Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

Carlos Sainz eyes turning shock front-row into first Williams podium.
The former Ferrari driver was on course for a stunning pole position after crashes for Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri disrupted a chaotic final part of a drama-filled qualifying in Baku.
20 Sep 2025
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Carlos Sainz is eyeing a first podium for Williams after securing a shock second place on the grid at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "Very happy, We've nailed the qualifying today. Every time being on the right tyre at the right time and putting together some very strong laps,” Sainz said.

"Of course the moment that a top car put a lap together we were always going to be those four or five tenths behind, but it was only one of them, and it was Max - no surprise. For the rest, we managed to beat them. We're in P2, which is great news. I've been putting good laps together this year in qualifying; it hasn't been an issue or my weakness at all.”

“Again we proved that there is speed in this car and delivering in qualifying when it counts. "Unfortunately, the year in races and in points is not going the way we want but as long as the speed is there, like today proves, the good races will come and I'm not worried.” On Sunday's race, Sainz added: "I'm going to give it my all to give Williams a first podium. We'll see.”

‘Eyeing a first podium for Williams’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108214...illiams-podium


Ferrari reveal Baku 'confusion' after disastrous F1 qualifying
Charles Leclerc crashed in Q3 and will start 10th, Lewis Hamilton eliminated in Q2, starting 12th.
21 Sep 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Fred Vasseur has revealed Ferrari's confusion in a disastrous Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying after Charles Leclerc's crash and Lewis Hamilton's early exit. Ferrari had shown strong pace throughout practice in Baku, topping FP2 with Hamilton ahead of Leclerc, and reinforced that in FP3, but things went wrong in qualifying.

The team split tyre strategies in the second segment, with Leclerc taking mediums and Hamilton softs, but a mistake at Turn 1 from Leclerc brought out yellow flags, which forced Hamilton to abort. Eventually, Hamilton was eliminated in 12th with Leclerc knocking his team-mate out, as the Monegasque continued his bid for a fifth straight pole.

‘Ferrari's confusion’;

https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-re...-f1-qualifying


Sainz Defies Baku Chaos, Parks Williams on Front Row
Alex Albuquerque
Sep 20, 2025
Fastest Lap

Carlos Sainz didn’t just survive Baku’s madness — he steered straight through it and parked a Williams on the front row. In a qualifying session that was repeatedly torn up and restarted — six red flags, a record for an F1 quali — Sainz owned the moment until the final minutes, when Max Verstappen did what Max Verstappen tends to do. Pole to the Red Bull. P2 to a beaming Sainz and a resurgent Williams. This was a session that kept thinning the herd. Lewis Hamilton fell in Q2. Championship leader Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc both found the wall in Q3. Lando Norris clipped Turn 15 and limped out of the fight. Through it all, Sainz played the game Williams needed him to play: out early, banker lap in, head down while the others blinked. For a solid stretch, he was sitting on provisional pole for good reason.

“Very happy. Honestly, we’ve nailed qualifying today,” Sainz said afterward, his voice more satisfied than surprised. “Right tyre, right time, strong laps. When a top car threaded it together, we knew we’d be a few tenths off — and it was Max. But we beat the rest. P2 is great news.” It’s no secret Sainz has been sharper over one lap than his race results have shown this year, and he didn’t shy away from that contrast. “I’ve been delivering in qualifying when it counts. The races and points haven’t gone the way we want, but the speed is there. The good results will come. I’m not worried.”

The target now is simple: podium. The opportunity is real. Track position in Baku can swing a Sunday, particularly with a car that’s tidy on the straights and obedient in the braking zones. And Williams has a subtle ace up its sleeve: Sainz kept back two fresh sets of hard tyres, the compound that’s expected to be the day’s workhorse. Team principal James Vowles, who’s spent much of the season chasing tyre preparation gremlins in qualifying, credited the garage for a clean execution at a circuit that punishes hesitancy.

‘Baku’s madness — he steered straight through it’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/sainz-de...-on-front-row/


Lewis Hamilton Reveals What Went Wrong in Ruined Baku Qualifying
Sep 20, 2025
Nelson Espinal Newsweek
Rock Hill Herald

Hamilton looked to get his season going in Baku, aiming for his first potential podium finish with the Scuderia. Instead, he is once again on the back foot for the start of the race, though this time it was the tire choice that cost him.

"The medium tire was just much quicker," Hamilton told the media after qualifying. "The team chose to run me on the medium in Q2, and Charles was meant to run it second run in Q2, but then, because everyone else wasn't out on them, [we] opted to keep it, and then all the top 10 basically had three mediums.”

"We knew that the medium was quicker by, they said it was about three-tenths or something like that, and it felt great, and we should have run it in Q2. One of the things that kind of factored into it was a bit of direction the team were pushing for us to go with some of the setup, that didn't feel as good as [F]P2," the seven-time champion added.

‘What Went Wrong’;

https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/...mainstage_card


Carlos Sainz sets clear Azerbaijan GP target as ‘huge advantage’ emerges
20 Sep 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

“Plan for tomorrow, try and stick it in the podium,” he confirmed. “I think I’m going to give it my best to give Williams that first podium [sic]. If it’s possible, great. And if it’s not, we will see.”

Reacting to Sainz’s front row achievement, Williams team principal James Vowles told Sky F1: “What I’m happy about is the team’s done brilliant work over the last 10 days. We have not been good in qualifying, getting the tyres ready and working.”

