The Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 was far from predictable. It was total chaos, marked by crashes, penalties, and unexpected podiums. But what shocked everyone the most was McLaren’s result with Lando Norris on P7 and Oscar Piastri ending in DNF. McLaren stepped into this weekend in hopes of closing the Constructor’s Championship 2025 with a double podium, but as the fate would have it, with Piastri’s early crash in lap 1 and Norris failing to secure a better place on grid, these hopes were shattered. Not only did they lose a chance to lock in the championship with seven rounds yet to go, they endured the worst weekend of the 2025 season.

It’s no surprise that McLaren has been at the top of their game this season, and the only weekend that comes close to Baku’s result was the Canadian Grand Prix 2025, where Lando Norris ended up in DNF and Oscar Piastri finished P4. But Baku 2025 was even worse.

Baku 2025: McLaren’s Nightmare

The drama began before the race even really got going. Piastri, starting from ninth on the grid, made a costly error by jumping the start. This rare misjudgment for the championship leader dropped him to the very back of the pack. And not long after, at Turn 5, a crash brought his race to an abrupt and crushing end, resetting his 34-race streak of finishing Grand Prix events to zero and leaving McLaren staring at a zero on the scoreboard from one of their stars.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, managed to avoid a nightmare but was far from trouble-free. Limited overtaking opportunities and a painfully slow pit stop (4.1 seconds) kept him bottled up in midfield, unable to capitalise on Piastri’s misfortune or push significantly up the order. Finishing seventh meant he could only earn six points from Piastri’s championship lead.

From start to finish, the Baku race was a challenge for McLaren, and the luck just wasn’t on their side.

Looking ahead, McLaren must figure out what’s wrong with them and fix it before Singapore next weekend. The season still has seven rounds left, and while the points gap has widened, there’s racing left to be done.

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Max Verstappen has ranked the top five F1 drivers of all time, with one name standing out.

The 26-year-old Dutchman is becoming more and more common in these discussions as a result of his three championships and sixty grand prix victories.

But when asked lately who his own top five would be, one name that is rarely mentioned made the list.

The top five F1 drivers of all time are a hotly disputed topic. The requirements, expectations, and physicality of F1 have all altered dramatically over the last 74 years, and the sport has grown through generations over that period.

Given how difficult it is to compare drivers from different eras, it is both subjective and scholarly. In short, it’s almost impossible to answer; however, Verstappen gave it a shot.

“I know what happens because whatever I say, there will be people commenting and disagreeing. It’s a difficult question,” he told DAZN, before giving his answer.

“I will go for Michael [Schumacher], probably also Ayrton [Senna], Fernando [Alonso], Lewis [Hamilton] and [Juan Manuel] Fangio. The familiar names.”

Who are the Verstappen’s Favourite Five F1 Drivers?

However, one name jumps out, no matter how familiar it may seem. Fernando Alonso is the most experienced Formula One driver of all time, and while he has always been one of the most gifted, his results have not always reflected that, having spent much of his later career with midfield teams.

He made his debut for Minardi in 2001 and will still be racing 25 years later, with his next Aston Martin deal running until at least the end of 2026.

Since 2001, he has participated in 389 Grands Prix (starting all but three) and won 32 times, the last of which was 11 years ago. However, the Red Bull driver believes that the two-time champion’s success is based on more than just winning.

“I think Fernando always shows himself as he is,” Verstappen said. “That is something I admire enormously. He has been very successful but remains passionate about racing. 

“He’s a typical, kind man, which I like. He is also very pleased when another driver performs well.

By the time the next Aston Martin agreement is completed, it will be two decades since he won the second of his two drivers’ titles. It has been nearly ten years since he won a grand prix.

His career began with a bang when he became F1’s youngest race winner at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. However, despite not being widely regarded as one of the greatest five drivers in F1 history, his brilliance far outweighs her achievements in the competition.

Verstappen finds connections in his career and Alonso’s. Both reignited their home country’s love of Formula One, and both became their country’s first world champion.

“I believe he was the first Spanish Formula One driver to make the sport popular in Spain. He also became a global champion. “For me, it’s similar in the Netherlands,” the Dutchman added.

Verstappen believes parallels between his and Alonso’s careers. Both reignited their home country’s love of Formula One (F1), and both became their country’s first world champion.

“He loves racing and I love racing. He is even a little bit older than me because at his age he is still in F1. I have a lot of respect for him. I remember following him in F1 when I was still in karts. For him, I turned on the TV because I knew he was going to race well.”

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