F1 leaves the European season behind and returns to the unique streets of Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and round 17 of the 2025 season this weekend.
Oscar Piastri controversially relinquished second place last time out at the Italian Grand Prix, conceding a six-point swing in the title race to Lando Norris. With eight races to go, the Australian now holds a lead of 31 points over his McLaren teammate and insisted conversations have been had privately with the team over future team order scenarios.
Max Verstappen claimed his third win of the season in Monza with a dominant drive for Red Bull, while Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton came home fourth and sixth respectively.
Norris topped the leaderboard in FP1 on Friday but both he and teammate Piastri struck the wall in FP2 leaving the Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc to finish in a one-two at the top. Hamilton was buoyed by his table-topping time but has his sights on a strong qualifying session on Saturday.
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F1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- Round 17 of the 2025 F1 season takes place in Azerbaijan
- Qualifying starts at 1pm (BST)
- Lewis Hamilton tops FP2 in Ferrari one-two with Charles Leclerc
- Oscar Piastri has a 31-point lead in the world championship
- Hamilton says prospect of Ferrari win is 'far-fetched'
What time is qualifying in Baku?
10:35
,
Kieran Jackson
Qualifying at the Baku City Circuit takes place at 1pm (BST).
Lewis Hamilton says prospect of 2025 F1 win for Ferrari is ‘far-fetched’
12:30
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Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton believes the prospect of winning a race for Ferrari in his first season is “far-fetched”, with eight races to go in 2025.
The seven-time world champion, 40, has endured a difficult start to life at the Scuderia, having failed to finish on the podium in his opening 16 races with the team. While his best finish in a grand prix has been fourth, he did win the sprint race in China back in March.
Meet Alex Dunne, the 19-year-old eyeing Ireland’s first F1 seat in 23 years
12:12
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Kieran Jackson
“Excuse me?” I ask, slightly perplexed at the informality of the scene ahead. “I’ve got an interview with Alex...”
At the far end of the Rodin Motorsport truck, which houses a few tables, a dozen personnel poring over data on laptops and a built-in racing simulator, an Irish teenager pops his head out, next to the makeshift cockpit.
“Hi… yep let’s do it.” And so, Alex Dunne leads me into a brightly lit meeting room opposite and closes the doors.
Why Williams star Alex Albon is F1’s most underrated driver in 2025
11:59
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Kieran Jackson
Two-thirds of the way through the 2025 season and, beyond the race for the drivers’ championship, the midfield battle continues apace as we leave the European season behind.
Next, the streets of Baku and a glance at the top 10 on the leaderboard highlights one star performer, exceeding expectations and then some.
Audi CEO was sceptical about German giant entering Formula 1 – but this is why he’s now all in
11:52
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Kieran Jackson
Gernot Dollner, who became Audi CEO in September 2023, wasn’t the man who made the decision in 2022 to join F1. In fact, he wasn’t in favour of the move, as he admits in an exclusive interview with The Independent.
“Yeah, you are right. In my role as head of strategy of Volkswagen Group, I was quite sceptical regarding looking at Formula One,” said Dollner.
Lewis Hamilton reveals why he sold all his cars
11:42
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Mike Jones
Lewis Hamilton, Formula One’s most decorated driver with seven world championships and 105 race victories, has revealed he has sold on his extensive car collection, stating he is now "more into art".
Speaking to reporters on Thursday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the 40-year-old confirmed he no longer owns the multi-million-pound assortment of limited edition Ferraris, Mercedes, and McLarens.
Oscar Piastri’s instinct was right – have McLaren’s F1 team orders gone too far?
11:30
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Kieran Jackson
Another race, another twist in this fascinating intra-team title battle for the F1 world championship between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Only this time, amid a disorderly few minutes for McLaren in the Monza pit-lane, the yardstick has shifted somewhat.
The finale to Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen coasted to victory in a Red Bull car unexpectedly superior to this year’s runaway leaders, took a surprising turn with a few laps to go. Piastri and Norris were holding out for a late safety car, having not pitted at all in the 53-lap race. With no incident forthcoming, third-placed Piastri pitted first; second-placed Norris followed a lap later.