“And this weekend, the standout for me is that every time we’ve gone out, [F]P1 to qualifying, first lap, we can get that tyre working. So quick car and good result, and well done to Carlos. You saw out there how tricky it is. Brilliant, brilliant driver.”

“Plan for tomorrow, try and stick it in the podium”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...huge-advantage


Things that led to Hamilton's horrendous day at Baku following his pace-setting performance on Friday
21 Sep 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

On the back of a highly encouraging practice day at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton endured an incredibly tough day at Baku, to start from the midfield on Sunday.

The British and the Monegasque driver posted impressive lap times in Q1, but their session started to go wrong in Q2. On their initial runs Leclerc went wide, wrecking his lap but also his team mate’s as Hamilton was forced to abort thanks to the resultant yellow flags.

Coming back out as the clock ticked down, Leclerc did enough to make Q3 on Pirelli's medium tyres. However, Hamilton was left out on his worn soft tyres, and the seven-time world champion was unable to make it out of Q2. All eyes were set on Leclerc, but the Monegasque, who always goes well at Baku, crashed just as the rain started to fall in Q3, bringing out the red flags and failing to set a lap time.

‘Hamilton was left out on his worn soft tyres’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27807


Sainz will ‘give it my all’ in Baku to claim maiden Williams podium
20 Sep 2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Even as he started his final lap, Sainz sensed the potential for a remarkable result. “I think our simulation said at the time maybe only Max and Lando could beat us. So I was thinking about a P3. In the end, it was only Max… It had to be Max!” he said with a wry smile.

“But, in general, I thought as soon as I started my lap at the end, I was actually coming very quick. I was like three or four tenths up on my lap. In one way, I was thinking, great, because this might even confirm or achieve pole, but then I was thinking the leaders are going to be even quicker, no? And that’s exactly what happened.”

Now, with a prime starting position, Sainz is laser-focused on converting his P2 into a podium, a feat Williams last achieved – in normal circumstances – in Baku with Lance Stroll’s third place in 2017. “I'm going to give it my all to give Williams a first podium. We'll see,” he vowed.

‘Give it my all’;

https://f1i.com/news/548900-sainz-wi...ms-podium.html


Charles Leclerc blames Ferrari tyre call for 2025 Azerbaijan GP qualifying shocker
Four-time polesitter at Baku City Circuit crashed out on Saturday
20 Sep 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Charles Leclerc blames a Ferrari tyre call for his qualifying shocker at the 2025 Azerbaijan GP by criticising a decision to run the medium, as he crashed out at the Baku City Circuit on September 20.

‘Ferrari tyre call’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/cha...fying-shocker/

[Fortitude]

Verstappen claims dominant Azerbaijan win over Russell and Sainz after Piastri crashes out.
Max Verstappen was never challenged on Sunday in Baku, while Lando Norris brought the gap down to title rival Oscar Piastri after the Australian’s dramatic opening lap crash.
21 September 2025
Formula One - Official Site

Max Verstappen claimed a lights-to-flag victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Lando Norris closed the gap to title rival Oscar Piastri to 25 points after the Drivers' Championship leader crashed out on the opening lap.

Verstappen was never headed on the streets of Baku, leading all 51 laps and winning by over 14 seconds from Mercedes' George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who claimed his first podium for Williams having just lost out on pole position.

Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed out on the final step of the podium, having run well all day, but was well clear of a fierce battle for fifth, which was headed by Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, who claimed a career-best result.

‘Max Verstappen was never challenged’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...wpl3dI79nDmrHS


2025 F1 Azerbaijan GP – Race Results
Max Verstappen led from start to finish in Baku as Oscar Piastri crashed out on Lap 1
21 September 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

F1 Azerbaijan GP 2025 Race Results
Check out the full F1 2025 Azerbaijan GP results from Baku below.
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Leader
2 George Russell Mercedes +14.609
3 Carlos Sainz Williams +19.199
4 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +21.760
5 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +33.290
6 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +33.808
7 Lando Norris McLaren +34.227
8 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +36.310
9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +36.774
10 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +38.982

‘Race Results’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/202...-race-results/


Max Verstappen dominates F1 Azerbaijan GP as Oscar Piastri crashes out on opening lap
21 September 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Max Verstappen dominated Formula 1‘s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, completing a lights-to-flag victory, as Oscar Piastri crashed out on the opening lap. The Dutchman cemented his pole position advantage at the start and never looked back, as George Russell, battling illness, took second.

Carlos Sainz fulfilled his ambition of a first podium for Williams with third. Team-mate Lando Norris had a a big chance to close the gap in the Drivers’ title, but yet another McLaren pitstop issue condemned him to a disappointing seventh place.

‘Max Verstappen dominated’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...n-opening-lap/


Formula 1: Kiwi Liam Lawson finishes fifth in Azerbaijan Grand Prix
21 September 2025
Grant Chapman
Radio New Zealand

Kiwi Liam Lawson has notched up his best result in the 2025 Formula 1 season so far, finishing fifth in Azerbaijan. Lawson started third on the Baku City Circuit, but fell several positions after pitting early, although he held off several contenders for his place in the final laps. Lawson, 23, clocked the third-fastest time of Q3, covering the 6km circuit in 1m 41.707s.

Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen won the race, leading from start to finish. George Russell took second place, with Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.

Sep 21, 2025 1:40 PM
RNZ Live
Finish: "Unbelievable race, guys," Verstappen tells his team.
"Super job, George," Russell's team tells him.
Sainz is voted driver of the day and he is jubilant.
Great day for Lawson, not the podium he wanted, after his third in qualifying, but progress, as he tries to secure his drive for next year.

