Formula 1: Verstappen wins in Baku over Russell and Sainz as Piastri crashes; Norris fails to capitalise

Baku (Azerbaijan), Sep 21 (IANS) Max Verstappen dominated and won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Red Bull, but Lando Norris gained a bit as he trimmed teammate Oscar Piastri's lead in the Formula One Drivers' Championship to 25 points even though the Briton failed to take full advantage of Piastri's early crash in an eventful race on Sunday..

The Dutch reigning F1 champion was never challenged on Sunday in Baku, comfortably leading home George Russell and Carlos Sainz in a lights-to-flag victory.

Verstappen never trailed on the streets of Baku, leading all 51 laps and winning by over 14 seconds from Mercedes' George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who claimed his first podium for Williams, having just lost out on pole position.

Verstappen claimed his fourth win of the season and his second in a row, underlining a Red Bull resurgence that has raised concern within McLaren. Although Verstappen remains 69 points behind Piastri with seven races left, his pace suggested he could yet re-enter the title fight.

Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed out on the final step of the podium, having run well all day, but was well clear of a fierce battle for fifth, which was headed by Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, who claimed a career-best result.

For Piastri, the weekend was a rare misstep in an otherwise consistent campaign. The Australian had already crashed in qualifying, and his race unravelled before the start when he jumped the lights and then faltered, forcing him to the back of the pack. Just five corners later, he attempted an ambitious move around the outside of Esteban Ocon's Haas, but lost grip and slid into the barrier.

That left the door open for Norris, but the Briton was unable to rise from his seventh place on the grid and gained only six points after losing ground on the opening lap to Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar.

McLaren extended Norris' first stint to set up a late charge on fresher tyres, but a slow right-front wheel change cost him precious time in the pits. It was his second consecutive botched stop, following similar issues at Monza that sparked debate over McLaren's team orders.

When Norris rejoined, he found himself trapped in a tight train of cars behind Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, who produced one of the drives of the day. Lawson, who started third, resisted pressure from Yuki Tsunoda, Norris, and Lewis Hamilton over the final 10 laps, with none able to make a pass as the New Zealander took a career-best fifth-place finish.

Yuki Tsunoda finished sixth after applying intense late pressure but in the process claimed his best result for Red Bull, while Norris finished seventh – the same position the McLaren driver started, having struggled to make any progress through the sole pit stop sequence.

The Briton, who slumped to as low as ninth at one stage, was unable to pass Tsunoda on the final lap and only reduced Piastri's lead in the title race by six points.

This was after the Australian suffered a disastrous opening lap, jumping the lights and then activating anti-stall from P9 before crashing out at Turn 5, having dropped to the back of the field.

"Lawson defended brilliantly," Norris said. "We tried to use the strategy, but the pit stop didn't help, and once you're in that DRS train, it's almost impossible."

While McLaren endured a frustrating weekend, Mercedes and Williams capitalised. George Russell, still recovering from illness, executed a long first stint on hard tyres and climbed from fifth to finish second. Russell's Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli took fourth after delivering the clean race his bosses had demanded.

Carlos Sainz secured third for Williams after starting a surprise second on the grid, giving the Grove outfit its first podium since the rain-shortened 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. Having endured a difficult year since moving to Williams from Ferrari, Sainz called the result one of the highlights of his career.

Lewis Hamilton led team mate Charles Leclerc on a difficult day for Ferrari after both started down the order, as the second Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar completed the top 10.

Gabriel Bortoleto's Kick Sauber was best of the rest, followed by Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon, the Williams driver slapped with a 10-second penalty for a collision with Franco Colapinto mid-race. Esteban Ocon, who started last after the rear wing on his Haas was found to be illegal post-Qualifying, finished P14, while Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin driver, was handed a penalty for jumping the start.

The order was completed by Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), and the two Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Colapinto, with Piastri the only retirement.

At the front, Verstappen controlled the race from the opening laps. With slower cars separating him from the McLarens, he managed his hard tyres carefully before switching to mediums and also claimed the fastest lap.

"This weekend has been incredible for us," Verstappen said. "The car was working beautifully. [The next race at] Singapore will be a different challenge with high downforce, but the last two weekends have been amazing," he said.

McLaren had arrived in Baku on the brink of sealing the Constructors' Championship, but that celebration will be delayed after a messy weekend that left the team facing renewed pressure from Red Bull.

The next round of the 2025 F1 World Championship is the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on October 5.

--IANS

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