The Baku sky looked threatening: dark clouds, strong winds, and a few drops of rain on the wall. What strategies will you use? But there were other complications, which we had already seen yesterday in qualifying. Verstappen had his pole to hold on to and the papayas, usually ahead, were left behind, along with the many cars crashedIn this catastrophic scenario, the cars complete their formation lap and line up. The red lights come on and then go out again: the GP begins.
First-corner lead: Baku GP already decided, like Verstappen
The defending champion's start was clean: the number 1 Red Bull made no mistakes and maintained the lead. Behind him, the Spaniard's Williams, number 55, held on to second place, fending off the initial assault. The Silver Arrows also performed well, taking advantage of the gaps ahead to gain ground. The Ferraris offer a fight already in the first lapsThe one who immediately surprises is Charles Leclerc: starting tenth, the Monegasque driver from the red team tries to put together two decisive overtaking moves right from the start of the race with Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri did very badly insteadThe Australian immediately dropped to the back of the pack, crashing into the barriers on the first lap. The yellow flag came out immediately, halting his pace. To make matters worse, his suspected false start was already under investigation. His nerves? Who…
The opening lap is not kind to Alonso either: he too gets the confirmation of the 5-second penalty for illegal shooting. Meanwhile, Ocon—who was disqualified yesterday in qualifying for a technical irregularity—remains stuck in the back of the field, unable to make an impact. His Haas is struggling to find pace, and the Frenchman is limited to staying in the slipstream.
At the restart, Leclerc launches the first real attack on Norris's papaya: wheel-to-wheel, with Russell's Mercedes ready to take advantage. Eventually, the Englishman temporarily takes the position from the Ferrari driver, but the Baku GP remains open. Meanwhile, the The Spaniard's Williams continues to lap times close to those of the leader, a sign that Carlos can really worry the world champion today.
Tsunoda in evidence and Antonelli on the attack
Further back, The protagonist is Yuki Tsunoda: the Japanese in great shape He puts pressure on everyone, challenging corner after corner. A sign of growth for the Red Bull driver, capable of entering a battle that usually belongs to more prestigious cars. And Kimi Antonelli isn't quick to overtake either. After the pit stop, the Italian Mercedes driver managed to reclaim ninth place, overtaking the man in front of him, Liam Lawson. The move, however, didn't erase the tension between the two: Lawson remained a personal "enemy" since the Dutch GP.
Leclerc takes on Ferrari who does not cooperate
Meanwhile, Leclerc is trying to rush the engineers: he's still in seventh place, behind Tsunoda and Russell, and he can't understand why Ferrari isn't performing well in the race. Despite early progress, the positions have only moved two places from where they started, both for him and Hamilton, who laps faster but remains behind.
While Verstappen confirms himself, Colapinto officially declares his career probably over in Formula 1 at this Baku GP, after spinning again following yesterday's crash in Q2. This time, however, it wasn't entirely his fault: Albon hit him, causing the accident.
The chase for the podium
Liam Lawson doesn't need to be told twice: on lap 39, he tries to reclaim his podium position, showing aggression and determination. Behind him, Sainz tries to respond, gaining ground and temporarily ahead of Russell's Mercedes, now in P2. The battle for the top spots is the usual one. Leclerc's #16 car continues to search for grip and Lando Norris's position, However, neither of them manages to gain a significant margin. and the fight is fought more over tactics and position than over real overtaking.
Pit stops come into play, but they don't radically change the situation. Norris's stop turns out to be slower than expected, temporarily compromising his position and opening up opportunities for Leclerc to pass. However, Ferrari's work on the track isn't enough: neither Charles nor his British teammate are able to capitalize, with the red car still struggling with balance and, as will be explained later, a lack of engine power.
Surprises and confirmations on the podium
Not many surprises, as the third-to-last lap revealed a podium finish. Meanwhile, Italian Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes remained solid in fourth place, demonstrating consistency. In P2, George Russell, despite a cold, was followed by Carlos Sainz.
Finally, Max Verstappen, after taking his first pole position at the Baku GP, controlled the race without a hitch. And with perfect tire management, a consistent pace, and no mistakes, the victory was already widely expected.