'Kiwi Liam Lawson finishes fifth ';

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/573...jan-grand-prix


Max Verstappen takes easy Azerbaijan GP win as F1 title battle takes another twist with Piastri crash in Baku
Verstappen wins Azerbaijan GP after Piastri’s Lap 1 crash, with Russell second and Sainz scoring an emotional podium for Williams
21 September 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport

The streets of Baku once again delivered high drama as Max Verstappen stormed to victory at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, capitalising on Oscar Piastri’s opening-lap crash to spark new life into the Formula 1 title battle. The Red Bull driver controlled the race from lights to flag, pulling clear of George Russell’s Mercedes and Carlos Sainz’s Williams to underline his growing momentum in the second half of the season.

For championship leader Piastri, it was a nightmare that could reshape the fight for the crown. After jumping the start, stalling, and tumbling to the back, the Australian lost control into Turn 5 and hit the barriers at the Baku City Circuit, ending his race before it had truly begun. His first major error of 2025 left him watching helplessly as title rivals fought to chip away at his 31-point cushion.

But Lando Norris failed to make it count. Despite McLaren’s offset strategy and fresher tyres late in the race, the Briton was unable to climb higher than seventh. The net result was only a six-point gain on his team-mate, trimming the championship gap to 25, while Verstappen sits 69 points adrift but suddenly with renewed hope.

‘Another twist with Piastri crash’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/max...5-piastri-out/


2025 F1 championship standings after Azerbaijan GP at Baku
Check out the full F1 championship standings after the 2025 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – held at the Baku City Circuit
21 September 2025
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

F1 championship standings.

Oscar Piastri McLaren
McLaren F1 team 324

2 Lando Norris McLaren
McLaren F1 team 299

3 Max Verstappen Red Bull
Red Bull Racing 255

4 George Russell Mercedes
Mercedes AMG F1 212

5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari 165

6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari 121

7 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
Mercedes AMG F1 78

8 Alexander Albon Williams
Williams Racing 70

9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls 39

10 Nico Hulkenberg Stake
Stake F1 Team 37

‘Check out the full F1 championship standings’;

https://racingnews365.com/2025-f1-ch...jan-gp-at-baku

[Fortitude]

Piastri and Norris have let Verstappen back in the title fight.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris respective failures in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix have allowed Max Verstappen to rejoin the F1 Drivers' Championship fight.
21 Sep 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Given the excellent form McLaren has shown since the beginning of the season, and judging Red Bull's inability to put in consecutive performances, it is almost inexplicable that Verstappen sits 69 points away in the Drivers' Standings after 17 rounds. A trait that characterises Verstappen is his ability to deliver. Weekend after weekend, the Dutchman poses a threat on the timesheets, usually being classed as either the best of the rest, or the leader of the session when his machinery, and others' mistakes, will allow him.

When his car is good enough for pole, he usually claims the first spot on the grid. When his potential and grid position suggests he should win a race, he more often than not does. This is a level of consistency that neither McLaren driver have been able to live up to on a regular basis. In two race weekends McLaren have left the door open, and twice has Verstappen drawn blood, cutting Piastri's lead in the championship standings by 35 points, a third of what it was after the Dutch Grand Prix.

Seven Grands Prix to go and it seem like too short an amount of time to turn the championship around. After all it would require McLaren to lose every race left on the calendar, and Verstappen, on the contrary, would need to win nearly every race, if not all, to secure his fifth consecutive World Championship. An impossibility? One merely needs to look back at the 2023 season to know that he has the potential to do it.

‘Ability to deliver’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/analysis/h...omeback-charge


Piastri crashes out in Baku to end calamitous weekend
21 Sep 2025
The North West Star

Piastri has been left blaming himself for a calamitous weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after he crashed out on the first lap and then had to watch forlornly from a plastic chair at trackside in Baku as his world championship lead was cut.

‘Watch forlornly from a plastic chair’;

https://www.northweststar.com.au/sto...itous-weekend/


'It's just impossible': Disbelief as critics round on Lando Norris' failure to cash in on Piastri crash
September 22, 2025
Emily Patterson
Channel 9's Wide World of Sports

While Oscar Piastri's retirement in Azerbaijan gave McLaren teammate Lando Norris a golden opportunity to gain ground in their championship battle, the Briton could only manage a seventh-place finish, narrowing the gap by just six points. His race was hampered by a slow pit stop and heavy traffic, leaving him stuck behind Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson despite a long stint on his medium tyres. A slow pit stop also hurt Norris' race at the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month. Speaking afterwards, Norris pushed back against the idea that he failed to seize big moments across the weekend.

"I don't know why everybody says that [it was an opportunity missed]," he said. "I did the best I could yesterday and the best I could today. Of course, today I wanted more. So it was not a good result. But I couldn't do anything more today. It was lost yesterday because of going out a bit early. Not doing the best lap. Maybe you could've gained a couple of positions, but I don't think it really changes anything today. It's just impossible to overtake."

'It's just impossible';

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...22-p5mwyo.html


McLaren must improve F1 pitstop hardware after Azerbaijan GP setback - Andrea Stella
Lando Norris suffered slow pitstops for consecutive races after further troubles with wheel guns at the Azerbaijan GP
Sep 22, 2025
Ed Hardy Oleg Karpov
Motorsport.com

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella reckons his Formula 1 squad needs to improve its pitstop hardware after further struggles in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Lando Norris was the only McLaren driver to score points in Baku as he finished seventh while championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out on lap one.

