Max Verstappen isn’t surrendering his foothold on the F1 world championship that easily. On the outside looking in on the title chase coming into Baku, Verstappen turned in a flawless weekend that champions are made of, capping it with a massive win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Red Bull standout got pole position, won fastest lap, and secured the season’s 17th race all in one perfect weekend—exactly the kind fans expect from the four-time defending champion. Verstappen’s win in Baku is his fourth of the season and second in a row after previously winning the Italian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s flawless performance saw him lead every lap from pole position and sett the fastest lap, giving him his sixth career grand slam and tying Lewis Hamilton’s mark for joint second. Jim Clark’s eight grand slams is the overall record.
“This weekend has been incredible for us. Monza was already great, but for us to win here is fantastic,” Verstappen said after the race. “The car was working really well on both compounds. We had clean air all the time, so you could look after your tires, and it was pretty straightforward … it’s never easy around here, very windy today, so the car was moving around a lot. I’m incredibly happy with this performance.”
Mercedes’ George Russell too second place, while Williams’ Carlos Sainz secured third.
Indeed, Verstappen should be grinning ear to ear after Sunday’s Baku masterpiece because he’s now just 69 points shy of season leader and presumptive title favorite Oscar Piastri of McLaren.
McLaren Mess-Up Gives Verstappen Big Headway
Coming into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Verstappen was third in the F1 World Championship standings, 94 points behind Piastri and also trailing Lando Norris, also of McLaren. But the Dutch pride made up considerable ground after Baku thanks not only to his win but also to Piastri and Norris faltering in the race.
Piastri, who had been having difficulties all weekend, struggled from the get-go on Sunday and ultimately crashed into the barriers at Turn 5. It was his second crash of the weekend, and it might prove costly if his struggles at Baku persist in the next seven races.
“I think ultimately I misjudged the grip level. Probably a lot of that’s from dirty air, but I know better than that—to expect the lack of grip,” Piastri said afterward. “I’m certainly not blaming it on anything else. It was two simple errors on my behalf that I caused today.”
Norris, on the other hand, didn’t do too well either as he finished seventh, just barely ahead of Lewis Hamilton. With Piastri crashing out, Norris could’ve made headway, too, like Verstappen, but failed to capitalize with a poor performance.
Now, after all that, Max Verstappen is starting to smell blood. He’s lurking. And that means the last seven races will make for some high drama: a four-time champion charging for his fifth title and the early leaders trying to fend him off.
