Baku (Azerbaijan), Sep 21 (NationPress) - Max Verstappen showcased his dominance by clinching victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Red Bull. Despite this, Lando Norris made some headway, narrowing Oscar Piastri's lead in the Formula One Drivers' Championship to 25 points. However, Norris could not fully capitalize on Piastri's early crash during a thrilling race on Sunday.

The current F1 champion, Verstappen, faced no significant challenges, leading all 51 laps to finish over 14 seconds ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who secured his maiden podium for Williams after narrowly missing pole position.

Verstappen's triumph marked his fourth win this season and his second consecutive victory, highlighting a resurgence for Red Bull that has raised concerns for McLaren. Although he remains 69 points behind Piastri with seven races to go, his impressive speed signals he could still be in contention for the title.

Kimi Antonelli came close to claiming the final podium spot, having performed well throughout the race. Meanwhile, a fierce battle ensued for fifth place, led by Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, who achieved a career-best finish.

Piastri faced a challenging weekend, having already crashed during qualifying. His race took a downturn before it even began as he jumped the start and struggled for grip, resulting in a crash after just a handful of corners.

With Piastri out of the running, Norris had an opportunity to improve his championship standing but could only manage a seventh-place finish, gaining a mere six points after a poor start. McLaren attempted to strategize with a late push on fresher tires, but a slow pit stop hampered his efforts.

Norris, who dropped to ninth at one point, was unable to pass Tsunoda on the final lap, reducing Piastri's lead by just six points. The opening lap proved disastrous for Piastri, who activated anti-stall and ended up crashing out after a challenging start.

“Lawson defended excellently,” Norris commented. “We tried to leverage our strategy, but the pit stop was detrimental, and once trapped in the DRS train, it’s nearly impossible to overtake.”

While McLaren faced frustration, Mercedes and Williams took advantage. George Russell, recovering from illness, executed a long first stint on hard tires, finishing second. Kimi Antonelli secured fourth place, delivering a clean race as per his team's expectations.

Carlos Sainz earned third for Williams, marking the team's first podium since the rain-affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. After a tough year transitioning from Ferrari, Sainz considered this result among the highlights of his career.

Lewis Hamilton led his teammate Charles Leclerc during a challenging day for Ferrari, while the second Racing Bulls driver, Isack Hadjar, rounded out the top ten.

Gabriel Bortoleto's Kick Sauber finished best of the rest, followed by Ollie Bearman and Alex Albon, who faced a penalty for a mid-race collision. Esteban Ocon finished P14 after starting last due to an illegal rear wing, while Fernando Alonso received a penalty for jumping the start.

Verstappen controlled the race from the start, maintaining his lead over slower cars. He managed his hard tires adeptly before switching to mediums to also claim the fastest lap.

“This weekend has been fantastic for us,” Verstappen stated. “The car operated flawlessly. The next race in Singapore will present a different challenge with high downforce, but the past two weekends have been remarkable,” he added.

McLaren arrived in Baku close to securing the Constructors' Championship, but following this messy weekend, they face renewed pressure from Red Bull.

The next event in the 2025 F1 World Championship is the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on October 5.