But Norris’ bid to progress through the pack was halted by his slow, 4.1s pitstop on lap 38 after a problem with the front right wheel gun. That released him into eighth right behind the cars of Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson with Norris only able to overtake the Ferrari across the final 13 laps.

“In terms of pitstops, that's an area in which we have already concentrated our efforts,” said Stella. “But as a matter of fact, we need to keep working because there's some important performance that is available through pitstops and we have seen that the racing, if anything, is getting tighter and tighter.”

‘Must improve F1 pitstop hardware’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...back/10761472/


Piastri slammed after 'absolutely ridiculous error' in Baku GP
22 Sep 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

F1 analyst Peter Windsor commented on McLaren’s disappointing weekend in Baku, marked by Oscar Piastri’s retirement and Lando Norris finishing only seventh. Windsor slammed Oscar Piastri’s weekend, pointing out that the Australian not only crashed into the wall twice between qualifying and the race, but also made a false start—what he labelled as a serious mistake.

"Two virtually identical accidents, one on Saturday, one on Sunday. His race began right behind Lando on the grid. He was P9 by jumping the start. In these days where you do nothing but watch the lights, it was an extraordinary mistake. And I guess because of that, flustered at the back of the field now, Oscar just went for it. An absolutely ridiculous error, particularly after doing virtually the same thing the day before."

“Absolutely ridiculous error”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/piast...ror-in-baku-gp


Did Norris’s slow pit stop really ‘make no difference’ to him? Azerbaijan GP data
21st Sept 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was quick to deny Lando Norris’s race suffered as a result of his slow pit stop on lap 37. Was he right? Compared to the quickest standard pit stops, Norris lost around two seconds. He rejoined the track immediately behind Charles Leclerc, with Liam Lawson ahead of them.

In a best-case scenario for Norris he would have rejoined between Lawson and Leclerc, immediately used his DRS to pass the Racing Bulls car, and then been able to attack Tsunoda without the Red Bull driver having the benefit of DRS. But it’s far from certain this would have happened.

Moreover, the slow pit stop was only the last in a long line of things which went wrong for Norris over the weekend. There was the questionable qualifying strategy, the error on his Q3 lap, losing positions at the start and restart. Given that, it’s hardly surprising Stella doesn’t want to focus on the pit stop alone. However it’s also true that this was the second race in a row in which a slow pit stop compromised Norris’s race, and McLaren know they need to get on top of that.

‘Azerbaijan GP data’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/09/21/...aijan-gp-data/


'A silly, simple error': Piastri crashes out at Baku as F1 championship lead dwindles
21 Sep 2025
The Roar

Oscar Piastri has been left blaming himself for a calamitous weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after he crashed out on the first lap and then had to watch forlornly from a plastic chair at trackside in Baku as his world championship lead was cut.

But while Max Verstappen drove away to a masterful victory in his Red Bull on Sunday, Piastri could at least reflect the damage hadn’t be too bad to his title hopes as his main contender, McLaren teammate Lando Norris, could only finish seventh.

For the third race in a row, Norris had wretched luck, suffering another poor pitstop that ensured he couldn’t get among the big points, and he ended up gaining only six on Piastri to trim his lead to 25 points.

'A silly, simple error';

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/09/2...lead-dwindles/


Norris fails to capitalise on Piastri crash as Verstappen wins in Baku
Norris could only finish seventh after title rival Piastri crashed out on the opening lap in Baku
21 September 2025
Scott Hunt
The Independent

Oscar Piastri’s F1 title charge survived a first-lap crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix without major damage as rival Lando Norris could finish only seventh.

A second crash of the weekend for Piastri ended his 34-race streak of finishing a Grand Prix within five corners and threw the door wide open for McLaren team-mate Norris to make major inroads into his championship lead.

But Norris started sluggishly and overtaking was at a premium during the 51 laps on Baku’s windy streets, meaning he could only take six points out of Piastri’s title lead, which stands at 25 with seven rounds remaining.

‘Could only finish seventh’;

https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-...-b2830804.html


Who slept worst last night: Oscar Piastri
Sep 22, 2025,
Christian Nimmervoll
Motorsport.com

‘Who slept worst last night: Oscar Piastri’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...stri/10761524/

[Fortitude]

Stella Warns Verstappen Still a Title Threat Despite Piastri Lead.
Andrea Stella insisted Max Verstappen remains a serious championship contender, saying he would “WRITE IT IN CAPITALS.”
September 22, 2025
Media
F1 Chronicle

Despite McLaren’s dominance, Verstappen’s six pole positions this year are more than any other driver. But with seven races remaining, he still trails Piastri by 69 points and Norris by 44. Stella warned that the situation is complicated by McLaren’s two drivers competing against one another.

“Of course, of course,” he said when asked if Verstappen was still a danger. “We don’t have to forget that first of all he’s Max Verstappen – world champion for the last four years – in a fast car. Like I said before, there are races where McLaren may not enjoy any advantage from a competitiveness point of view. And Lando and Oscar are always there, so they won’t necessarily be maximising the points available.”

“Sometimes it will be a little bit more points for Lando and a little bit more for Oscar, so they may take some points away from each other. We are very aware of this aspect, but we let them race because they both deserve to pursue their aspirations. Therefore, yes, Verstappen and Red Bull in contention for the drivers’ championship.”

