2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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Round	17 of 2025
Next→	2025 Singapore Grand Prix
Race Details
Date	19–21 September, 2025
Race Number	1142
Official Name	Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025
Location	Baku City Circuit Baku, Azerbaijan
Course	Temporary street circuit 6.003 km (3.730 mi)
Distance	51 laps, 306.153 km (190.235 mi)
Pole Position
Driver	Max Verstappen Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Fastest Lap
Driver	Max Verstappen Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Time	1:43.388 on lap 50
Podium
First	Max Verstappen
Second	George Russell
Third	Carlos Sainz, Jr.
Lap Leaders

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, officially known as the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025, was the seventeenth race of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Baku City Circuit, from 19^th to 21^st of September 2025.

Max Verstappen secured a commanding lights-to-flag victory at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, capitalizing on a dramatic opening-lap crash by championship leader Oscar Piastri, and acheving his 6^th grand slam.

George Russell overcame illness to finish second, while Carlos Sainz captured a historic third-place podium for the Williams team.

Background

Available Tyres
Hard	C4
Medium	C5
Soft	C6
Inter	Inters
Wet	Wet

Ahead of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the seventeenth round of the season, several key storylines were developing in Formula 1:

Championship Battles

• Drivers' Championship: Oscar Piastri held a 31-point lead over his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Max Verstappen, after a dominant win in Monza, trailed Norris by 63 points but was gaining momentum. Piastri arrived in Baku aiming to extend his lead, while Norris sought to regain momentum after a recent McLaren team orders controversy at Monza.
• Constructors' Championship: McLaren was poised to potentially clinch the Constructors' title in Baku. They held a significant lead of 617 points over Ferrari's 280 points.

Driver Focus

• Max Verstappen: Fresh off a commanding victory at the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen was looking to continue his resurgence after a challenging period for Red Bull. His strong form and the characteristics of the Baku circuit (long straights favoring engine power) positioned him as a potential spoiler to the McLaren dominance.
• Oscar Piastri: The championship leader had been remarkably consistent throughout the season, but was under pressure to perform after the team orders situation in Monza. He had a positive track record at Baku, having won there in 2024.
• Lando Norris: Norris aimed to reassert himself in the title fight and had a strong record on street circuits, winning in Melbourne and Monaco earlier in the season.
• Charles Leclerc: Known as a Baku specialist, Leclerc had secured pole position in every Azerbaijan Grand Prix since 2021 but had yet to convert one into a victory.
• George Russell: Had been facing a tough weekend battling illness, but the cooler conditions predicted for the race were expected to suit the Mercedes car.
• Carlos Sainz: After two challenging weekends, Sainz was eager to score points for Williams.
• Liam Lawson & Isack Hadjar: The young Racing Bulls drivers had no prior Formula 1 experience at Baku.
• Oliver Bearman: Was under pressure to avoid receiving further penalty points, being close to an automatic race ban.

Track Characteristics and Race History

• The Baku City Circuit is renowned for its unique combination of high-speed straights and a tight, technical section around the Old City walls, including the narrowest point of the season at Turn 8.
• The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has a reputation for unpredictability and has produced seven different winners across its eight editions prior to 2025.
• The circuit demands a specific car setup, with teams often opting for lower downforce to maximize speed on the long straight, which can compromise performance in the twistier sections.
• Baku marked the final European round of the 2025 season before the championship headed to Asia and the Americas for the remaining races.
• There were positive developments regarding the circuit's future, as it was announced that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would continue on the F1 calendar until 2030, according to Formula 1.

