Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Lisi Niesner, Pool)

AZERBAIJAN — Baku makes for a very interesting street circuit on the Formula 1 (F1) calendar as it is the only racing venue where the cars could literally crash into a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 12th-century defensive walls have so far managed to stave off any errant F1 cars, but judging by how many cars did crash into the barriers around the Baku circuit this past weekend, race organizers might think again for next year.

All of the talk going into the weekend was about McLaren having a chance to seal up their tenth Constructor’s Championship in F1 as long as the two drivers finished either first and second, or first and third. Max Verstappen clenched the win on Sunday, which is an outcome no one should discount any given weekend, but few people would’ve predicted the McLaren duo ending up in seventh and twentieth at the end of the race.

The first practice session played right into the scripted conversation with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the two McLaren drivers, topping the session in first and second. The second practice session saw Lando Norris exiting early after hitting the wall, but Ferrari hyped everyone up with their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, topping the timing sheets.

In the previous four years at Baku, Leclerc managed to get pole position. Many thought he would again, as shown by his pace on Friday with a third place in the first practice to couple his aforementioned second place in the second practice.

Rain poured down on Saturday morning in Baku, the winds picked up, and everything changed. Even though the track dried out, the grip from Friday’s practices was gone and the winds caught drivers out, making the order really jumbled. Norris managed to top the third practice session on Friday morning, followed by Verstappen in his Red Bull, then Piastri and Hamilton. Then came qualifying.

Alex Albon with Williams was the first driver to crash into a wall in the first round of qualifying, bringing out a red flag and stopping the session. Nico Hulkenberg later crashed and brought out a red flag, although he only lost his front wing and was able to continue. Franco Colapinto, with Alpine, brought out the third red flag after crashing heavily at the end of the first session.

Oliver Bearman was the next person to hit the wall, breaking his rear suspension and grinding the second qualifying session to a halt. Those that were able to make it to the third and final qualifying session to determine the top ten starters looked ominously to the sky as raindrops started to fall.

Carlos Sainz with Williams was one of three drivers able to finish their lap before Leclerc ended his pole streak by smashing the walls and brining out a red flag once more. Piastri, the Driver’s Championship leader, was the next to do so, brining out the sixth and final red flag, an F1 record in qualifying.

Norris, second in the Driver’s Championship standings, was eager to capitalize on his teammate’s error and was the first one out when qualifying resumed. That also meant he was the first one out on a damp track filled with leaves, leaving him with less grip than the competitors behind that benefited from the path he cleared. Norris could only manage seventh on the grid, just two positions ahead of his teammate Piastri who would start in ninth.

When the drivers lined up for the start of the race and the lights started illuminating, Piastri actually jumped the start, dropping the clutch and moving his car forward before it was time. He tried to correct it and his car went into an anti-stall mode, allowing him to continue but now in twentieth and last place. Normally a driver who is cool under pressure, the mounting mistakes were quite unusual from Piastri.

And then, in just the fifth turn of the first of 51 laps, Piastri drove around the outside of Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, took too much speed into the corner, and hit the wall, ending his race on the spot.

Behind by 31 points in the championship, Norris now had his chance to reel in some points on his teammate given Piastri’s horrid weekend. Unfortunately for Norris, he was passed by Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bull on the opening lap, and had a terrible restart after the early safety car to retrieve Piastri’s car, and was jumped by Leclerc.

Ninth place would only earn Norris two points, and he was hoping for much more than that. For whatever reason, the car just did not seem to be as competitive as in other races, and Norris struggled mightily. A mistake from Hadjar allowed Leclerc and Norris to pass, but Norris could do nothing about the red Ferrari in front of him.

As the race continued, Norris went long on his medium tires, trying to make something happen. Another slow pit stop cost him the chance to leap frog drivers who pitted earlier and brought him out behind Leclerc once more. Norris had a tire advantage with fresher rubber, and was able to get past the Ferrari for seventh place, but could make it no further.

A lackluster race from McLaren saw them gain only six points and defy all the lofty expectations heading into this race. The expectations were actually well deserved as the McLaren cars have been really fast all season.

Further, Piastri scored points in the previous 34 races, and finished the previous 44 races, earning him a well-deserved reputation as a consistent driver. The points scoring streak was the third longest in F1 history (behind only Hamilton [48] and Verstappen [43]) and the finishing streak was second longest in F1 history (behind only Hamilton [48]).

Piastri will certainly hope this race extinguished all his bad luck and driving mishaps, bringing back his trademark consistency to the last seven races of the season and his chance at a Driver’s Championship. Norris will hope he can finish higher than his teammate and bring the 25-point gap down to grab what is looking like his best chance at a Driver’s Championship.

Verstappen, the reigning World Driver’s Champion, continued doing what he is best at: grabbing pole position and serenely dominating a race from the front. This win, his second consecutive win this season, puts him only 69-points behind Piastri with seven races to go. It would be foolish to think there is no chance he could win the title, but it will be a heroic effort for him to pull it off.

McLaren will have another chance to seal up the Constructor’s Title on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 8 a.m. Eastern Time when the F1 cars navigate the track in Singapore.