“WRITE IT IN CAPITALS”;

https://f1chronicle.com/stella-warns...-piastri-lead/


Helmut Marko sets Red Bull target ‘to make McLaren nervous’ in F1 title race
22 Sep 2025
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Red Bull’s improved competitiveness, combined with more frequent errors from the McLaren pair, means Verstappen has an outside shot at a fifth world title. Marko believes what happens in Singapore will decide whether Red Bull “can start dreaming” about a fifth title for Verstappen.

“What Andrea said is very optimistic, but I hope he’s right,” he told De Telegraaf. “The gap is still big, and it’s not often that a McLaren doesn’t finish the race. But we’ll see. If we’re competitive in Singapore in two weeks’ time, maybe we can start dreaming.”””

“Not only is it a different circuit, but it’s also boiling hot. Our car doesn’t always like that either. Singapore will be the benchmark for where we really stand. And we’ve always said: we have to be as close as possible to McLaren to make them nervous.”

‘Make McLaren nervous’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108224...-f1-title-race


Wolff Warns: Verstappen’s Long Shot Just Got Dangerous
September 22, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Toto Wolff: Verstappen’s still in this title fight — but it’ll take a swing. Max Verstappen left Baku with something more valuable than a trophy: momentum. Two wins on the bounce have trimmed Oscar Piastri’s championship lead from a chunky 104 points to 69, and the conversation has shifted from “when does McLaren wrap this up?” to “hang on, are we sure?” Toto Wolff isn’t committing to the plot twist just yet, but he’s not ruling it out either.

“You always need to stay with your feet on the ground and humble,” the Mercedes boss said after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “He’s had a good run, the car is good and with Max Verstappen, you always need to be wary of what he can achieve. What’s the gap? Sixty-nine points. That’s the long shot. Things need to work in his favour. But you can see a DNF for the championship leader, Max scoring 25 points — it can swing quickly.”

Wolff has reasons to mind the Verstappen resurgence beyond the drivers’ standings. Mercedes are locked in a hard-nosed scrap for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship — a target they haven’t hit since 2023 — and the “point machine” in the Red Bull is the fly in that ointment. “It’s a tough fight,” Wolff said. “They’ve got some solid points today and Max is a point machine.” As it stands, Mercedes hold second place by just four points over Ferrari, with Red Bull only 18 further back. That’s the kind of margin that evaporates in a single rough weekend.”

‘More valuable than a trophy: momentum’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/wolff-wa...got-dangerous/


Red Bull boss addresses shock Max Verstappen F1 title bid
Max Verstappen took a big bite into Oscar Piastri's title lead following a run to victory last weekend in Azerbaijan.
23 September 2025
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has downplayed a potential title push for Max Verstappen following his victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Mekies insisted the Milton Keynes-based squad is not placing focus on the gaps in the championship. "I tell you how we look at it - we really take it race by race, so we don't look at the championship positions,” he told the media, including RacingNews365.

“We don't even look at it from a constructors’ perspective. Yes, it's nice to look at the battle for second place in the constructors’, but we take it step by step in terms of understanding of the car, in terms of unlocking lap time of the car. We got some good answers in Monza, of course,” he said. “We got some good answers here [in Baku]. We are equally conscious that these are two very, very specific tracks.”

“The way we look at the next race is not by looking at the gap to whoever. Singapore is going to be a different challenge. How do we tackle it? How do we apply learnings to that? How much of that we think can be tested there and how much risk do you want to take? At the moment, we try to have a high-risk approach to try to learn as much as we can before the end of the season and [see if] that prevails in championship discussions.”

‘Big bite into Oscar Piastri's title lead’;

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-b...n-f1-title-bid


Out of nothing, Max Verstappen is back in F1 title race – here’s why
Analysis: A series of McLaren mishaps in Baku and a revitalised Red Bull car has, suddenly, given Verstappen an outside chance of an unprecedented comeback in the F1 championship fight
23 September 2025
Kieran Jackson
The Independent

It was always likely that a moment of DNF-inducing fallibility from leader Oscar Piastri was needed to reignite this season’s F1 world championship. And, on the typically unpredictable streets of Baku, we got just that. Piastri’s abnormal crash on lap one of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix opened the door for title rival Lando Norris to slice into the Australian’s 31-point advantage.

This was the moment Norris, and his fans, had craved. But by the chequered flag, it wasn’t the Briton who was the main beneficiary, having only managed to finish seventh and cut the gap to 25 points. Instead, it was Max Verstappen. You didn’t forget about him, did you?

Where other frontrunners toiled and trudged in heavy winds on the shores of the Caspian Sea, Red Bull’s four-time world champion oozed composure. A dominant lights-to-flag victory – his fourth win of the season and second in a row – suddenly sees the Dutchman just 69 points off Piastri. With seven races to go, it no longer looks like an insurmountable deficit.

‘Outside chance of an unprecedented comeback’;

https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/max...-b2831239.html


The biggest gaps overturned in modern F1 history shows the improbable task for Verstappen
23 Sep 2025
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen is attempting to create history as he looks to overhaul a 104-point gap and win a fifth Drivers’ title. We are focusing solely on the current points system, introduced in 2010, which awards 25 points for the winner, 18 for second, 15 for third, 12 for fourth, 10 for fifth, eight for sixth, six for seventh, four for eighth, two for ninth and one for 10th.

The biggest gaps overcome in F1 title history since 2010
2017 – 25 points (Lewis Hamilton)
2014 – 29 points (Lewis Hamilton)
2010 – 31 points (Sebastian Vettel)
2012 – 44 points (Sebastian Vettel)
2022 – 46 points (Max Verstappen)
2025 – 104 points (Max Verstappen)?