Max Verstappen implored to join Ferrari
11:17
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Kieran Jackson
Eddie Irvine has implored Max Verstappen to join Ferrari, insisting the Dutchman should not “leave it too late like Lewis Hamilton did.”
“Back in my day, you had Michael [Schumacher] come, he was seen as by far the fastest driver,” Irvine told Sky Sports F1. “Because of that, Rory Byrne came, Ross [Brawn] came, and that whole team was built around the fact that Michael was another world.
“A bit like Verstappen is now, where if Verstappen went somewhere, he could take a lot of people. Without the whole system together, everyone’s, you know, at the same level. It’s tough, Formula 1’s tough.
“Michael gave up a lot, like Michael probably gave up two, three, maybe even more world championships to leave Benetton to go [to Ferrari]. Because the first few years, people have no idea how bad it was at Ferrari.
“Michael, he knew there was no point for him. He was so much better than everyone else. He just decided, ‘I’m going to go there. I’m going to see what I can do,’ which was amazing.
“And he got there. But people forget, it took four years. He was always in the vicinity, but it was just that you could see he was driving the wheels off the thing to try and be there. So, it was very easy for it not to happen.
“I would love Verstappen to come to Ferrari. I think the two of them together would be sensational. I hope he doesn’t leave it too late like Lewis did.”
Lewis Hamilton on ‘very slow journey’ to compete against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari
11:05
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Kieran Jackson
Johnny Herbert believes Lewis Hamilton is on a “very slow journey” towards being competitive against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.
Hamilton, 40, is yet to finish on the podium after 16 races at the Scuderia, with a best grand prix result of fourth in addition to his sprint race win in China back in March.
Leclerc, meanwhile, has finished on the podium five times this year and recorded a pole position in Hungary in July.
TOP-10 IN FP3
10:49
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Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris
2. Max Verstappen
3. Oscar Piastri
4. Lewis Hamilton
5. Kimi Antonelli
6. George Russell
7. Alex Albon
8. Ollie Bearman
9. Liam Lawson
10. Charles Leclerc
Lando Norris quickest in FP3!
10:33
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Kieran Jackson
Benchmark set by Norris in final practice, who stays fastest!
Max Verstappen nips into second, two-tenths behind, with Piastri a smidge slower in third!
4-10: Hamilton, Antonelli, Russell, Albon, Bearman, Lawson, Leclerc
Piastri goes P2!
10:28
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Kieran Jackson
After a few errors, that feels like an important lap for the championship leader.
Piastri goes second, three-tenths behind his teammate.
Final laps coming up now with three minutes to go...
Lando Norris goes top!
10:23
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Kieran Jackson
Here we go then, McLaren now coming to the fore!
Lando Norris goes fastest with a 1:41:223, five-tenths quicker than Verstappen!
The wind is still pretty heavy in Baku, around the 30mph mark.
Piastri, meanwhile, has to abort a quick flying lap after a slide. Just under 10 minutes to go!
Verstappen shoots up to P1!
10:15
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Kieran Jackson
Track is ramping up now, as Verstappen goes top by six-tenths to Charles Leclerc, now the quicker Ferrar in second!
Wind is still heavy, but qualifying simulation laps are definitely coming up now!
3-10: Piastri, Bearman, Sainz, Albon, Hamilton, Hadjar, Lawson, Antonelli
Hamilton quickest!
10:00
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Kieran Jackson
Halfway stage in this final practice and it’s a Ferrari one-two, with all the cars now out on track!
A 1:42:988 for the Briton, with Leclerc just a few tenths behind!
3-10: Verstappen, Albon, Norris, Tsunoda, Lawson, Antonelli, Hulkenberg, Bearman
Piastri up to P1!
09:51
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Kieran Jackson
The championship leader goes fastest with a 1:44:817, seven-tenths ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in second.
Only five cars on the leaderboard at the moment having set a time, but drivers complaining about windy conditions in Baku!
No cars on track early on!
09:37
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Kieran Jackson
As is often the way early in third practice, it’s taking some time for the cars to get out on track!
Liam Lawson is the only one out there right now...
FP3 underway!
09:32
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Kieran Jackson
Here we go then with the third and final practice in Baku!