Entry List

The full entry for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is outlined below:

No.	Driver	Entrant	Constructor	Chassis	Engine	Model	Tyre
1	Max Verstappen	Oracle Red Bull Racing	Red Bull	RB21	Honda RBPT	RBPTH003 1.6 V6t	P
4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	McLaren	MCL39	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
5	Gabriel Bortoleto	State F1 Team Kick Sauber	Kick Sauber	C45	Ferrari	067 1.6 V6t	P
6	Isack Hadjar	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team	Racing Bulls	VCARB 02	Honda RBPT	RBPTH003 1.6 V6t	P
10	Pierre Gasly	BWT Alpine F1 Team	Alpine	A525	Renault	E-Tech RE25 1.6 V6t	P
12	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes	F1 W16	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team	Aston Martin	AMR25	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Ferrari HP	Ferrari	SF-25	Ferrari	067 1.6 V6t	P
18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team	Aston Martin	AMR25	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
22	Yuki Tsunoda	Oracle Red Bull Racing	Red Bull	RB21	Honda RBPT	RBPTH003 1.6 V6t	P
23	Alexander Albon	Atlassian Williams Racing	Williams	FW47	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
27	Nico Hülkenberg	State F1 Team Kick Sauber	Kick Sauber	C45	Ferrari	067 1.6 V6t	P
30	Liam Lawson	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team	Racing Bulls	VCARB 02	Honda RBPT	RBPTH003 1.6 V6t	P
31	Esteban Ocon	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	Haas	VF-25	Ferrari	067 1.6 V6t	P
43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine F1 Team	Alpine	A525	Renault	E-Tech RE25 1.6 V6t	P
44	Lewis Hamilton	Scuderia Ferrari HP	Ferrari	SF-25	Ferrari	067 1.6 V6t	P
55	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	Atlassian Williams Racing	Williams	FW47	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
63	George Russell	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes	F1 W16	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren F1 Team	McLaren	MCL39	Mercedes	F1 M16 1.6 V6t	P
87	Oliver Bearman	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	Haas	VF-25	Ferrari	067 1.6 V6t	P
Source:

Practice Overview

The three practice sessions leading up to the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix showcased the challenging nature of the Baku City Circuit, with varied conditions and incidents setting the stage for a dramatic qualifying and race.

Free Practice 1 (FP1)

• Leader: Lando Norris
• Key Highlights: Norris led an initial McLaren 1-2, but Oscar Piastri faced a power unit issue limiting his running. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton both had incidents, while a red flag was deployed due to debris on track. According to Formula 1, Piastri ultimately secured the second fastest time, followed by Charles Leclerc.

Top 3

1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:42.704
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - +0.310s
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - +0.552s

Free Practice 2 (FP2)

• Leader: Lewis Hamilton
• Key Highlights: Ferrari had a strong session, with Hamilton and Leclerc securing a 1-2 finish. According to the BBC, Hamilton topped the timesheets, showcasing Ferrari's potential. McLaren's session was marred by incidents, with Norris hitting the wall at Turn 4, ending his session early due to damage to his left-rear suspension. Piastri also had a moment at Turn 15, brushing the barrier but continuing without damage.

Top 3

1. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 1:41.293
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - +0.074s
3. George Russell (Mercedes) - +0.477s

Free Practice 3 (FP3)

• Leader: Lando Norris
• Key Highlights: Norris bounced back from his FP2 incident to top the final practice session ahead of qualifying. Max Verstappen finished second, splitting the two McLaren drivers. Piastri finished third despite having to abort one of his flying laps. The session was characterized by strong and changing winds, making conditions challenging for the drivers, though thankfully no red flags were needed.

Top 3

1. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 1:41.223
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - +0.222s
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - +0.254s

Practice Results

The full practice results for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix are outlined below:

