Verstappen Wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Piastri Crashes Out
Max Verstappen secured a dominant victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while championship leader Oscar Piastri retired after a first-lap crash.
Max Verstappen clinched his second consecutive victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leading from pole position to finish 14.609 seconds ahead of Mercedes' George Russell. Williams' Carlos Sainz completed the podium, marking the team's first top-three finish since 2021.
The race took a dramatic turn on the first lap when championship leader Oscar Piastri jumped the start, then locked up and crashed into the barriers at Turn 5, resulting in his first retirement of the season. This incident allowed Verstappen to extend his lead unchallenged.
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli secured fourth place, while Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson achieved a career-best fifth. Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull finished sixth, narrowly holding off McLaren's Lando Norris, who managed seventh after a slow pit stop hampered his progress.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took eighth and ninth positions, respectively, with Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls rounding out the top ten.
In the championship standings, Piastri remains in the lead with 324 points, followed by Norris with 299 points, and Verstappen closing the gap with 255 points.