Title leader Oscar Piastri appeared to try his best to have his championship lead slashed.<\/p>\n
Challenger Lando Norris appeared to try his best to give as many points back to Piastri as he could.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758410048_740_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
And at the front of the field, Max Verstappen\u2019s domination threatened to up-end everything we thought we knew about the season so far.<\/p>\n
“Piastri’s in the wall!” | 01:25<\/p>\n
SIMPLE ERROR: PIASTRI AT A LOSS TO EXPLAIN \u2018MESSY\u2019 WEEKEND<\/p>\n
This is by some margin the messiest weekend of Piastri\u2019s Formula 1 career.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the case pretty much by definition.<\/p>\n
Arriving in Azerbaijan, Piastri was on a streak of 44 consecutive finishes, the second longest run in history behind only Lewis Hamilton\u2019s uninterrupted 48 classifications.<\/p>\n
He was also on a 42-round scoring run behind Hamilton (48) and Verstappen (43).<\/p>\n
Both of these streaks date back to his rookie season. He\u2019s entered only 63 races in total. The majority of his career in Formula 1, in other words, has been dependable, solid and mistake-free.<\/p>\n
Until this weekend, it seems.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just one mistake; it was three: crashing in qualifying, jumping the start and smashing on the first lap of the race, leaving him scoreless.<\/p>\n
In a championship campaign defined by his rock-solid, steadfast ability to turn up and score, Baku was an aberration \u2014 so much so that Piastri himself had no clear explanation for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not been anything that different [about this weekend],\u201d he said, per Racer. \u201cIt depends how you want to look at that, but for me, if I felt like I was in a completely different headspace, then it\u2019s easier to blame it on that and also a problem to rectify, but this weekend\u2019s felt like any other weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately there\u2019s been far too many mistakes from start to finish. Every single session has been messy, so just trying to clean that up is the important thing for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s rare that I have so many executional errors, so I\u2019m very much focused on putting that behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would be much more concerned if these errors were because I was trying to make up time or do things like that. I think they\u2019ve obviously been costly errors but things that can be very, very easily rectified.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m certainly not blaming it on anything else. It was two simple errors on my behalf that caused today.\u201d<\/p>\n
It surprised even team boss Andrea Stella, who has long lauded Piastri\u2019s title-winning credentials.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome uncharacteristic mistakes for Oscar,\u201d he told Sky Sports. \u201cHopefully they were all accumulated in this event and now we will be clear for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is probably the most solid, consistent driver so far, so just a one-off event hopefully for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can contextualise this in one of two ways.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, there\u2019s a reason his finishing and scoring streaks were notable: they\u2019re hard to achieve. They\u2019d have to end eventually.<\/p>\n
Stella, for one, believes this will be only a blip for the Melburnian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure he will process the situation at the start, he will process the lockup,\u201d he said. \u201cHe will get the learning and he will get stronger for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of his stronger characteristics, I would say. I\u2019m sure we will see Oscar jumping back.\u201d<\/p>\n
But on the other hand, Piastri\u2019s self-proclaimed messy weekend changes the complexion of the title battle.<\/p>\n
The early campaign was defined by Norris\u2019s inconsistency in the face of Piastri proving his title candidacy.<\/p>\n
Norris, however, has since ironed out the worst of his mistakes to look more like the predicted match with the Australian.<\/p>\n
Did Baku signal the start of a third chapter, a third twist, in the narrative of their championship duel?<\/p>\n
Max claims Azerbaijan as Piastri crashes | 02:20<\/p>\n
WHY COULDN\u2019T NORRIS CAPITALISE?<\/p>\n
There might be more weight behind that contention if Norris was anything other than ordinary this weekend. Gifted two wide-open goals \u2014 in qualifying and in the grand prix \u2014 the Englishman failed to rise to the occasion, qualifying and finishing seventh.<\/p>\n
He took just six points out of Piastri\u2019s lead, shrinking it to 25 points. That\u2019s less than he would have gained for leading a McLaren one-two.<\/p>\n
For the second day in a row he was forced to deny that he\u2019d missed an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did the best I could yesterday and the best I could today,\u201d he told Sky Sports. \u201cThe opportunity is there every weekend. Every race I didn\u2019t win was an opportunity missed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course today I wanted more. Seventh was not a good result, but I couldn\u2019t do anything more today; it was lost yesterday because of going out a bit early, not doing the best lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just impossible to overtake.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth reflecting that while Piastri made the team\u2019s highest profile mistakes this weekend, Norris and the rest of McLaren contributed to this being Woking\u2019s lowest scoring round since the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
