Verstappen wins in Baku after Piastri crashes out

McLaren's Lando Norris reduced team-mate Oscar Piastri's title lead to 25 points by finishing seventh successful nan Azerbaijan Grand Prix aft nan Australian collapsed retired connected nan first lap.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen took a ascendant triumph to underline McLaren's fears that he could go a title contender - moreover if he is still 69 points down Piastri pinch 7 races to go.

But Piastri's first large correction of nan play was not arsenic costly arsenic it could person been, because main rival Norris was incapable to make immoderate crushed from his seventh position connected nan grid.

Norris became stuck down different cars and could summation conscionable six points connected Piastri.

McLaren tried an offset strategy pinch a precocious pit extremity successful nan effort to springiness Norris a tyre advantage successful nan closing laps.

But Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson held disconnected Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda, Norris and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, each moving chemoreceptor to tail for nan last 10 laps, nary capable to make progress.

Mercedes' George Russell drove an fantabulous race, connected nan aforesaid strategy arsenic Verstappen, to move up from 5th to second, while Carlos Sainz hung connected successful 3rd aft starting 2nd for Williams' first podium since nan rain-shortened 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

It is nan team's first successful a expansive prix that ran to its afloat region since the 2017 title successful Baku.

The main stories of nan title were:

McLaren came into nan play connected nan verge of clinching nan constructors' title, but they will person to hold astatine slightest different title aft a difficult play successful Baku.

Piastri, 31 points clear successful nan drivers' title heading into nan weekend, collapsed retired of some qualifying and title successful an uncharacteristically scrappy weekend.

The Australian's expansive prix unravelled moreover earlier nan lights went retired arsenic he jumped nan commencement and had to extremity again earlier getting nether way.

That dropped him to nan backmost of nan section into nan first area and his title came to an extremity conscionable 5 corners later.

He tried to spell for an eager move astir nan extracurricular of Esteban Ocon's Haas, but recovered nary grip and slid consecutive connected into nan barrier.

Norris should person been capable to capitalise, but nan Briton himself mislaid a spot connected nan first thigh to Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar, nan commencement of a frustrating race.

Norris soon passed nan Frenchman, but he spent nan first portion of nan title stuck down Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

McLaren extended his first stint, leaving his pit extremity arsenic precocious arsenic possible, successful an effort to springiness him a tyre offset connected those ahead.

But a problem pinch nan right-front instrumentality weapon costs him 2 seconds, giving him a 2nd slow pit extremity successful a statement after nan dramas of Monza.

That costs him what was anyhow a slim dream of jumping up of Lawson and Tsunoda, and he rejoined nan title 2 seconds down them.

He closed up quickly connected to nan backmost of nan Red Bull, but Tsunoda was incapable to walk Lawson contempt his fresher tyres.

The New Zealander drove an outstanding protect race, holding faster cars astatine bay passim aft his beardown qualifying convention put him 3rd connected nan grid. So Norris became stuck successful a DRS train and could not walk Tsunoda.

Verstappen was successful full power of nan title from nan start, arsenic was expected pinch slower cars betwixt him and his main rivals McLaren.

He measured his gait early on, protecting nan difficult tyres he had chosen for a agelong first stint, and managed nan title to perfection, taking fastest thigh into nan bargain on pinch his 4th triumph of nan season, only 1 less than Norris.

Red Bull felt they had made a breakthrough pinch their car astatine nan erstwhile title successful Italy, pinch a caller level opening up a amended equilibrium than they had had for a year.

It remains to beryllium proven connected a assortment of circuit types - Baku is not dissimilar to Monza pinch its operation of agelong straights and slow corners - but it is surely a informing changeable crossed McLaren's bows, moreover if their advantage remains sizeable.

"This play has been unthinkable for us," Verstappen said. "The car was moving beautifully."

Asked whether his shape could continue, he said: "Difficult to opportunity astatine nan infinitesimal but nan past 2 weekends person been astonishing for us, Singapore a different situation again pinch nan precocious downforce and we'll spot what we tin do there."

Russell, who has been poorly each weekend, drove an outstanding title to jump up of his team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who led him successful nan first stint, pinch his different strategy of moving agelong connected nan difficult tyres earlier switching to nan mediums.

And Sainz consolidated his fantabulous qualifying capacity pinch a beardown title to return nan last podium place, confirming nan advancement Williams person made this season.

Russell said: "Congrats to Carlos and Williams - astonishing consequence for them. For us. we're happy to beryllium backmost connected nan podium. It's been a spot of a unsmooth play for maine personally but nan car was great, truthful happy pinch that.

"I was beautiful gladsome erstwhile I saw nan chequered flag. Fortunately, I felt overmuch amended than I did connected Friday and Saturday. Looking guardant to a spot of remainder now."

Sainz, who joined Williams this twelvemonth aft being replaced by Hamilton astatine Ferrari, said: "Honestly can't picture really happy I americium and really bully this feels. It's moreover amended than my first ever podium that I had.

"Everything comes together and we tin do immoderate astonishing things together and coming we nailed nan race, not 1 mistake, and we managed to hit a batch of cars that yesterday I wasn't expecting to beat."

Antonelli took 4th aft nan benignant of cleanable play his squad leader Toto Wolff had asked him for aft a difficult period, while Hamilton took eighth, nan past car successful nan train down Lawson.

Ferrari ordered Leclerc to fto nan seven-time champion by successful nan closing stages because Hamilton had overmuch fresher tyres, while Hadjar took nan last constituent for Racing Bulls.

Hamilton was asked to return nan favour connected nan past thigh because he had not made immoderate progress. But he misjudged it, successful nan discourse of a precocious petition from his engineer, and though he braked connected nan straight, he crossed nan statement 0.4secs up of Leclerc.

Hamilton apologised afterwards, but Leclerc said he didn't attraction astir eighth aliases ninth place, that nan bigger interest was Ferrari's deficiency of pace.