many positives this weekend. I’m really disappointed, because I wanted to bring a good result for the team and everyone at the factory. I thought I could aim higher - maybe even pole - because I had a good feeling with the car. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I felt like we had made a lot of progress and that we were really in good shape. And I didn’t make any mistakes. I’m definitely disappointed, but there were a lot of positive aspects. Being twelfth is tough, but I don’t think it’s due to my driving. The execution just needed to be better".
Hamilton is referring to the Soft tires fitted in Q2, and to understand the mistake, we need to look back to the previous day:
"The team had me run on the Mediums in the first run of FP2, while Charles should have used them in the second run. But the team decided to preserve them because no one else was using them".
This disparity led Ferrari to decide to preserve the two sets of Medium tires for Lewis in Q2, but the seven-time world champion did not make it into the top ten with the Softs:
"The Mediums were much faster, three tenths or so. I know exactly what mistakes were made behind the scenes, so that’s a positive. There are many things we can improve internally. I’ll approach this race with maximum optimism, we’re fast on the straights, and with the Safety Cars, anything can happen. I’ll try to make it into the top 3".
Just minutes after the green light, Charles Leclerc also crashed into the barriers, failing to set any time and will thus start 10th on the grid:
"Rain can’t be used as an excuse - it was definitely my mistake. One thing I’ve noticed is that we really struggled with the medium tires today. Yesterday we tested them with both cars and it looked like Lewis had a bit more pace. Today, with the big temperature drop compared to yesterday, we couldn’t get them into the right operating window. Even before the crash, I was 0.7-0.8s off the leaders while pushing hard. That didn’t help, and we couldn’t find a way to get them working properly. Maybe the softs would’ve been better in these conditions".
So the issue seems to be mostly related to tire compound selection, not the light rain during Q3. The next objective is to mount a comeback in the race:
"What I have in mind is to try something like what Ricciardo did in 2017 - but it’ll be very difficult. I believe Red Bull and McLaren have more pace this weekend, and Max especially has a big advantage starting up front. It will be hard to repeat that kind of comeback, but we’ll give it a try".
What particularly affected Ferrari was the drop in temperature compared to Friday: with lower temperatures, it was hard to get the Medium tires into their optimal range. That’s the compound Leclerc was using when he crashed at Turn 15 in Q3. Hamilton criticized the team’s Qualifying strategy, but Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur disagrees:
"We couldn’t add more fuel, because we would have given too much of an advantage to our rivals. As for the tires, both compounds are represented on the front row, so it’s not really about the compound - it’s about our struggle to get the tires up to temperature. It was a complicated session, with wind gusts and generally cold conditions. The key was putting everything together, and Leclerc’s lap up until the crash was good - not on Sainz’s level, but still good, and faster than Norris for example. Now we have to focus on tomorrow and not throw it all away. It’ll be hard because the DRS effect is reduced with the smaller wings, but as always in Baku, anything can happen - we just need to take advantage of every opportunity".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, in Baku, secured a second-row start after a chaotic Qualifying session filled with red flags and major errors from several drivers. Antonelli kept it clean and earned a valuable result - one that could have been even better:
"In my final attempt I caught a rear wind gust of nearly 50 km/h which nearly made me lose control, so I held back because if I had gone over the curb, I’d have lost my only timed lap. I’m happy, also because when I went out on mediums, I saw it had started to drizzle slightly, making things very tricky. Without the wind gust, I think I would’ve made the front row".
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race, Antonelli is focused:
"I want to keep improving, not look back - I hope to achieve the best result possible".
After one of the most chaotic Qualifying sessions in F1 history, Verstappen starts on pole for the sixth time this season, while a mixed-up grid means title rivals Norris and Piastri are back in seventh and ninth respectively. Despite using the hard Pirelli tyre compared to fellow front-row starter Sainz on the medium rubber, Verstappen cuts across as the lights go out to hold the lead through the opening turns, as Sainz, Lawson and Antonelli maintain position behind. Further back, Piastri suffers a disastrous start off the line, having initially jumped the lights before coming to a stop and engaging anti-stall, meaning the Drivers' Championship leader slumps to P20 even before Turn 1. But things get even worse for the McLaren driver as he slams into the barriers at Turn 5, registering his first retirement of the season and offering Norris a perfect opportunity to reduce the 31-point gap separating them. The Briton, though, loses a position to Hadjar and runs in P8 as the Safety Car, deployed in the wake of Piastri's crash, returns to the pit lane at the end of Lap 4, and Norris immediately loses another position to Leclerc at the restart. Further ahead, the two Mercedes drivers go side-by-side into Turn 1, Russell having to back out and losing a position to Tsunoda, both drivers on the hard tyre compared with those around them. Leclerc and Norris gain a position before the end of the lap, Hadjar having run slightly wide at Turn 16 and losing momentum down the long start/finish straight, with Hamilton demoting the Frenchman several laps later for P9. Out front, Verstappen pulls a gap of 1.5s by the end of Lap 6 as Lawson stays in DRS range of Sainz ahead, with Antonelli clear of the battling Tsunoda and Russell. Back in the pack, Alonso in P11 is handed a five-second penalty for also jumping the start, apologising to his team after reacting to Piastri immediately in front of him on the grid. By the start of Lap 10, Verstappen extends his lead to 2.1s as Sainz still in second breaks DRS range to Lawson, while Russell finally moves back ahead of Tsunoda for fifth into Turn 3. Tsunoda soon leads a DRS train including Leclerc, Norris and Hamilton, with Hadjar in touching distance as the pecking order across the field briefly settles down, drivers focusing on tyre management for what is expected to be a one-stop race. Bearman and Albon soon move ahead of Gasly at Turn 1 and join the back of another DRS train headed by Colapinto in P13 and including Stroll and Hulkenberg.