There was of course Norris\u2019s crash during Friday practice and then his errors in qualifying, but his start was also ordinary, and he badly managed the restart such that he was ninth in the early laps of the race.<\/p>\n
Losing a place to Charles Leclerc after the safety car restart defined his race, compromising his pace in the first stint.<\/p>\n
But a slow pit stop also contributed. Leclerc had got himself stuck behind Liam Lawson, which meant Norris lost no time to the Ferrari\u2019s new tyres \u2014 in fact he had a chance to overcut the Monegasque with his pit stop 18 laps later.<\/p>\n
But a 4.1-second service meant he emerged behind Leclerc, who was battling Tsunoda, rather than ahead of both.<\/p>\n
A cleaner stop should have seen him at least one place further up the road, and if he\u2019d been ahead of Tsunoda, Lawson would have been an easier target for not having anyone\u2019s DRS to lean on in defence.<\/p>\n
Fifth could easily have been on the table. It wouldn\u2019t have been a life-changing result, but in this tight title campaign, those four points could be everything.<\/p>\n
Stella, however, argued the slow pit stop made no difference to the outcome, saying the car simply didn\u2019t have the pace to contend for the podium \u2014 a remarkable admission after taking home at least one trophy at every round but one before this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t give Lando a fast enough car to make it through the field,\u201d he told Sky Sports. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe pit stop itself didn\u2019t make any difference because we would\u2019ve ended up pretty much in the area of Leclerc. For me the most important thing to take away is that the car wasn\u2019t fast enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a fast enough car we would have been able to overtake and then have some free air and in some free air actually use the full potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could have done better. We should have done better. Lots of learning. We reset and we go again in Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n
HORROR START – Piastri stalls & crashes! | 01:16<\/p>\n
IS VERSTAPPEN BACK IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP HUNT?<\/p>\n
McLaren\u2019s worst weekend in two years happened to coincide with another dominant victory by Red Bull Racing.<\/p>\n
Verstappen was imperious from pole, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race on the way to the chequered flag.<\/p>\n
It was his sixth rare career grand chelem \u2014 or grand slam \u2014 equalling Lewis Hamilton\u2019s tally.<\/p>\n
Only the legendary Jim Clark has more, with eight.<\/p>\n
After his successful weekend in Azerbaijan, Verstappen now has six poles \u2014 more than any other driver \u2014 and four wins, which is only one fewer than Norris and three short of Piastri.<\/p>\n
He has the second-biggest pole margin of the year and two of the three most dominant victories of the season.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a remarkable set of statistics for a driver who three rounds ago predicted he wouldn\u2019t win another race this season.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an even more remarkable set of statistics for a driver who isn\u2019t in championship contention.<\/p>\n
Or is he?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the question left to linger in the paddock as the sport packed down for Singapore in Sunday night.<\/p>\n
McLaren boss Stella said on Saturday night that his interpretation of Red Bull Racing\u2019s upgrade in Italy was that it had opened a much wider set-up window for the car that would allow it to run competitively at more circuits.<\/p>\n
He said it would make Verstappen a title threat, even though his deficit was a whopping 94 points with eight rounds remaining.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for corroborating information, consider that Yuki Tsunoda turned in the best qualifying and race result of his Red Bull Racing tenure. If Verstappen\u2019s teammate is a canary in the coalmine of the team\u2019s career-killing cars, the Japanese driver\u2019s upturn in form suggests perhaps something really has been fixed.<\/p>\n
And now Verstappen has slashed his gap down to 69 points with seven rounds left.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Sky Sports, he gave the idea that he might enter the title fight short shrift.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cBasically everything needs to go perfectly from my side, and then a bit of [bad] luck from their side I need as well, so it\u2019s still very tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notably he didn\u2019t deny that he still had a chance in a subtle change of attitude to the question.<\/p>\n
New team principal Laurent Mekies, whose tenure has coincided with this dramatic upturn, also opted against playing down the odds of a late drivers tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to the 2025 campaign,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody has been pushing so hard to step by step bring that car back into competitiveness. <\/p>\n
\u201cNobody has ever given up on this season in terms of understanding why we were not reaching the level we wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
But while Mekies praised the progress as genuine, he warned that the next race in Singapore would be a crucial test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no big item, but there have been a few things that have been unlocked from everyone at the factory, there have been a few things at the track that have been unlocked from the work that Max and Yuki have been doing with their engineers,\u201d he said. \u201cAll together it seems to add up, at least on these two tracks [Monza and Baku] with slow-speed corners.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we were back in the game, but Singapore is very, very different in two weeks time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the rest of the season is back to the medium-speed corners where McLaren had a huge advantage only a couple of races ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe take it race by race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vamos! Sainz ECSTATIC with podium result | 01:03<\/p>\n
