Baku, Azerbaijan, September 21 — Max Verstappen led from start to finish to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz, while championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out on the opening lap, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
Verstappen, driving for Oracle Red Bull, completed all 51 laps unchallenged, securing victory by over 14 seconds. Russell of Mercedes took second place, while Sainz claimed his first podium for Williams, finishing third. The race saw Piastri of McLaren suffer a disastrous start, jumping the lights and crashing at Turn 5 after dropping to last place, marking his first retirement of the season. This allowed Lando Norris, who finished seventh, to reduce Piastri’s championship lead from 31 to 25 points.
The incident occurred during a chaotic opening lap, with the Safety Car deployed after Piastri’s crash. Further back, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished eighth and ninth respectively, while Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson secured a career-best fifth place. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, just missing the podium, and Yuki Tsunoda took sixth after intense late pressure.
Piastri’s early exit opened opportunities for others, but Norris struggled to advance, losing positions during the race and failing to overtake Tsunoda on the final lap. Verstappen, starting from pole, maintained his lead throughout, extending his dominance with back-to-back wins. The race results highlighted a challenging day for McLaren, impacting their Constructors’ Championship hopes.
Other notable performances included Gabriel Bortoleto of Kick Sauber in 11th and Alex Albon of Williams in 13th, despite a 10-second penalty for a collision with Franco Colapinto. Esteban Ocon finished 14th from last place after his Haas was deemed illegal post-Qualifying, while Fernando Alonso received a penalty for jumping the start.
Verstappen praised his team’s performance, saying, “This weekend has been incredible for us,” as reported by Formula 1. The next race, the Singapore Grand Prix, is scheduled for October 3-5 at Marina Bay.
The Chenab Times News Desk
