Overview

• Max Verstappen followed his Monza win with victory in Baku to cut his deficit to Oscar Piastri to 69 points with seven rounds remaining.
• Oscar Piastri crashed out on lap one in Baku after a Q3 shunt, ending runs of 44 consecutive race‑weekend finishes and 34 straight points finishes.
• Piastri’s false‑start sanction in Baku remains a five‑second time penalty only, with no conversion to a grid drop under FIA rules.
• McLaren reported the MCL39 was difficult to drive in Baku, with a narrow grip window on low‑downforce setups that left Lando Norris only seventh.
• Red Bull credits a new underfloor and steadier development under team boss Laurent Mekies for its pace rebound, as pundits urge McLaren to back Piastri and note the team can match the record for earliest constructors’ clinch with 13 points in Singapore.