Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson.
Photo: Photosport
Liam Lawson lodged a career-best fifth place Formula One finish while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to a dominant Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory as championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed on the opening lap.
Piastri saw his Formula One lead over teammate Lando Norris slashed to 25 points on a day when McLaren had hoped to secure the constructors’ title with a record seven rounds remaining.
They must now wait until Singapore on October 5 after their lowest scoring weekend of the season.
New Zealand driver Lawson started a lofty third on the grid but couldn’t hold on to a podium finish.
It was still a resolute drive in a Racing Bulls car slower than many of this rivals.
He was ultimately passed by two Mercedes drivers – George Russell and Kimi Antonelli – but managed to hold Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Norris at bay over the closing stages of the 51 lap race in Baku.
“It was rewarding after the last 10 or 15 laps,” Lawson said post-race.
“Obviously, it’s a little bit disappointing from where we started. Realistically, we didn’t have the speed to fight with the guys in front.”
Liam Lawson.
Photo: Photosport
Lawson improves two places on the overall standings to 13th with seven rounds remaining.
Verstappens shines
The win was Verstappen’s second in a row and he led every lap from pole to flag, also setting the fastest lap for a “Grand Slam” that revived his slim title hopes, with the reigning champion now 69 points behind Piastri.
He took the chequered flag 14.609 seconds clear of Russell, after being more than 32 seconds clear before taking his pitstop.
“I think this weekend has been incredible for us,” said Verstappen after his 67th career win, fourth of the season and second in Baku after a 2022 victory.
“For us to win here again is just fantastic.
“We had clean air all the time and you could then look after your tyres. And yeah, it was pretty straightforward.”
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain.
Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Russell, recovering from sickness and starting fifth on the grid, was happy to see a rough weekend finish strongly while Sainz — voted driver of the day — was the happiest man on the podium.
“I cannot describe how happy I am and how good this feels. It tastes even better than my first ever podium,” said the Spaniard, a four-times race winner with Ferrari who had started on the front row.
The big story came on the opening lap when Piastri, who crashed in qualifying and started ninth, jumped the start and went to the back of the field before ploughing into the wall at turn five.
The uncharacteristic errors ended the Australian’s record of being the only driver to score in every race this season and also put the brakes on a run of 34 races in the points.
He had not failed to finish a race since his 2023 rookie season.
“Certainly not my finest moment,” the 24-year-old told Sky Sports.
“I just anticipated the start too much and yeah…silly simple error really.”
– Reuters / RNZ