‘Improbable task for Verstappen’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/th...max-verstappen


Verstappen Smells Blood: Is the Title Race Back On?
22 Sep 2025
Alex Albuquerque
Fastest Lap

That “high-risk approach” is the tell. This is Red Bull pivoting from survival mode back into development aggression — willing to trade setup certainty for speed if the data says it’s there. The question now is whether their Monza/Baku step is circuit-specific, or real enough to travel.

Verstappen isn’t pretending otherwise. “I don’t rely on hope,” he said. “It’s seven rounds left. Sixty-nine points is a lot. I just go race by race, what I’ve been doing basically the whole season — try to do the best we can, score the most points we can. After Abu Dhabi, we’ll know.”

Next stop: Singapore. It’s a venue that’s never quite bent to Verstappen’s will. No wins. No poles. The car will run high downforce, the tyres will cook, and it’s a night race that exposes any weakness in traction and balance. He knows the score. “I’ve never won there,” he shrugged. “We’ll see. It’s completely different… A lot of deg on the tyres. I really don’t know at the moment.”

“I don’t rely on hope”;

https://fastestlap.com/news/verstapp...-race-back-on/

[Fortitude]

‘You’ll be behind Sainz’: Russell stunned Mercedes’ strategists with banzai pit entry.
Russell enjoyed the fastest complete pit stop time of the entire race. Thanks to those gains Russell rejoined the track narrowly ahead of Sainz.
22nd September 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Russell’s radio messages from his pit stop
Lap: 39/51 RUS: 1’48.001
Dudley And now we’ve got Tsunoda in the pit lane.
Dudley So George we’ll be box, box this lap. One second behind Sainz on exit. Preset diff entry, diff mid.

Lap: 40/51 RUS: 2’00.578
Dudley Russell rejoins ahead of Sainz
Overtake available on exit. Watch the white lines.
Russell I thought you said they’d be a second behind?
Dudley Yeah, it was a very good pit stop. Gap 1.7 behind.

It was an especially impressive performance for the Mercedes driver as he had been unwell for much of the weekend and considered withdrawing on Friday. Team principal Toto Wolff congratulated him after the race, saying: “George, really well done. Well driven. Flu does good for you.”
“Yeah, not bad considering I felt like ass all weekend,” Russell replied.

‘Banzai pit entry’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/09/22/...zai-pit-entry/


Uncovered: Russell’s rise from the sick bed to the podium in Baku
22 Sep 2025
Uros Radovanovic
PlanetF1.com

George Russell, alongside Max Verstappen, was the only driver within the top five to start the race on hard tyres – a strategy that later proved to be much stronger. One of the main reasons for this was that, apart from the opening lap, we did not have a single incident that would bring out the Safety Car. This allowed the drivers who had started on hards to stay out longer, with equally good pace, and later have greater freedom in choosing the timing of their pit stop.

In a race with such low grip as this one in Baku, overtaking was difficult, meaning that track position was much more valuable. Despite being on the harder tyres, Russell had a better restart in Lap 5 after the Safety Car, compared to his teammate ahead. This gave him the chance to attack into T1, but the rookie defended excellently and kept his place. George braked harder than usual into T1, even though his teammate had left enough room, which Tsunoda behind took advantage of to steal P5.

George Russell was, alongside Max, the fastest on track. If we compare the lap times from Laps 29 to 39, when Sainz had the advantage of much fresher tyres, Russell was still on average a tenth quicker per lap. And this is exactly what allowed him to constantly increase his gap to Sainz. When the gap was large enough, the team made the call and brought their driver in. A quick pit stop and Russell came out just 1.3 seconds ahead of Sainz, now officially in P2.

‘Rise from the sick bed’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/un...to-podium-baku


Sick, Slick, and Second: Russell Benches Bottas in Baku
Alex Albuquerque
September 21, 2025
FastestLap.com

Sick, slick, and second: Russell guts out Baku podium as Mercedes readied Bottas. Mercedes very nearly called Valtteri Bottas back into service in Baku. By Friday morning, George Russell’s respiratory illness had left the team weighing up a late switch. By Sunday evening, Russell had dragged a bruising weekend into a polished P2 — the sort of salvage job that makes a team’s debrief room go quiet for a minute. The first sign it was serious came on Thursday when Mercedes excused Russell from media duties to help him recover. Even then, Toto Wolff admitted the situation was “touch and go” the following morning.

“It was George himself that said, ‘I’m not sure I can do it,’” Wolff revealed after the race. “Then every day he grew stronger, and to do a one-and-a-half hour race here in Baku without putting a foot wrong — that was a super-merited P2.” Russell qualified fifth on Saturday, and when the grand prix settled into its typical Baku rhythm — quick straights, slower brains — he leaned on the oldest trick in the Caspian playbook: stay out of trouble, manage the rubber, wait for the race to come to you.

An early shuffle dropped him to sixth, but he refused to burn up his tyres in the traffic, stretched his first stint long, and made the overcut bite. When he finally stopped, he came back out second on the road and never cracked. “It was about just staying out of trouble,” Russell said in the press conference. “I don’t think we had a spectacular weekend, to be honest. Carlos did an amazing job, and Liam as well yesterday. But the cars we ordinarily fight made mistakes or underperformed, and we picked up the pieces. The cooler temps helped a little bit, too.”