No.	Driver	Team	FP1		FP2		FP3
			Time	Pos	Time	Pos	Time	Pos
1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull-Honda RBPT	1:43.790	7	1:41.902	6	1:41.445	2
4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	1:42.704	1	1:42.199	10	1:41.223	1
5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber-Ferrari	1:44.087	14	1:42.561	15	1:43.060	18
6	Isack Hadjar	RB-Honda RBPT	1:43.975	10	1:42.443	13	1:42.267	11
10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine-Renault	1:45.418	20	1:42.674	16	1:43.322	19
12	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:43.985	11	1:41.779	4	1:41.876	5
14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin-Mercedes	1:44.139	15	1:42.967	19	1:42.591	14
16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:43.256	3	1:41.367	2	1:42.209	10
18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	1:44.329	17	1:42.771	17	1:43.350	20
22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull-Honda RBPT	1:43.738	6	1:42.444	14	1:42.840	16
23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	1:43.563	5	1:42.177	9	1:41.983	7
27	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber-Ferrari	1:43.986	12	1:42.820	18	1:42.428	12
30	Liam Lawson	RB-Honda RBPT	1:43.903	9	1:41.989	7	1:42.146	9
31	Esteban Ocon	Haas-Ferrari	1:44.439	18	1:42.167	8	1:42.868	17
43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine-Renault	1:45.299	19	1:43.322	20	1:42.789	15
44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:44.087	13	1:41.293	1	1:41.499	4
55	Carlos Sainz	Williams-Mercedes	1:43.859	8	1:42.255	11	1:42.486	13
63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:43.257	4	1:41.770	3	1:41.964	6
81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren-Mercedes	1:43.014	2	1:42.295	12	1:41.477	3
87	Oliver Bearman	Haas-Ferrari	1:44.151	16	1:41.891	5	1:41.985	8
Source:

Qualifying

Q1

The Q1 session of qualifying at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was especially turbulent, marked by three red‑flag interruptions within the first segment and variable track conditions that increased the stakes for all teams. In the early running, Charles Leclerc initially set the pace before incidents forced stoppages, including Alexander Albon’s crash at Turn 1 and Nico Hulkenberg’s impact at Turn 4. Later in the session, Oscar Piastri also crashed into the barrier at Turn 3, triggering the third red flag and bringing the session to a dramatic halt. Notably, Charles Leclerc was unable to register a time late in the session, eliminating him in Q1. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen progressed comfortably to Q2 after a solid opening lap effort.

Q2

The second round of qualifying in Baku saw continued drama and high stakes as the session was marred by further red‑flag interruptions and strategic gambles. At the outset, Oliver Bearman triggered a stoppage after crashing at Turn 2 before any lap was completed. Once back underway, Lando Norris initially led on the soft tyres, setting a time of 1:41.396, ahead of the Mercedes duo and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri (who had clipped the barrier earlier). Max Verstappen then displaced Norris to the top of the times with a strong lap on the medium tyre, putting pressure on the field. Meanwhile Charles Leclerc ran deep in Turn 1 on his first effort and delayed setting a time, eventually registering a lap on the medium that was just enough to advance. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in 10th place—the cut‑off for progression—despite a late push on the soft tyre, a result many described as a surprise given his strong pace during practice. Accompanying Hamilton in elimination were Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, and Bearman (who failed to set a time). Verstappen’s 1:41.255 held as fastest in Q2.

Q3

The final segment of qualifying in Baku was chaotic and highly eventful, producing a record six red‑flag stoppages during the session. As conditions deteriorated slightly with light rain in some parts, drivers were pushed into mistakes.

Carlos Sainz initially went fastest on medium tires early in Q3, but his lap was soon overshadowed. Charles Leclerc crashed at Turn 15, triggering another red flag. Later, championship leader Oscar Piastri also crashed at Turn 3, bringing out the final red flag and ending his chance to set a competitive lap.

When the session resumed with under four minutes left, drivers had one last flying run. Max Verstappen, on the new softs, delivered the fastest lap of the session, clocking 1:41.117, to claim pole position. He edged out Carlos Sainz by 0.478 seconds, with Liam Lawson finishing third, the highest qualifying position of his career.

Notable eliminations in Q3 were Piastri and Leclerc, both unable to set laps after their crashes, meaning they would start from 9th and 10th respectively.