After a few incidents involving the walls yesterday, a key session for the drivers to get in tune before a key qualifying session later on!
Lando Norris wants to be seen as a ‘good guy’ despite tension of title battle
09:29
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Kieran Jackson
“Certainly I would say I don’t like to be disliked. I want to come across as a good guy and a nice guy.
“You’re never going to be liked by everyone, so I think I’ve come more to terms with that fact.
“Yeah, certainly, I always want to give a good impression, that’s something that I care about.”
FP3 live!
09:22
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Kieran Jackson
So, who will set the benchmark in the final session!
Lando Norris was quickest in FP1 yesterday before Lewis Hamilton shot to the top of the timesheet in the afternoon session in Baku - what will happen this morning?!
How can I watch it online and on TV?
Friday 19 September 2025 14:45
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Mike Jones
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 10:30am (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Baku on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
When is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Friday 19 September 2025 14:40
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Mike Jones
All times BST
Saturday 20 September
- Free practice 3: 9:30am
- Qualifying: 1pm
Sunday 21 September
- Race: Midday
Lewis Hamilton tops second practice as McLaren suffer damage to both cars
Friday 19 September 2025 14:35
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Mike Jones
Title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both hit the wall in second practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton led an impressive Ferrari one-two.
The McLaren pair are slugging it out for the championship, with Piastri leading Norris by 31 points with eight rounds remaining.
Norris was the first to come unstuck on Baku’s demanding street circuit, banging his rear-left tyre into the wall on the exit of turn four.
Is Hamilton back?
Friday 19 September 2025 14:19
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Mike Jones
The team radios between Lewis Hamilton and his engineer were quite positive after it was confirmed that he topped FP2.
But, it seems a little early to say that the seven-time champion is in contention this weekend.
He needs a quick time in qualifying and preferably pole position.
The two rapid McLarens might have something to say about that tomorrow.
FP2 results
Friday 19 September 2025 14:14
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Mike Jones
Bottom half of the leaderboard:
11. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
12. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
13. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
14. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
FP2 results
Friday 19 September 2025 14:09
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Mike Jones
Here’s the top 10 for FP2, a good session for Ferrari:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 1:41.293
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.074
3. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.477
4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.486
5. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +0.598
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.609
7. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.696
8. Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.874
9. Alex Albon (Williams) +0.884
10. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.906
Lewis Hamilton tops FP2
Friday 19 September 2025 14:01
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Mike Jones
A very good day for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton who finishes FP2 with a time of 1:41.293 and the first place on the leaderboard.
Charles Leclerc, who went of at turn four just before the end of the session, takes second place.
Ferrari will be confident heading into tomorrow but they’ll need a strong qualifying session.
Hamilton back on top
Friday 19 September 2025 13:53
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Mike Jones
Oliver Bearman runs off track having got himself up to fifth on the medium tyres.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is back on soft tyres and goes quicker than Charles Leclerc by a minor amount.
Hamilton will take confidence he he finish FP2 on top of the leaderboard.
Here come Mercedes
Friday 19 September 2025 13:45
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Mike Jones
Kimi Antonelli sweeps around a quick lap with a time just four tenths of a second behind Charles Leclerc.
He lands fourth on the leaderboard with George Russell just ahead of him in third.
Russell, on an out lap with used tyres, weaves into the wall trying to warm up the rear tyres but its a soft clip without too much damage, at least at first view.
Norris out of the session
Friday 19 September 2025 13:41
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Mike Jones
A look into the McLaren garage shows that Lando Norris’ car is on stands and being taken apart.
Running into the wall seems to have broken the rear suspension.
The front wing has been taken off as have the wheels with the mechanics working hard to get the car fixed.
Leclerc beats Hamilton
Friday 19 September 2025 13:40
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Mike Jones
Charles Leclerc, who had finished on the podium here for the last five years, is now the fastest on track with a time of 1:41.367.
He’s a tenth of a second quicker than his teammate. This practice session really does seem like Ferrari flexing their muscles ahead of the weekend.
Verstappen up to third
Friday 19 September 2025 13:36
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Mike Jones
Max Verstappen has had a couple of quiet practice sessions but his up to third after 10 laps in FP2.