‘Sick, Slick, and Second’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/sick-sli...ottas-in-baku/


Mercedes casts positive take on Kimi Antonelli after ‘important’ F1 result
23 Sep 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has cast a positive verdict on Andrea Kimi Antonelli‘s Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix performance, after a summer of discontent for the Italian. “It was a really good rebound after Monza,” Wolff told the media, including Motorsport Week.

“He had such a difficult spell with the European races, and coming here with a solid P4 and running at the front, in the front group, is something to continue to build on and consolidate, and then have more good weekends until the end of the year. I think we always speak very openly with each other; there is no such thing as holding back.”

“He was not meeting his own expectations with what happened in Monza, where the driving just wasn’t what he expected or wanted it to be. Maybe a bit was missing in ultimate performance that maybe made the difference between a podium or not, but it was such a good consolidation, and in my opinion, it was important to score that result.”

‘Positive verdict’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...ant-f1-result/


Wolff Explains Context Behind 'Lucky Ba**ard' Comment to Williams Chief
September 23, 2025
Saajan Jogia Newsweek
Bellingham Herald

Mercedes AMG Formula One team principal Toto Wolff has opened up on his "lucky ba**ard" remark… "Lucky ba**ard! Congrats on your first podium as a TP."

Now, Wolff has elaborated on the friendly but "jovial" message and addressed Vowles' leadership capabilities. He told the media: "The lucky ba**ard is more jovial. As team principals, we get lots of the criticism, but also the glory, when others are doing a great job.”

"And I'm 100 per cent convinced that James is a great contributor to the team's success, and to the long-term thinking. Everybody delivered. The driver delivered. The pit stops were good overall. It's a trajectory that I enjoy seeing with him and for the team."

‘More jovial’;

https://www.bellinghamherald.com/spo...mainstage_card


Toto Wolff ‘in two minds’ over latest Mercedes customer success in F1 2026 nod
23 Sep 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

George Russell’s P2 in Baku was not the only Mercedes-powered podium result, as Carlos Sainz delivered an impressive drive to third in his Williams. Add that to the success of McLaren, which is on its way to clinching back-to-back Constructors’ titles as a Mercedes engine customer, and it is a great advert for Mercedes in Formula 1. Yet, the other voice in Toto Wolff’s head hopes Mercedes customers will not be “harming us” in F1 2026.

After Baku, Wolff was asked whether, having seen the performances of McLaren and Williams, he is concerned that a good Mercedes engine in F1 2026 could allow those two teams to mix it up with the Mercedes squad. “Or Alpine. You never know,” he responded. “So the thing is, I’m in two minds. First of all, we represent Mercedes-Benz, and I’d rather have a customer team with Mercedes-Benz engines winning than any other manufacturer.”

“But on the other side, I’m thinking, hopefully they’re not harming us, our campaign, too much. So, I’m happy for them and happy for the brand.” Wolff joked that he may need to take action on the Mercedes engine front. “On the other side, I’d like to take the engines away next year,” he said as laughter broke out. “Maybe they fail a few times!”

‘Toto ‘in two minds’ Wolff’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...26-competition

[Fortitude]

Guenther Steiner makes stunning Lewis Hamilton claim as ‘some’ Ferrari staff seek Carlos Sainz reunion.
Guenther Steiner says ‘some’ Ferrari staff regret Lewis Hamilton replacing Carlos Sainz.
25 Sept 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Steiner was asked on the Red Flags Podcast if Ferrari regretted bringing in Hamilton to replace Sainz this season and said: “I think some people in the team do. I think obviously management cannot feel regret because you would be admitting that you did something wrong, and you cannot do that, because I’m sure that some of the guys there, the feeling I get, because Ferrari finished eighth and ninth in Baku. Carlos Sainz, now with Williams, finished third, so it’s like, I guess the guy feeling best about it is Carlos Sainz.”

Later in the podcast, Steiner was asked during the Gas or Brake segment whether Sainz’s podium proves that Ferrari made the wrong choice in signing Hamilton. “Gas!” Steiner said, “I mean, Carlos was doing a good job. They wouldn’t have all the interference from outside of Lewis not performing, so the team could focus on going racing, making things better, instead of always trying to find out why Lewis doesn’t like the car.”

“They had a known quantity with Carlos; he could deliver, and Lewis obviously, I mean, I respect Lewis, but in the moment, for the unrest he brings into the team and around the team, is it a worthwhile investment? Maybe not. Also, the investment money-wise, I’m pretty sure it’s a lot higher with Lewis than with Carlos.”

‘The unrest he brings into the team’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gue...sainz-reunion/


The mascot that spurred Carlos Sainz and Williams to best F1 result of 2025
23 Sep 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

“You have a new mascot on the back of your helmet, Carlos?” Verstappen asked his former Toro Rosso stablemate in the cool down room after the race. “It’s a unicorn!” he replied. “A fan sent us this, I said I would wear it this weekend,” which prompted Verstappen to urge Sainz: “You have to keep it now!”.

Team Principal James Vowles also noted the mascot’s appearance, saying on a video posted by Williams: “There’s one more thing that is actually quite special, I’m pretty sure either Sparkles or Sprinkles had something to do with this as well at the same time. So, that’s staying, I assume, for a little while.”

In last week’s pre-race edition of Williams’ in-house social media series ‘Call Carbono’, a young fan posed an important question to Sainz: what should she name her toy unicorn? Whilst undecided between the choice of ‘Sparkles’ or ‘Sprinkles,’ Sainz did agree to her request of wearing a unicorn sticker on his helmet for the remainder of the season. And with the unicorn adorning his lid in Baku, Sainz completed a momentous moment for the team by completing the podium alongside race-winner Max Verstappen and George Russell.

