Overview

• Max Verstappen secured a dominant start-to-finish win in Baku, his second straight victory, trimming his deficit to leader Oscar Piastri to about 69 points.
• McLaren squandered a chance to extend control of the drivers’ fight as Oscar Piastri crashed out on lap one and Lando Norris finished only seventh.
• Ferrari’s tension spilled into the open when Lewis Hamilton did not complete a last-lap swap back with Charles Leclerc, finishing eighth to Leclerc’s ninth.
• Mercedes overtook Ferrari for second in the constructors’ standings, with Ferrari also looking over its shoulder at Red Bull closing in.
• Rivals credit Red Bull’s post-Monza underfloor upgrade for the RB21’s resurgence, and Helmut Marko says a decision on Isack Hadjar’s 2026 seat is expected by late October.