Qualifying Results

The full qualifying results for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team		Q1			Q2			Q3		Grid
					Pos.	Time		Pos.	Time		Pos.	Time
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull-Honda RBPT		3	1:41.331		1	1:41.255		1	1:41.117	1
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams-Mercedes		15	1:42.635		9	1:41.675		2	1:41.595	2
3	30	Liam Lawson	RB-Honda RBPT		12	1:42.257		7	1:41.537		3	1:41.707	3
4	12	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes		11	1:42.247		5	1:41.464		4	1:41.717	4
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes		5	1:41.646		4	1:41.455		5	1:42.070	5
6	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull-Honda RBPT		13	1:42.347		10	1:41.788		6	1:42.143	6
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes		2	1:41.322		2	1:41.396		7	1:42.239	7
8	6	Isack Hadjar	RB-Honda RBPT		6	1:41.656		8	1:41.647		8	1:42.372	8
9	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren-Mercedes		8	1:41.839		3	1:41.414		9	No time set	9
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari		4	1:41.458		6	1:41.519		10	No time set	10
11	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin-Mercedes	10	1:42.211	11	1:41.857			11
12	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	7	1:41.821	12	1:42.183			12
13	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber-Ferrari	14	1:42.511	13	1:42.277			13
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	9	1:42.101	14	1:43.061			14
15	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas-Ferrari	16	1:42.666	15	No time set			15
16	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine-Renault	16	1:42.779					16
17	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber-Ferrari	17	1:42.916					17
18	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine-Renault	18	1:43.139					18
19	23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	19	1:43.778					19
DSQ	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas-Ferrari	20						20
107% Time: 1:48.415
Source:

• Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.

Grid

Show Grid

	Pos.	Pos.
	Driver	Driver
		______________
Row 1	______________	1
	2	1. Verstappen
	55. Sainz	______________
Row 2	______________	3
	4	30. Lawson
	12. Antonelli	______________
Row 3	______________	5
	6	63. Russell
	22. Tsunoda	______________
Row 4	______________	7
	8	4. Norris
	6. Hadjar	______________
Row 5	______________	9
	10	81. Piastri
	16. Leclerc	______________
Row 6	______________	11
	12	14. Alonso
	44. Hamilton	______________
Row 7	______________	13
	14	5. Bortoleto
	18. Stroll	______________
Row 8	______________	15
	16	87. Bearman
	43. Colapinto	______________
Row 9	______________	17
	18	27. Hülkenberg
	10. Gasly	______________
Row 10	______________	19
	20	23. Albon
	31. Ocon	______________

Race

Report

A Dramatic Start Sees Championship Leader Exit

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix began with immediate drama that reshaped the complexion of the championship fight. While polesitter Max Verstappen made a clean getaway on hard tires to defend his lead from the medium-shod Carlos Sainz, all eyes were on championship leader Oscar Piastri. Starting from P9, the McLaren driver suffered a disastrous opening lap; he initially jumped the start lights before his car went into anti-stall, causing him to plummet to the back of the field before the first corner.

Piastri's troubles compounded moments later when he slammed into the barriers at Turn 5, ending his race and bringing out the Safety Car. This marked his first retirement of the season and presented a crucial opportunity for his title rival, Lando Norris, to close the 31-point gap in the standings. The Safety Car remained on track until the end of lap 4, neutralizing the race after a chaotic start.

Verstappen Controls the Race from the Front

Following the Safety Car restart, Max Verstappen delivered a masterful performance, controlling the race entirely from the front. The Red Bull driver was never seriously challenged, managing his pace and tires to perfection on the streets of Baku. He led every single one of the 51 laps.

By lap 10, Verstappen had already extended his lead to over two seconds, breaking the DRS range to Carlos Sainz behind him. He continued to build his advantage throughout the race, ultimately crossing the finish line more than 14 seconds ahead of second-placed George Russell. After the race, Verstappen noted that despite windy conditions, the car performed exceptionally well on both tire compounds, allowing him to manage the race in a "pretty straightforward" manner.

