Oscar Piastri let off the hook despite disaster: Baku winners and losers
World champion Max Verstappen reminded everyone why he should never be ruled out while his main rivals tripped up on an awful weekend for McLaren.
Here are our biggest winners and losers from the 2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Baku lived up to its bonkers best…
Winner - Max Verstappen
On a weekend McLaren shot themselves in the foot, Verstappen once again demonstrated why he is the best driver in F1. As most of his rivals lost their heads and made key errors in a drama-filled qualifying, Verstappen stormed to pole position, which he converted into another dominant win.
The Dutchman was in total control in Baku as he made it back-to-back victories to increase the pressure on the duelling McLaren pair in the 2025 title fight with a performance that underlines Red Bull’s recent revival.
Loser - Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri will want to put the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix behind him quickly following a scrappy weekend that featured two uncharacteristic - and potentially huge - mistakes.
The championship leader, who has been faultless for most of the season, endured his lowest moment in Baku as he crashed out of qualifying and Sunday’s race as McLaren missed the chance to clinch the constructors’ title.
Despite his horror show, Piastri retains a relatively comfortable buffer in the title race after Lando Norris failed to fully cash in on his teammate’s rare errors. The Australian will know he has been let off the hook.
Winner - Carlos Sainz
An outstanding performance from Carlos Sainz was rewarded with his first podium for Williams, and their first of what has been a strong season.
After starting second following a stunning performance in qualifying, Sainz drove a flawless race and hung onto third to claim the final spot on the podium and secure Williams’ first rostrum appearance since the washed-out 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
A breakthrough result for Sainz in what has otherwise been a tough first campaign with Williams, who further consolidate their grip on P5 in the constructors’ championship.
Loser - Ferrari
Another weekend of ‘what ifs’ for Ferrari after an encouraging showing across practice culminated in yet more disappointment come Sunday evening.
Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were left to rue a missed opportunity in qualifying that left them a lowly P10 and P12 on the grid. In the race, Ferrari lacked pace and finished an underwhelming P8 and P9.
Ferrari have surrendered second place in the constructors’ championship on a weekend that highlighted they need to make improvements both operationally and in terms of outright performance.
Winner - Mercedes
Mercedes bounced back from a disappointing Italian Grand Prix by scoring big in Baku with a result that sees them leapfrog Ferrari.
George Russell, who battled illness all weekend, put in a herculean effort to climb onto the podium with P2, while teammate Kimi Antonelli, described as “underwhelming” by Toto Wolff in Monza, took a strong fourth to arrest his recent form woes.
Loser - Alex Albon
A very poor and out of character weekend for Alex Albon. Am “amateurish” mistake saw the British-born Thai become the first driver to crash out of a bonkers qualifying session, before he picked up a penalty for tagging Franco Colapinto into a spin on his way to 13th in a scruffy race.
Winner - Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson sent a defiant message to his employer Red Bull by producing his best performance of the season in Baku to continue Racing Bulls’ great form.
After securing a surprise third on the grid with a superb lap in qualifying, Lawson turned in a defensive masterclass on Sunday to hold off Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull, Norris’s McLaren and the two Ferraris without the aid of DRS to bag fifth place.
Lawson is quietly and impressively turning around a season which threatened to ruin his reputation after a disastrous two-race stint with Red Bull as he looks to remain on the F1 grid next year.
Loser - Aston Martin
Having enjoyed something of a mini resurgence of late, Aston Martin come away from a grand prix with nothing to show for their efforts for the second consecutive weekend.
A five-second penalty for a jump start all but ended any hopes Fernando Alonso had of scoring points, while Lance Stroll had another anonymous weekend. As a result, Aston Martin have slipped behind Racing Bulls in the constructors’ championship and are now closer to eighth-placed Sauber than those ahead of them.
Winner - Yuki Tsunoda
A much-needed confidence boost for Tsunoda, who scored his best result since joining Red Bull by qualifying and finishing sixth in Baku. The downside for the Japanese racer, who is fighting to keep his Red Bull drive for 2026, was being outclassed by Lawson in the sister Racing Bulls car.
Loser - Alpine
Another miserable weekend for Alpine, who were the slowest team in Azerbaijan. After a nightmare qualifying saw Pierre Gasly and Colapinto drop out in Q1, the pair trundled home last and second last of the classified finishers in a forgettable race.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
