Overview

• Max Verstappen secured consecutive poles at Monza and Baku, with the Azerbaijan session featuring six red flags and an Oscar Piastri crash that ended his Q3 hopes.
• Lando Norris will start seventh in Baku and Piastri ninth after late errors, while Verstappen begins from pole as the clear favorite for the race.
• Verstappen trails Piastri by 94 points and Norris by 63 with 224 points still available across eight grands prix and three sprints.
• Andrea Stella called Verstappen’s title hopes “a firm yes,” citing the four-time champion’s form, Red Bull’s pace, and McLaren’s stance of allowing Norris and Piastri to race.
• Motorsport.com’s calculations deem a full comeback highly unlikely even if Verstappen sweeps the remaining events, with Piastri needing to score fewer than 131 points for Verstappen to prevail.