Max Verstappen delivered a flawless drive at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, cruising to victory ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who secured Williams’s first podium finish in four years. Championship leader Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, endured a nightmare afternoon, crashing out on the opening lap in his first DNF since 2023.

Piastri’s troubles began before lights out. A rare Q3 crash left him starting ninth without a time, and a botched launch dropped him to the rear by Turn 1. Eager to recover, he overcooked his braking into Turn 5, locking up and slamming into the barriers. His retirement ended the third-longest streak of consecutive classified finishes in Formula 1 history, dating back almost two years.

The Australian’s costly error opened the door for teammate and title rival Lando Norris to eat into what was once a 31-point gap. But just as in Saturday’s sprint, Norris failed to fully capitalize. A scrappy race left him seventh at the flag, trimming only six points from the deficit. With seven rounds left, Piastri still leads by 25.

At the front, Verstappen was untouchable. Starting from pole, the reigning champion controlled every lap, managed his tires in clear air, and claimed the fastest lap for his sixth career grand slam—drawing level with Lewis Hamilton and leaving him two behind Jim Clark’s all-time record. The result narrows his championship gap to 69 points.

“This weekend has been incredible for us,” Verstappen said. “The car was perfect, and with clean air it was pretty straightforward. I’m incredibly happy with this performance.”

Russell took second, 14.6 seconds adrift, after a well-executed long first stint allowed him to overcut rivals. The podium return bolstered Mercedes’s constructors’ campaign, lifting them above Ferrari into second overall.

Sainz completed the rostrum with a hard-fought third, a breakthrough for both himself and Williams. The Spaniard’s defense in the closing laps against Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the team’s first top-three finish since the rain-shortened 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

“I cannot describe how happy I am,” Sainz said, visibly emotional. “It tastes even better than my first podium. We nailed everything today, and I’m so proud of the whole Williams team.”

Antonelli’s fourth matched his best result since Canada, while Liam Lawson scored a career-best fifth after resisting heavy late-race pressure from Yuki Tsunoda, who settled for sixth. Norris was next, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and rookie Isack Hadjar, who claimed his first points in 10th for Racing Bulls.

Further back, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, and Lance Stroll all finished on the lead lap. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto trailed a lap down in 18th and 19th.

Red Bull Racing’s Tsunoda points haul wasn’t enough to keep the team alive in the constructors’ fight, while McLaren’s missed opportunity delayed their chance to clinch the title early.

With the championship momentum tilting back and forth, all eyes now turn to Singapore, where the tight Marina Bay circuit promises another twist in the Piastri-Norris-Verstappen battle.