The Ferraris still lead the way with Oscar Piastri pushing to catch them.
Like Norris he clips a wall, not as hard, and has to pull out of a quick lap.
Things not going McLaren’s way at the minute.
Norris in trouble
Friday 19 September 2025 13:32
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Mike Jones
Lando Norris is heading out for a quick lap to try and challenge the Ferraris.
He takes a right-handed turn and loses the rear into the wall.
The gear box might be in trouble, the suspension also looks a bit iffy. Norris hobbles back to the pit after telling the team he’s lost his tyre.
Medium tyres working
Friday 19 September 2025 13:26
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Mike Jones
Carlos Sainz of Williams is up to fourth just seven tenths of a second behind Hamilton.
Racing bulls’ Isack Hadjar is +0.9 behind the Ferrari as well.
Both drivers are on the medium tyres just like Hamilton.
The difference between soft and medium doesn’t seem to be that great at present.
Through goes Hamilton!
Friday 19 September 2025 13:22
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Mike Jones
Lewis Hamilton is now the fastest driver out on track having displaced Leclerc at the top of the leaderboard by two tenths of a second.
“I touched the wall quite hard,” says Leclerc after losing his spot to his Ferrari teammate.
The left rear tyre bumped into the barrier and may have done a little bit of damage there.
Ferrari are impressing
Friday 19 September 2025 13:17
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Mike Jones
Charles Leclerc is back on top with a 1:41.786 and Lewis Hamilton shoots in just behind him for a second place berth.
Leclerc then clips the wall on the next lap with his rear end but doesn’t look to have done much damage.
Hamilton is +0.152 behind his teammate but he’s on medium tyres compared to Leclerc’s softs.
Leclerc hits the top
Friday 19 September 2025 13:12
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Mike Jones
Charles Leclerc is the fastest on track at the minute with a fine lap time of 1:42.207.
Lando Norris doesn’t let him stay there for long and navigates his McLaren around the street circuit in a quicker time of 1:42.199.
Norris looks like he’s enjoying himself today and will be keen to impress on Sunday.
Lawson off the track
Friday 19 September 2025 13:08
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Mike Jones
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson locks up and has to abandon his turn and flies into the run off area.
There’s a brief yellow flag but the action continues without too much trouble.
Lewis Hamilton goes off track in a similar fashion but at a different turn.
Piastri on the softs
Friday 19 September 2025 13:06
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Mike Jones
Oscar Piastri is on the soft tyre and sets a new fastest time through sector one.
He goes fastest through sector two as well and flies to the line in a time of 1:43.307.
That overtakes the early leader in FP2 which was Nico Hulkenberg.
Upgrade for Ferrari
Friday 19 September 2025 13:04
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Mike Jones
A slight upgrade on the Ferrari car, to assist cooling air flow to the brakes, could help them this weekend.
Hamilton’s car has slightly changed since FP1 and he heads out onto the track.
Plenty of cars are running medium tyres including Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon and Hamilton himself.
Alex Albon has gone out on hard tyres.
Free practice 2
Friday 19 September 2025 13:00
,
Mike Jones
Here we go then.
After a 26 minute pause during this morning’s free practice the teams will be hoping for a full contingent of practice this afternoon.
The teams are preparing themselves. The temperature is ideal and should reflect the conditions of Sunday’s race more accurately.
How can McLaren win the F1 constructors’ championship in Azerbaijan?
Friday 19 September 2025 12:54
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Mike Jones
Following round 17 this weekend in Azerbaijan, there will be just 346 points left to play for in the seven subsequent races and three sprint races. McLaren’s lead currently stands at 337 points.
Therefore, McLaren will seal the title this weekend if they have a lead of 346 points over the second-placed team in the standings by Sunday night.
As such, McLaren will win the constructors’ championship if Piastri and Norris’ combined total:
- Outscores Ferrari by nine points or more
- Not outscored by Mercedes by 12 points or more
- Not outscored by Red Bull by 33 points or more
A McLaren one-two finish, therefore, would guarantee the title, as would second and third place if Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton did not win the race.
One McLaren driver finishing first and the other finishing third would also seal the title, regardless of other finishing positions.
