Formula One Gradebook: Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Elaina Russell
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
Written by Elaina Russell
The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was everything we’ve come to expect from Baku: unpredictable, chaotic, and decisive in the championship picture. Max Verstappen delivered a statement win, Carlos Sainz brought Williams back to the podium for the first time in years, and Oscar Piastri’s flawless points-scoring streak came crashing to an end.
Here’s how all 20 drivers performed on race day:
McLaren
No. 81 - Oscar Piastri - C
A nightmare weekend capped by a self-inflicted DNF on lap one. After a crash in qualifying forced a chassis swap, Piastri started ninth but jump-started, fell backwards with anti-stall, and then overcooked turn five in dirty air. His first non-score in 34 races was admitted as “not my finest moment.” A rare lapse in judgment that dents but doesn’t derail his title bid.
No. 4 - Lando Norris - B-
Quiet, cautious, and ultimately limited. Starting seventh, Norris never found the rhythm to challenge for the podium, and was boxed in during crucial strategy windows. Seventh place was damage limitation on a day when Piastri faltered, but it still felt like a major missed chance to close down the Australian’s championship gap.
Ferrari
No. 44 - Lewis Hamilton - C+
Another tough outing for Hamilton in his maiden Ferrari campaign. Strategy miscues in qualifying left him stranded outside the top ten, and he struggled to make up ground in a crowded midfield. Finished eighth, extending his run without a grand prix podium to 20 races – now the central narrative of his first season in red.
No. 16 - Charles Leclerc - B-
A messy qualifying crash ultimately set the tone for the Monegasque’s race weekend. Starting 10th, Leclerc fought gamely to salvage two points in ninth, but the pace to challenge the top teams was absent. Ferrari’s inconsistency continues to define their year, and Leclerc’s frustration is beginning to show.
Mercedes
No. 63 - George Russell - A
Baku has always suited Russell, and he delivered again. A strong qualifying put him in the fight, and he converted with a clean, calculated drive to finish second, jumping past the high-flying Williams of Carlos Sainz during the pit stop window. Mercedes needed a leader, and Russell provided it. Still lacking race-winning pace, but this was a maximised result.
No. 12 - Kimi Antonelli - B+
Flashes of maturity in a high-pressure environment. Fourth place was a stellar result, built on sharp starts and tidy racecraft in the midfield battles. Still raw at times, but Baku was another step in his steady rise.
Red Bull Racing
No. 1 - Max Verstappen - A+
Baku brought out the vintage Verstappen: Fast in qualifying, flawless in the race, and ruthless in execution. Back-to-back wins and three consecutive podiums mark Red Bull’s best run since 2024, and potentially reopen Verstappen’s title hopes. He’s still the hunter, but the pressure is now on McLaren as the hunted.
No. 22 - Yuki Tsunoda - A
His best result since joining Red Bull. Sixth place, earned on merit with consistent lap times and no errors in the street circuit pressure cooker. A result that finally validates his promotion into the infamous second seat.
Williams
No. 23 - Alexander Albon - C
Albon seemed to struggle for pace all weekend, and his race day was compounded after he pitched Alpine’s Franco Colapinto at Turn 5 early in the race. A subsequent 10-second time penalty left him marooned in 13th-place, outside the points.
No. 55 - Carlos Sainz - A+
The star of Baku. Nearly stole pole in the six-red-flag chaos of qualifying, then executed perfectly to bring Williams their first podium in years. Third was a reward for both resilience and racecraft, and a reminder that Sainz can deliver when given the machinery.
Kick Sauber
No. 27 - Nico Hülkenberg - C-
A weekend to forget for the German in the Sauber. Started 17th, never featured in the points, and lacked the pace to climb higher than 16th. Sauber’s struggles show no sign of easing.
No. 5 - Gabriel Bortoleto - C
The Brazilian rookie showed flashes of fight in qualifying with 13th, but failed to move beyond 11th. Still learning, Bortoleto is certainly making steps forward, regardless.
Racing Bulls
No. 6 - Isack Hadjar - B+
A tidy day for Hadjar: qualified well, stayed calm through the turbulence and collected a point. More proof he’s turning into a dependable midfield operator.
No. 30 - Liam Lawson - A
Converted a career-best third in qualifying into his best result to date. Lawson moved cleanly, avoided trouble and delivered a fifth-place finish that will turn heads as the 2026 driver markets thicken.
Aston Martin
No. 18 - Lance Stroll - C
Largely anonymous. No headlines, no drama. Just a run that did nothing to change perceptions of his season thus far.
No. 14 - Fernando Alonso - C+
Fought but ultimately lacked the machinery to climb into the points. Alonso did what Alonso does–extracted the most – but even that had limits this time.
Haas
No. 87 - Oliver Bearman - C
A steady, unspectacular weekend in Baku’s chaos. Seat time and survival are the key wins here.
No. 31 - Esteban Ocon - C
Ocon’s Saturday ended in paperwork rather than on pace: disqualified afterwards for a rear-wing deflection infringement. Starting 20th and finishing 14th was a win for the Frenchman.
Alpine
No. 10 - Pierre Gasly - C-
A weekend to file under forgettable. No points, no progress, nothing else to be said.
No. 43 - Franco Colapinto - C
Another subdued showing for the Argentine. Drafted in earlier this season to replace Jack Doohan, Colapinto has yet to crack the points, with 11th his best result so far.
Baku was another steady but unspectacular drive, stuck where he started in the back of the bunch. Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore has admitted the second seat for 2026 is between Colapinto and reserve driver Paul Aron–and weekends like this won’t tilt the decision in Colapinto’s favor.
Looking ahead
Baku changed the tone but did not rewrite the script. Piastri still holds the championship lead, but Verstappen’s charge has made the back half of the year far less predictable.
McLaren remain the favourites for the Constructors’ crown, but the team’s mathematics are no longer purely ceremonial–mistakes matter now.
Next stop: Singapore’s marina lights and heavy strategy theatre, where precision, tyre management and pit-lane discipline will again decide big swings.