Albon pits for hard tyres at the end of Lap 15, with Colapinto pitting shortly after, but the pair come together at Turn 5, with the Alpine driver sent into a spin before recovering, while the Williams man is handed a 10-second penalty. Russell, meanwhile, starts to become frustrated stuck behind teammate Antonelli, as the young Italian is unable to find a way to pass Lawson ahead for P3, with Sainz 4.5s up the road, the Spaniard in turn nearly 5s behind Verstappen on Lap 18. It prompts Mercedes to bring Antonelli in at the end of the lap, swapping medium for hard tyres, with Ferrari bringing in Leclerc the following tour for the same compound. Racing Bulls bring Lawson in at the end of Lap 20, the New Zealander just re-joining in front of Antonelli as the pair now circulate in P10-P11, with Russell promoted to third and three seconds ahead of Tsunoda, who leads Norris and Hamilton. Antonelli’s breakthrough finally comes at the end of the lap, drafting past Lawson on the start/finish straight with the help of DRS, with Albon doing the same to Alonso for P17 a lap later. Out front, Verstappen leads Sainz by seven seconds on Lap 23, the Spaniard four seconds ahead of Russell, who in turn is ahead of Tsunoda by the same margin, while Norris in fifth is nearly 17s behind Verstappen and unable to make progress on-track. At the halfway point, Antonelli moves up to P8 at the expense of Bortoleto down the main straight, as Lawson and Leclerc soon begin to close on the Kick Sauber driver, who pits at the end of Lap 26 and rejoins P16. Sainz pits from second on Lap 27, having held a gap of just over two seconds to Russell behind, the Williams driver rejoining in clean air back in sixth with the hard tyre, and Verstappen's margin to Russell in P2 now at 12s. Antonelli’s margin to Sainz stands at 3s on Lap 30 as Hadjar pits from in front of the Mercedes driver, the Racing Bulls rookie rejoining in P10 just ahead of the yet-to-pit Stroll and Hulkenberg. While Leclerc in P9 is unable to pass Lawson ahead, further back there is movement as Bortoleto and Albon both demote Ocon into Turn 1, the pair quickly doing the same to Hulkenberg. Norris in P4, meanwhile, is told to get closer to Tsunoda, having dropped two seconds adrift on the medium tyres, with Hamilton behind stopping at the end of Lap 36 and rejoining down in P9. The following lap, Norris is called in to put on a fresh set of hard tyres, but a problem with the front-right causes a 4.1s pit stop and means he rejoins behind the Lawson/Leclerc battle in P8. Red Bull responds on the following lap, and although Tsunoda rejoins in front of Lawson, the Racing Bulls driver makes the pass on the run to Turn 3, giving him some breathing space to Leclerc and Norris immediately behind.
