F1 Sunday was marked by the consequences of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held on Saturday, and by a shift in the championship landscape. Kimi Antonelli remains the leader with 302 points, but George Russell trimmed the gap to 66 after his win in Baku, while no other driver is within 100 points of the Italian.
Russell left Azerbaijan with renewed confidence in Mercedes. The Briton started from pole position, led all 51 laps, and set the fastest lap to complete his first grand slam, while also stating that the W17 has once again put him in a position to contest victories regularly. Since the August break, he has collected three podiums in four races and also won the Sprint in the Netherlands.
Max Verstappen also drew attention after he started eighth and finished just 0.196s behind Russell. Despite the comeback, the Dutch driver revealed that he expects a grid penalty at some point during the rest of the season, believing he will not be able to complete the championship without exceeding the power unit’s component limit.
At Ferrari, the pressure on Fred Vasseur returned to the forefront. Amid speculation about his future, the team principal indicated that he does not intend to work under the leadership of Christian Horner should the former Red Bull boss take over the operation. The potential change, however, remains unconfirmed, while other names also surface as linked to the role.
Baku also left open questions for other teams. Oscar Piastri admitted surprise at the locking of the front wheels that caused him to lose positions while defending second place, while Fernando Alonso and Honda offered different readings on the issue that forced the Spaniard to retire. Alonso reported an abnormal loss of speed in a straight line, but the manufacturer said no fault was found in the power unit data.
Gabriel Bortoleto also had his result changed after the race. The Brazilian, who started 17th with Audi, officially finished 15th after receiving a 10-second penalty, closing a weekend in which McLaren left without points and Antonelli kept the championship lead despite Russell’s closing in.
