Midfield podiums, McLaren's comeback and more chaos: What to expect in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix has all the ingredients for an action-packed event: a mixed-up grid, Williams and Racing Bulls vying for podiums and Verstappen chasing back-to-back wins. Here's everything to look out for at the 17th round of this season.

Max Verstappen leads a mixed-up grid for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Credit: Formula One

What a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend we’ve had so far – a record-breaking number of red flags, big names crashing out, surprise contenders out front and two hours of absolute drama.  

And that was only qualifying. 

The main event is right around the corner, and here’s everything you should look out for in what is set to be a race as chaotic as the qualifying session that lasted longer than any other race this season.

The McLarens making up for qualifying blunders 

One of the key stories heading into this weekend was McLaren’s high chances of wrapping up the World Constructors’ Championship in Baku, with seven rounds still to go.

But after a lacklustre qualifying session, the papaya team might have to save the champagne for Singapore instead, unless Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can fight back from seventh and ninth to crucially make sure they outscore Ferrari by nine points.

Apart from hoping to seal the Constructors’ title this round, Norris and Piastri will also have their sights set on their intra-team rivalry. After Piastri’s uncharacteristic crash on Saturday, Norris had the opportunity to deliver pole and make up leeway in his championship bid – but a scrappy final lap from the Briton meant he could only manage seventh on the grid.

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had untidy qualifying form in Baku | Credit: Formula One

With only Isack Hadjar separating the two championship rivals on the grid, watch out for an early attack from Piastri on Norris and some potential wheel-to-wheel action to spice up the title fight.

Max Verstappen chasing back-to-back victories

Max Verstappen remains the only driver who can never be counted out of any session, no matter how quick his rivals are or how disadvantaged the RB21 is.

Stealing the front spot from shock pole-contender Carlos Sainz of Williams, Verstappen pumped in a tidy lap under chaotic conditions to take back-to-back pole positions.

Improving his tally to six poles in 2025 the Dutchman becomes the driver with the most poles so far this season – a seriously impressive feat considering just how mighty the McLarens have been.

Should everything go his way, a lights-to-flag victory looks fairly straightforward for Verstappen, given that he’s surrounded by cars that are much less competitive, and the McLarens and Ferraris are quite a distance away to mount any immediate threat.

Unexpected faces on the podium

Williams and Racing Bulls being legitimate podium-contenders after qualifying on merit is not something you see everyday – but there’s always a first time for everything.

After setting a promising lap in Q3 right before the rain came pattering down, Sainz found himself in provisional pole position with drivers behind him unlikely to improve on his time should the track become wetter. Despite Verstappen’s incredible effort that saw him steal a potential Williams pole, Sainz still lines up second on the grid – the Grove-based team’s best Saturday result since Spa 2021, where they also took their latest podium.

A podium for Sainz would mark his first with Williams since his switch from Ferrari, as well as Williams’ second podium in Baku after Lance Stroll’s memorable maiden podium in 2017.

Carlos Sainz took Williams' best qualifying result since 2021 | Credit: Formula One

Two drivers in their first full season of Formula One, Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli, also find themselves in contention for glory, lining up third and fourth respectively. 

Lawson will be eager to hang on to his position to match his teammate Hadjar’s best result of the season, while also making a case for himself within the Red Bull family. 

Meanwhile, Antonelli has outqualified George Russell for only the second time this year, and will look forward to converting this result into a second podium of his rookie season – a momentous feat if he can accomplish it.

Red flags and Safety Cars galore

If the qualifying session is anything to go by, then we’re in for a turbulent race punctuated by red flags and Safety Cars. 

The Saturday session broke the record for the most number of red flags in F1 qualifying – a total of six – and similar scenes can be expected for the Grand Prix around the tight and unforgiving walls of Baku.

With a 57% chance of Safety Cars, and many top contenders out of their usual places, more bedlam cannot be ruled out. The gusty winds this year that caught out numerous drivers in qualifying, including championship leader Piastri, will also continue to pose a challenge during the race, making chances of chaos all the more likely.

Several drivers were caught out by changing conditions and gusts of wind along the twisty track during qualifying | Credit: Formula One

Will it be the usual suspects who fall first or will we see shock moments from the championship contenders? 

Huge swings in the championships

The mid-field fight has been steadily building up over the past few rounds, and with Williams and Racing Bulls comfortably in the top five set to score big points, there are bound to be shake-ups in the Constructors’ standings.

Racing Bulls can easily leapfrog Aston Martin – who are ahead of them by just one point in sixth – and inch closer to Williams. 

Over in the Drivers’ standings, Sainz has the opportunity to lift himself up from an uninspiring 18th to higher positions if he manages to secure a podium. It’s a similar case for Yuki Tsunoda as well, who scored his best qualifying result with Red Bull after a P6 and will now look forward to adding more points on the board to escape 19th in the standings.