A 2.3s pit stop from Mercedes means Russell rejoins still in P2 ahead of Sainz, who in turn is ahead of Antonelli, Lawson, Tsunoda, Leclerc and Norris, the McLaren driver looking quick on a fresher set of tyres and passing the Ferrari at the end of Lap 40. Just moments earlier, Verstappen pits for a fresh set of medium tyres and comfortably rejoins in a lead he never relinquishes and holds until the end of the race. Leclerc loses a further spot to Hamilton, the Briton now 3s behind Norris, who is on the back of Tsunoda and Lawson in the battle for fifth with eight laps remaining. Despite intense pressure, Lawson holds on for a career-best result, while Tsunoda has to defend from Norris into Turn 1 at the start of the final lap. The order remains unchanged, though, Verstappen takes back-to-back wins and closes to within 69 points of Piastri in the Drivers' Championship with seven races remaining. Russell claims second, having been suffering from an illness all weekend, while Sainz completes the podium - his first for Williams - having held Antonelli at bay in the closing stages. Lawson heads Tsunoda and Norris, with McLaren missing out on claiming the Constructors' Championship this weekend after the team's worst performance of the season. The Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc claim eighth and ninth on a difficult day for the Scuderia, with Hadjar completing the top 10. First in Baku, after also triumphing in Monza. Max Verstappen has returned to winning two consecutive Grands Prix for the first time in over a year, and has now cut the gap to the championship lead to 69 points. In the last two races, the reigning World Champion has gained 35 points on Piastri and 26 on Norris. The gap to the two drivers remains very large, of course, but if this trend continues in Singapore, it might truly be time to start thinking about something that just a few weeks ago seemed unthinkable. Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen’s teammate, has implicitly suggested that indeed the Milton Keynes team is seriously considering the possibility of a title comeback. Verstappen, on the other hand, who has made it clear in the past that he doesn’t appreciate such questions, is trying to keep a low profile. Yet the World Champion still offers some interesting insights:
"Hopes for the title? I don’t rely on hope, but there are seven races to go and 69 points is a big gap. Personally, I’m not thinking about it. I take it one race at a time, just like I’ve done all season. After Abu Dhabi, we’ll know".
For the first time since the controversial 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, Williams is back on the podium, thanks to Carlos Sainz’s third-place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix - a memorable weekend both for the British team and the Spanish driver:
"Three races ago I said I came back from the summer break full of energy after a very tough first half of the season. In the Netherlands, we were on course to score good points, and even in Monza, for some reason, something happened again, and I told the team that I was convinced luck would turn around - that it wasn’t normal to have so many tough weekends this year. When the moment came, I said we would seize the opportunity to get on the podium - and today that’s exactly what happened. At the start of the race, I was really nervous because I thought I’d finish second, but we still managed to complete a very solid race with no issues, nothing outside of our control. We showed we had good pace and that we’re on the right path".
Sainz’s joy was evident in his team radio message after the chequered flag, where he celebrated the podium, calling it the best of his career - and notably, his first with Williams, while Lewis Hamilton is yet to claim one with Ferrari (aside from the Sprint Race in China):
"Yesterday I dreamed about this podium because I saw the pace I had on Friday, I saw I was quick, and others were starting quite a bit further back. I told myself that if I had a perfect race, maybe there’d be a chance - though honestly, I was thinking more of a top five than a top three. After the start, I felt good, and at that point I sensed there was a chance, so I told myself to go and get it. Today we started from the front row, but we also knew how tough this season has been so far - with unlucky incidents or mistakes on our part. We were afraid something could happen again today, but I told the team all season to keep believing. We kept everything under control and didn’t make a single mistake all race, and that proves hard work pays off".
After a terrible start and, just a few seconds later, Oscar Piastri’s retirement due to a mistake in Turn 6, Lando Norris's race seemed on the verge of turning around. However, it quickly became clear that things might go quite differently. The British driver appeared a bit hesitant in the early stages and was then overtaken by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari during the restart after the Safety Car period triggered by his teammate’s crash. So, in the end, with no further neutralizations or surprises, Lando Norris had to settle for seventh place. The numbers, however, speak clearly—and in Piastri’s favor: the six points he gained at the chequered flag in the Azerbaijan GP are fewer than what Lando could have recovered on Oscar in a straightforward race, by winning with his teammate in second place and without relying on any rivals to interfere in the battle. Still, Norris hasn’t lost his smile and leaves Baku with 25 fewer points in the standings:
"A missed opportunity? Well, I did the best I could - both yesterday and today. Opportunities come up every weekend, so every race you don’t win is potentially a missed opportunity. Of course, I would’ve liked more today - I wanted a better result. But I did everything I could. Yesterday didn’t go well because I went out a bit too early, didn’t put in the best lap possible - maybe I could’ve gained a few positions, but it wouldn’t have made much of a difference in today’s race because overtaking was impossible. But it’s more down to qualifying than today. The pace was there when it needed to be, and you could see that, for example, in the long stint on the medium tyres. Yesterday could’ve gone a bit better, but maybe it wouldn’t have changed anything".
Baku continues to be an unknown territory for Charles Leclerc. While in previous years the Monegasque driver had amazed fans with his Qualifying performances, this time things didn’t go as planned. Hopes of a comeback race were dashed by traffic and the inability to overtake Honda-powered cars on the long straight of the Azerbaijani circuit. Leclerc, who overtook Lando Norris at the start, found himself stuck and ended the Grand Prix in ninth place, even behind Lewis Hamilton:
"I think it's wrong to judge the car's potential today. We started in a place where we shouldn’t have been, and that’s on me. It happens - it's been a season where I’ve generally done a good job and usually maximized the result. This weekend, honestly, I didn’t, due to yesterday’s mistake. Starting from P10, it was impossible to overtake. We really struggled in the first stint, where I think we could have gained a few positions: we had a power unit issue, which later went away, but for many laps I mainly had to watch my mirrors. Later on - we still don’t know why - the power unit started working again, but it wasn’t enough to let me overtake. The pace wasn’t great either, but unfortunately, qualifying matters a lot and that didn’t go well".
