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The F1 Azerbaijan GP ended with Max Verstappen winning the race and picking up a grand chelem. The Dutch driver secured pole, led every lap, had the fastest lap, and had the win. Baku often brings different kinds of challenges. This time, it was the rain in qualifying, which led to as many as 6 red flags.
The F1 Azerbaijan GP saw quite a few drivers put together splendid weekends, while a few others struggled. With that being said, how did the drivers fare during the race weekend? Let's take a look.
Criteria
- Performance in both qualifying and races is judged.
- Results achieved compared to the potential of the car.
- Mistakes made over the weekend.
- Relative performance against teammate.
2025 F1 Azerbaijan GP: Rating the drivers
McLaren
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Lando Norris
Rating: 7.5
Lando Norris closed the gap on Oscar Piastri by 6 points. It could and should arguably have been bigger, and in fairness, both the driver and the team didn't have a good weekend.
Oscar Piastri
Rating: 3
A weekend from hell for Oscar Piastri. The Australian was just uncomfortable in the car and ended up crashing in both qualifying and the race. First major off-weekend for the driver this season.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Rating: 6
The qualifying crash effectively ruined Charles Leclerc's weekend, as there was no coming back after that moment. He was the faster Ferrari driver, and there was more that was on the table, hence the disappointment.
Lewis Hamilton
Rating: 5.5
Lewis Hamilton was surprisingly happy after the F1 Azerbaijan GP, even though the race weekend didn't yield much. He was closer to Charles Leclerc than usual, but a bad qualifying session followed by a race where there was no progress made certainly didn't help.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen
Rating: 10
A testament to how good Max Verstappen is because every time there is a sniff of a win or a good result, he's always there. A title contender? Maybe. But for now, one can only sit back and admire the job he did.
Yuki Tsunoda
Rating: 7
A better weekend that was essentially a result of better qualifying, but Tsunoda would take it. The Japanese driver would be hoping to build on this in the upcoming races.
Mercedes
George Russell
Rating: 9
Under the weather all weekend, George Russell once again showed how big an asset he is to Mercedes. A brilliant first stint that saw him overcut multiple competitors, including his teammate, to take P2 in the F1 Azerbaijan GP was a job well done.
Kimi Antonelli
Rating: 8.5
Coming back from an 'underwhelming' home race in Monza, Kimi Antonelli was quite good in Baku and almost nabbed a podium. The best part of it all? The driver was furious about missing out on a podium instead of having an overall impressive weekend. The kid is growing up, finally!
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
Rating: 6
The error at the start is excusable as Alonso did whatever he could in the Aston Martin. Unfortunately, a car without pace is hard to get results in.
Lance Stroll
Rating: 5
Stroll was just a few steps behind Alonso this weekend, which ended up reflecting in how his F1 Azerbaijan GP ultimately panned out.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly
Rating: 5.5
An off in qualifying and being arguably slower than his teammate at the F1 Azerbaijan GP, Gasly had a weekend to forget. Especially in a car that's just not competitive at the moment.
Franco Colapinto
Rating: 6.5
The questions against Franco Colapinto should stop now as the Argentine continues to show that there's something good that he can accomplish in the car. He was the better Alpine driver this weekend and should have finished ahead of Gasly if not for Albon.
Haas
Esteban Ocon
Rating: 5.5
Ocon's struggles began in qualifying and were only exacerbated in a race where tires had next to no degradation, and he was just stuck in the pack.
Ollie Bearman
Rating: 6
Crashing in qualifying and not being able to bring a strong result is something that Bearman would not be happy with.
Racing Bulls
Liam Lawson
Rating: 8.5
An overall strong weekend for Liam Lawson. The Kiwi served an important reminder on a weekend when rumours of his exit surfaced.
Isack Hadjar
Rating: 7
Isack just appeared to be a step behind Liam this weekend. The French driver would be looking to bounce back the next time.
Williams
Alex Albon
Rating: 6
A rare off weekend for Alex Albon, but an off-weekend nonetheless. Clashing in qualifying completely destroyed what could have potentially been a very strong weekend for the Thai driver.
Carlos Sainz
Rating: 10
A much-deserved result for Carlos Sainz, something that has deserted him this season. The Spaniard would be hoping that this is the trigger point for a much better run.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg
Rating: 5
Hulkenberg continues to struggle in qualifying and was once again a step behind his rookie teammate at the F1 Azerbaijan GP, who seems to be growing from strength to strength.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Rating: 7
Bortoleto did what he could in the F1 Azerbaijan GP, but the Sauber was seemingly just not good enough to finish in points.