SAINZ EXECUTES HIS FIRST SMOOTH OPERATION FOR WILLIAMS<\/p>\n
You probably would have got good money for betting that Carlos Sainz would get his first podium at Williams before Lewis Hamilton got his maiden at Ferrari.<\/p>\n
Though he would refuse to acknowledge it, deep down surely Sainz feels as though it\u2019s a kind of justice for being forced out of his plum Ferrari drive just as he seemed to be reaching his peak.<\/p>\n
But the Spaniard\u2019s satisfaction is about much more than schadenfreude.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been blitzed by teammate Alex Albon all season, especially in race conditions. While in qualifying they\u2019ve been closely matched, on Sundays he\u2019d been heavily outscored by the Williams stalwart.<\/p>\n
All year he\u2019s insisted that his poor returns weren\u2019t about a lack of pace; rather they were down to poor execution, poor luck and, sometimes, poor driving judgement.<\/p>\n
Give him an opportunity to score a big result and he\u2019d get it.<\/p>\n
He magnificently passed that test.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key was probably just nailing a perfect weekend from practice, quali to race,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s what I\u2019ve been looking for since the beginning of the season \u2014 just to nail a perfect weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rest of the season has been really up and down with a lot more downs than ups \u2014 very unlucky in some cases, job not well done in others by me or by other things that were in our control.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I always said to the team from the beginning that whenever a first big opportunity of fighting for a podium comes \u2014 as long as we have everything under control and nothing goes wrong and we prove to everyone what we\u2019re doing \u2014 and we get that podium, then I\u2019ll be okay, and it\u2019s exactly what ended up happening today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sainz\u2019s drive had all the hallmarks of what made him such a force at Ferrari. Ahead of faster cars that had been tipped to pass him easily, his lap times were metronomically consistent to ensure he built a small but crucial buffer to the pack in the first stint.<\/p>\n
He was powerless to hold off George Russell for second, but he just kept Andrea Kimi Antonelli at bay in the final stint to score his first podium for the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust an exceptional drive,\u201d team boss James Vowles told Sky Sports. \u201cLap after lap he just built the pace. We knew merc was quick, but well done to him. He didn\u2019t put a foot wrong all weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a rest point where we start and move forward with our season. He needs this, and you\u2019ll see now the positive momentum it generates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sainz\u2019s score tips Williams over 100 points for the first time since 2016. It\u2019s firmed its hold on fifth in the championship.<\/p>\n
But the boost it gives Sainz might yet be more valuable as he builds into his role at the aspiring grandee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s unusual that a race should have so much and so little happen all at once. The Azerbaijan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160529,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2620,14203,12295,13273,1724,64,63,18503,961,106484,106474,4971,106486,31300,106485,18257,106469,106480,106461,59961,106472,21773,106462,106475,2057,817,25621,68432,813,816,3875,841,1806,102663,2328,46132,21764,75915,106466,106467,106470,825,106460,36245,106478,106476,106488,106483,106477,3752,106482,106473,106487,106468,942,106465,2643,88562,2812,3595,85,106479,7663,13773,31298,106471,21760,106464,18251,106481,106463,32112,12000,54814],"class_list":["post-160528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-alex-albon","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-andrea-stella","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-driver","tag-azerbaijan","tag-bizarre-weekend","tag-career-grand-chelem","tag-carlos-sainz","tag-challenger-lando-norris","tag-championship-battle","tag-championship-campaign","tag-championship-contention","tag-championship-hunt","tag-championship-implications","tag-cleaner-stop","tag-constructors-title","tag-dominant-victories","tag-dominant-victory","tag-drivers-tilt","tag-driving-judgement","tag-europe","tag-f1","tag-final-stint","tag-football-league-championship","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-george-russell","tag-grand-prix","tag-grand-slam","tag-horror-start","tag-italy","tag-james-h-clark","tag-james-vowles","tag-japanese-driver","tag-lap-times","tag-lap-one-blunders","tag-lap-one-crash","tag-max-verstappen","tag-overtaking-thriller","tag-pit-stop","tag-podium-resultformula","tag-positive-momentum","tag-race-conditions","tag-remarkable-set","tag-rest-point","tag-rookie-season","tag-safety-car-restart","tag-scoring-run","tag-scoring-streaks","tag-second-biggest-pole-margin","tag-singapore","tag-single-session","tag-sky-sports","tag-slow-pit-stop","tag-south-eastern-asia","tag-southern-europe","tag-sports","tag-streaks-date","tag-talking-points","tag-team-principal","tag-title-battle","tag-title-candidacy","tag-title-fight","tag-title-gap","tag-title-leader","tag-title-reality","tag-title-threat","tag-weeks-time","tag-western-asia","tag-world-title-fight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}