Battles and Strategies Through the Field

While Verstappen ran a solitary race out front, the battle for the remaining podium positions and points was fierce. George Russell, who had been suffering from an illness all weekend, put in a resilient drive for Mercedes. He fought his way into podium contention and successfully held his position to claim an impressive second place.

A major story of the day was Carlos Sainz, who secured his first podium for Williams and the team's first since 2021. After starting on the front row, Sainz ran a strong race to finish third, holding off a late charge from Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.

Further back, one of the most intense battles was for fifth place. Liam Lawson drove an exceptional race for Racing Bulls, achieving a career-best result. In the final laps, he was under immense pressure from Yuki Tsunoda and a charging Lando Norris, but he defended flawlessly to hold his position. Norris, unable to fully capitalize on Piastri's retirement, struggled to make progress and finished seventh after a slow 4.1-second pit stop hampered his strategy. His result only allowed him to reduce Piastri's championship lead by six points, to a new margin of 25.

Results

The full race results for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull-Honda RBPT	51	1:33:26.408	1	25
2	63	George Russell	Mercedes	51	+14.609	5	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams-Mercedes	51	+19.199	2	15
4	12	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	51	+21.760	4	12
5	30	Liam Lawson	RB-Honda RBPT	51	+33.290	3	10
6	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull-Honda RBPT	51	+33.808	6	8
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	51	+34.227	7	6
8	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	51	+36.310	12	4
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	51	+36.774	10	2
10	6	Isack Hadjar	RB-Honda RBPT	51	+38.982	8	1
11	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber-Ferrari	51	+1:07.606	13
12	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas-Ferrari	51	+1:08.262	15
13	23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	51	+1:12.870	19
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas-Ferrari	51	+1:17.580	20
15	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin-Mercedes	51	+1:18.707	11
16	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber-Ferrari	51	+1:20.237	17
17	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	51	+1:36.392	14
18	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine-Renault	50	+3.865	18
19	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine-Renault	50	+6.325	16
Ret	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren-Mercedes	0	Crashed into barrier	9
Source:

Milestones

• 6^th grand slam for Max Verstappen
• Carlos Sainz scored his 1^st podium for Williams
  • Williams hasn't had a podium since 2021

Standings

Drivers' World Championship Pos. Driver Pts. +/- 1st Oscar Piastri 324 — 2nd Lando Norris 299 — 3rd Max Verstappen 255 — 4th George Russell 212 — 5th Charles Leclerc 165 — 6th Lewis Hamilton 121 — 7th Andrea Kimi Antonelli 78 ▲1 8th Alexander Albon 70 ▼1 9th Isack Hadjar 39 — 10th Nico Hülkenberg 37 — 11th Lance Stroll 32 — 12th Carlos Sainz 31 ▲6 13th Liam Lawson 30 ▲2 14th Fernando Alonso 30 ▼2 15th Esteban Ocon 28 ▼2 16th Pierre Gasly 20 ▼2 17th Yuki Tsunoda 20 ▲2 18th Gabriel Bortoleto 18 ▼2 19th Oliver Bearman 16 ▼2 20th Franco Colapinto 0 — 21st Jack Doohan 0 —

Constructors' World Championship Pos. Team Pts. +/- 1st McLaren-Mercedes 623 — 2nd Mercedes 290 ▲1 3rd Ferrari 286 ▼1 4th Red Bull-Honda RBPT 272 — 5th Williams-Mercedes 101 — 6th RB-Honda RBPT 72 ▲1 7th Aston Martin-Mercedes 62 ▼1 8th Sauber-Ferrari 55 — 9th Haas-Ferrari 44 — 10th Alpine-Renault 20 —

References

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References:

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V T E	Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Circuits	Baku City Circuit (2017–2019, 2021-present)
Races	2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023 • 2024 • 2025