Overview

• Max Verstappen’s back‑to‑back wins in Monza and Baku cut his deficit to Oscar Piastri to 69 points with seven rounds remaining.
• Oscar Piastri crashed on lap one in Baku after a qualifying shunt and a false start, ending a 34‑race points streak, with pundit Anthony Davidson suggesting he may have been influenced by Nico Hülkenberg’s braking line ahead.
• Lando Norris finished seventh as low tyre degradation, limited DRS effect and a slower pit window blunted progress, and team principal Andrea Stella said the responsibility lay more with McLaren’s execution than the driver.
• Red Bull’s upswing has Helmut Marko talking about a shot at second in the constructors’ standings, though Verstappen notes Singapore is a different high‑downforce test where the team has struggled before.
• Beyond the title battle, Yuki Tsunoda scored sixth in Baku as his year‑end contract looms, and Sauber acknowledged qualifying weaknesses after Nico Hülkenberg’s continued Saturday slump.