Five Takeaways: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Written by Elaina Russell, Edited by Morgan Holiday

Piastri’s DNF ended a 34-race points-scoring streak | Credit: Formula One

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix had everything the City of Winds is known for: chaos, heartbreak and unexpected podiums. Max Verstappen reignited his title challenge, Williams shocked the field with a trip to the rostrum, and Oscar Piastri’s bulletproof consistency finally cracked. 

Here are DIVEBOMB’s five key takeaways from race day in Baku.

1. Piastri’s streak shatters

For the first time in 34 races, Oscar Piastri failed to score points. His weekend was fraught from the start, a crash in the third round of qualifying forcing a chassis swap and relegating him to ninth on the grid. His race unraveled the weekend further: a jump start triggered the anti-stall, dropping him backwards before he misjudged braking in dirty air at Turn 5, ending his afternoon on the spot.

Afterward, Piastri admitted: “Not my finest moment.” He refused to blame conditions, taking responsibility for the crash. Despite the DNF though, he retains the lead of the Drivers’ Championship–25 points clear of teammate Lando Norris–but the aura of untouchable consistency is gone.

2. Verstappen is back in the hunt

Verstappen’s victory in Baku wasn’t just another win–it was a statement. For the first time since early 2024, the Dutchman has strung together back-to-back wins and three consecutive podiums. Red Bull finally looks competitive again, with Verstappen slicing through cleanly and Yuki Tsunoda adding to the celebrations with a best-placed sixth since joining the team.

The result pushes Verstappen to 255 points, just 44 off Norris and firmly back in the conversation for the Drivers’ crown. Red Bull, written off at the midseason, may have rediscovered its rhythm.

Sainz found himself on the podium once more, this time in a Williams | Credit: Formula One

3. Sainz delivers Williams’ miracle podium

Carlos Sainz called it his first “smooth operation in a Williams”–and it ended with his first podium in blue. Nearly stealing pole in a chaotic qualifying session that saw six red flags, Sainz backed it up with a composed drive to second place, delivering Williams’ first podium in years.

4. Ferrari stumble again

Ferrari’s push for momentum faltered around Baku’s high walls. Strong in practice, they imploded in qualifying–Charles Leclerc crashed in Q3 and started tenth, while Lewis Hamilton was a strategy casualty, eliminated in Q2.

The recovery on race day was modest. Hamilton finished eighth, Leclerc climbed to ninth, but neither threatened the podium. The statistics are stark: Hamilton remains without a podium in 2025, while rivals like Russell and Sainz continue to tally silverware.

For a team expected to challenge McLaren, the inconsistency has become defining.

5. The Constructors’ wait continues

For McLaren, Baku was supposed to be the coronation. Instead, Piastri’s crash and Norris’ quiet seventh meant they fell short of clinching the Constructors Championship. The papaya squad still hold a commanding lead–623 points to Ferrari’s 290–but celebrations are postponed until Singapore at the earliest.

Mercedes gained some ground with George Russell’s second-place finish and Kimi Antonelli’s fourth, but the gap is still insurmountable. The question is when, not if, McLaren seals the title. 

Singapore streets will shine next | Credit: Formula One

Looking ahead

From Baku’s walls to Singapore’s floodlit streets, the battlelines shift again. Verstappen is resurgent, Williams are back in the spotlight and McLaren’s iron grip shows its first cracks. With the championship math still heavily in papaya’s favor, the intrigue now lies in whether Norris can close the gap to Piastri–and whether Red Bull’s revival is real or fleeting.