Max Verstappen’s dominance returned, securing win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Written by: Henry Quach 🇻🇳

This year's champions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Photo Credit: Clive Rose, Getty Images)

After a two-week break and a chaotic race in Monza, Italy, Formula One made its return to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 21 for a 51-lap battle. This track has had its fair share of tricky racing moments, but not for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Verstappen won his fourth grand prix of the season and his second win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, joined by Mercedes's George Russell in second and Williams’s Carlos Sainz Jr. in third. 

Sainz won his first podium finish for Williams Racing while also earning his first podium finish since 2021.

After a wild qualifying session, a brand-new record of red flag stoppages during a qualifying session was set. Six drivers crashed or made contact with the wall, facing significant damage to their cars but more importantly, it left car parts onto the track which could further damage the oncoming cars. 

Despite the chaos, Verstappen stayed cool under pressure and gained the fastest lap of the session, granting him the pole position, the most favorable racing start position, for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

After the warmup lap, drivers were ready for the rapid race start. As the five lights cleared off, the race began with Verstappen keeping the lead after a good jump. 

It was a clean start in the early goings until a nightmare struck for current championship leader, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

On lap one, his race abruptly ended after a lock-up sent his car into a wall, causing drama for his teammate Lando Norris and for Verstappen, as they threatened his reign.  

Ultimately, a safety car was introduced into the race which, depending on the seriousness of the crash, may be called to reset the track and allow the race to resume in an organized way. 

Teams create plans for strategies and tire changes ahead of time, so the introduction of a safety care is not always accounted for. 

On lap five, the Mercedes teammates nearly crashed into each other as Kimi Antonelli was defending fourth place with teammate Russell. At the sight of missed opportunities, the gap closed between the two, causing Russell to drop a few places.

A few laps later, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was penalized for moving during the five red light start. He had to serve a five-second penalty when going into the pit lane for a tire change. 

On lap 10, Russell surpassed Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda to take back the fifth place spot. 

It was a long track for the drivers, but slowly, the gaps began to increase throughout the race, making it difficult to gain any new positions as Verstappen continued to bolster his lead. 

Then on lap 20, Williams’s Alex Albon suffered a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in lap 17. 

This race showcased that strategy was key for every team. Because this track was a tight street race, any slight mistake might be costly, as teams pitted to cover any plans and made sure they weren’t beat in the pit lane. 

Position battles during the race were all over the place in an attempt to increase their chances of winning the Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship.

However, no racer was as dominant as Verstappen, leading to his ultimate victory.

The drivers and teams will have a one-week break before heading to Singapore for the Singapore Grand Prix on October 5th. Many approaches can be taken during this break, as teams improve their car or get the rest needed to build energy for what's to come.