‘The mascot’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...esult-of-2025/


Carlos Sainz has clear Lewis Hamilton stance after beating him to historic podium
24 Sep 2025
SPORTbible

After the race in Azerbaijan, Sainz was asked for a comparison between himself and Hamilton, but he refused to be drawn in.

He said: “What everyone else does is not my business, to be honest. What I care about is that the first opportunity that I had to score a podium with Williams, and the first opportunity Williams had to score a podium, we took it, we scored it, and there it is.”

“What everyone else does is not my business, to be honest”;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/carlos...99684-20250924


Sainz snatches Baku podium; Ferrari’s Hamilton still waiting
Alex Albuquerque
Sept 24, 2025
FastestLap.com

Carlos Sainz didn’t just put Williams back on a grand prix podium. He did it before Lewis Hamilton managed one in Ferrari red. That’s a neat headline for the season’s biggest driver swap — the man Maranello moved on picking up silverware with Grove while his replacement waits for a Sunday rostrum — but Sainz isn’t interested in the comparison. He’s too busy making Williams relevant on merit.

Baku can make anyone look like a hero or a passenger, and qualifying was the full circus: gusting winds, a spitting track, six cars in the wall and red flags thrown around like confetti. In the chaos, Sainz threaded a lap between stoppages and rain to bag a front-row start, only Max Verstappen finding more when the session rebooted. The real test was always going to be Sunday. Track position is currency in Azerbaijan, and there were faster cars queued up behind the blue-and-white FW47. It didn’t matter.

Sainz managed the afternoon with the poise of a driver who’s been here before — because he has — and carried Williams to third place at the flag, the team’s first podium in a full-length grand prix since this very race in 2017. “I always said to the team from the beginning that whenever a first big opportunity of fighting for a podium comes, as long as we have everything under control and nothing goes wrong and we prove to everyone what we’re doing… then I’ll be OK,” Sainz said, smiling the kind of smile that comes with relief and a little vindication. “It’s exactly what ended up happening today.”

‘He did it before Lewis Hamilton managed one in Ferrari red’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/sainz-sn...still-waiting/


Lewis Hamilton not on Sainz’s mind after landmark Williams podium
24 Sep 2025
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com

By snagging third in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz secured a podium with Williams before Lewis Hamilton — who took over his seat at Ferrari — could accomplish the same feat with his newest squad. Carlos Sainz’s landmark front-row start with Williams at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had many wondering if a strong performance was possible in the race, or if Sainz had simply gotten lucky in an unpredictable qualifying session.

Qualifying is not race pace, and Sainz’s true test was to come on Sunday afternoon. Yet, despite the fact that multiple top-tier cars had qualified behind him, he was able to hold onto third come the chequered flag, giving Williams its first podium in a full-length grand prix since the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It was a triumph for Sainz, and his team.

“Probably, if you asked many of us yesterday, we didn’t believe the podium was actually achievable with so many fast cars behind. But I think we’ve had good pace this year, we just didn’t have many opportunities to show it. Today we had a very good opportunity to show our very good pace, and we managed to stay on the podium.”

‘Carlos Sainz’s landmark front-row start with Williams’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...illiams-podium


Carlos Sainz Shrugs Off Lewis Hamilton Comparison After Baku Podium
Sept 24, 2025
Saajan Jogia Newsweek
Macon.com

Williams Racing Formula One driver Carlos Sainz has shrugged off the comparison with Lewis Hamilton after securing his first podium with the team this year at last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Sainz's milestone in a midfield team is a stark contrast to Hamilton's results in a strong team like Ferrari, as he has yet to deliver a top-three finish this season. Hamilton's Ferrari signing last year meant Sainz had to look elsewhere for a premier class racing seat. Eventually, he signed with the Grove-based outfit, impressed by team principal James Vowles' long-term goal of making Williams a championship-winning outfit.

Quite naturally, moving from a team where he won many races and several podiums last year to a team where scoring points would be a challenge was a difficult pill for Sainz to swallow. Hamilton, on the other hand, was expected to be in top form, given his wish to secure an eighth title with Ferrari. However, he has faced significant challenges in adapting to the SF-25 F1 car, often reporting his dissatisfaction with the car's rear end. Notably, his best result with the Maranello-based outfit was his Chinese Grand Prix sprint race victory.

‘Hamilton, on the other hand, was expected to be in top form’;

https://www.macon.com/sports/article...mainstage_card


Ralf Schumacher suggests Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari should go their ‘separate ways’ if they can’t fix one problem
24 Sept 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Speaking on a post-Baku podcast for Sky Sport Formel 1, former F1 driver turned pundit, Ralf Schumacher, voiced his opinion on the dynamic between Hamilton and his current employers, suggesting a dramatic end to their highly anticipated partnership after just one season together.

“The way they treat each other isn’t good. Then there’s Lewis’s criticism of the team. I’m sceptical of the combination,” Schumacher told viewers. “And then there’s this failure to swap back with Leclerc before the finish line. Ferrari has to do its work internally, otherwise it’ll tear itself apart from within. A thunderstorm clears the air; that’s a thing of the past. We simply need to talk openly with each other. The limits and expectations need to be defined. If Lewis no longer has trust in the team, and vice versa, that would be a great shame. Because if mistrust develops, then it’s better to let it go and go our separate ways at the end of the year.”

“The way they treat each other isn’t good”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ral...x-one-problem/