The Monegasque driver confirmed he has no hopes of winning a race between now and the end of the season:
"It’s going to be very difficult. If there’s a surprise, I’d be very happy to pull it off".
Referring instead to the missed position swap requested by the team to both drivers, Charles Leclerc implies that there are much bigger issues within the team than the failure to return eighth place in Baku by Lewis Hamilton:
"The situation was very clear, but I don't care. For eighth and ninth place, I don't think it's something worth discussing. Unfortunately, we were very slow all weekend, and that's what we should focus on. Eighth or ninth place doesn't matter much to me, so it's fine. I mean, there are rules that we know we have to follow, and maybe today those rules weren't respected. If we were fighting for more important positions, as I hope we will be, then I hope we'll work differently. But on a day like this, I honestly don't care. When I go home, I won't be thinking about this — I'll be thinking about the disappointing performance of the weekend".
A weekend that started badly didn’t end much better: Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in eighth place. Once again, when the dominant McLaren makes a rare mistake, it’s not Ferrari who seizes the opportunity - in fact, they do even worse:
"Internally we’ll investigate and try to understand what can be done differently in the next races. Yesterday, operationally, we could’ve done a better job, so that’s something we need to work on. But, as I said, I felt like I made some progress today. The car and the pace were decent, but the others were really fast too. It was almost impossible to overtake in what was a rather unusual Baku race, where we didn’t see many overtakes. It was really hard to follow the car in front. I’m definitely disappointed to come away from this race empty-handed".
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur didn’t hide his disappointment after a weekend that started with high expectations but ended with P8 and P9:
"There’s frustration - we had the pace, but we compromised the weekend yesterday. We could’ve started on the front row, and it would have been a different race".
Mercedes even managed to overtake Ferrari in the standings, meaning the Scuderia will have to respond starting from Singapore:
"We’re lacking a bit of opportunism. Today, Leclerc also had some power unit issues with energy recovery, and those missing kilowatts prevented him from overtaking Lawson".
When asked about recent rumors that two key engine personnel - Wolf Zimmermann and Lars Schmidt - are leaving Ferrari, the French manager responded firmly:
"The story about people leaving Ferrari is a joke that doesn’t help the team. In the last 18 months, we’ve hired 60 people".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli finally achieves a solid result, and on a tough circuit too. In Baku, the Italian driver remained composed throughout and secured a strong fourth-place finish. Could he have aimed for more? Possibly, as ahead of him were Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson. However, the Spaniard showed great pace, especially in the first stint, while the New Zealander defended well. It was behind Lawson that Antonelli likely lost the time that might have cost him a shot at the podium, but the Mercedes driver is still satisfied with his performance:
"I was honestly hoping for a podium. The hard tyre worked much better, especially as the medium compound started to drop off. On the yellow tyre I struggled at the beginning, particularly with traction - it was hard to stay close to Lawson and I never managed to get within striking distance to try and pass him at the end of the straight. I lost a lot of time behind Liam, and I ended up in a situation where George managed to overcut me, since the hard tyre had extremely low degradation and kept improving lap after lap. It’s a shame because I was hoping for the podium, but it’s still a good result for the team and, above all, for the Constructors’ Championship standings".
Due to the characteristics of the circuit, Baku shares some similarities with Montreal - the only track where Mercedes has truly shone in 2025. It’s no surprise, then, that the Brackley team came close to a double podium, losing out only to a flawless Max Verstappen. In Baku, George Russell nailed the right strategy, overtaking his teammate with an overcut, as well as Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz. The Italian driver also delivered a solid performance and received praise from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after recent criticism:
"It was a positive weekend for us, and we leave Azerbaijan with a good result. It was great to be back on the podium with a second-place finish and to see Kimi bring home important points with fourth. Of course, we always hope to reach the top step of the podium, but this result gives us positive momentum after two tough races following the summer break. Congratulations also to Carlos, James, and Williams for their third-place finish - they truly earned it. Kimi did everything he could to get close enough to attack, but their pace was just a bit too strong. Still, Kimi did a great job overtaking Lawson; we saw how several cars, like Leclerc’s Ferrari and Tsunoda’s Red Bull Racing, weren’t able to make a move even when within DRS range. He’ll use this weekend as a springboard for the final seven races. George also had a fantastic race; he was unwell all weekend and it was uncertain whether he’d be able to drive on Friday and Saturday. It was a great effort from him, and to come away with such a result was fantastic".