What record is set to be broken?
Friday 19 September 2025 12:48
,
Mike Jones
If McLaren seal the constructors’ crown this weekend, they would win the teams’ title with seven races remaining – a feat unmatched in F1 history.
In Red Bull’s record-setting run in 2023, when they won every race bar one, Red Bull sealed the title with six races remaining.
Another potential record to take from Red Bull would be their total points tally. Courtesy of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s combined 20 victories in 2023, Red Bull finished on 860. McLaren are currently on 617 and so on track to beat that total.
It’s an inevitability that the constructors’ trophy will stay at McLaren HQ in Woking, but there will be an extra cherry on the cake if McLaren can seal the deal on the streets of Baku.
Leclerc confident about strong weekend in Baku
Friday 19 September 2025 12:42
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Mike Jones
Charles Leclerc is confident he can put in a good performance at Baku this weekend and is targeting another podium place having finished in the top three here five times in a row.
"I still have this feeling, but mostly based on many years coming here, and most of the time we were not the favourites on paper, then we ended up having pole," Leclerc said.
"But that doesn't mean we can win on Sunday. Pole position puts you in the best possible place to start the race but that doesn't necessarily mean that we will have the race pace.
"That's what we've been lacking in the past years. I don't have a big hope that this year is going to be significantly different.
"McLaren is going to be the strongest team alongside Red Bull, because I think that in Monza, they definitely had something that seems to be working very well.
“It's not going to be easy, but in the places where we have a bit more of a chance, I remain convinced that Baku is one of those."
Hamilton would 'love' to earn F1 podium this season
Friday 19 September 2025 12:36
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Mike Jones
Lewis Hamilton was slightly pessimistic about his chances of winning a race with Ferrari this season and has his sights set on podium finishes instead.
The seven-time world champion explained: "A win is a bit far-fetched, considering I've been sixth, seventh and eighth for most of the season.
"I would love to get a podium for the team at some stage, Charles has had five of them.
"I feel optimistic coming into the weekend. I feel like I've found a couple of things and now I need to work on extracting them. So, I really hope that this weekend can be the start of that."
How can I watch Azerbaijan Grand Prix online and on TV?
Friday 19 September 2025 12:30
,
Mike Jones
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 10:30am (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Baku on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
Lando Norris enjoys the better of Friday morning’s practice in Baku
Friday 19 September 2025 12:10
,
Mike Jones
Lando Norris led the way in a disrupted first practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as title rival Oscar Piastri was hampered by an engine issue.
Championship leader Piastri, who enters the weekend 31 points clear of Norris with eight rounds remaining, was immediately told to return to the garage after starting his session.
The Australian jumped out of the car and McLaren confirmed they were attempting to fix a power unit issue.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix prediction, best bets & F1 odds: Piastri to extend lead in title race
Friday 19 September 2025 11:50
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Mike Jones
Formula One returns this weekend as the race for the Drivers’ Championship heats up at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
There are just eight races left of this F1 season as the teams head to Baku and betting sites make Oscar Piastri the heavy favourite to claim his maiden world title after opening up a 31-point gap to his McLaren team mate Lando Norris in the world title standings.
Max Verstappen eyes prestigious race outside of F1 after Nurburgring debut
Friday 19 September 2025 11:40
,
Mike Jones
Max Verstappen has raised the prospect of competing at next year’s 24 Hours of Nurburgring event after obtaining the required licence to race at the famous German track.
The four-time F1 world champion, who has expanded his sim-racing team this year with an eye on competing in GT3 endurance racing, completed a convoluted process over the weekend to obtain the DMSB Nordschleife A permit.
British Grand Prix handed massive boost for 2026 F1 event at Silverstone
Friday 19 September 2025 11:30
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Kieran Jackson
F1 fans have been handed a bonus ahead of this week’s ticket sale for the 2026 British Grand Prix with the news that Silverstone will host a sprint race for the first time in five years.
The iconic circuit in Northamptonshire hosted the first-ever F1 sprint race back in 2021, won by Max Verstappen, but has not hosted the shortened format – which results in four competitive sessions across the weekend and just one hour of practice – in the years that have followed.
