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9.26pm
Lap 10: I’m sitting in front of my television, so I obviously can’t hear the Baku crowd super clearly. However, I imagine they’re already chanting Max Verstappen’s name because the Dutchman is absolutely flying.
He has just set the fastest lap and lead Carlos Sainz by two seconds.
Kiwi Liam Lawson is a further two seconds behind, with Kimi Antonelli in fourth.
9.23pm
This isn’t a championship ending race for Oscar Piastri, however his uncharacteristic error has opened up the championship and created a huge opportunity for his rival and teammate Lando Norris.
His 31-point lead in the drivers’ championship could be halved or reduced even further, depending on where Norris finishes.
UPDATE: We’ve also just heard that Piastri has been given five-second penalty. Except he can’t serve it … because he isn’t in the race. This will likely mean a grid place penalty in the next race in Singapore.
9.16pm
The yellow flag is over and racing has resumed.
Lando Norris has dropped to ninth place after falling victim to a Charles Leclerc overtake. Lewis Hamilton follows closely behind in 10th position.
9.15pm
Sorry folks, what an intense few minutes.
I’ll give you some more analysis and information on that Piastri mistake and crash. However in the meantime, here’s a quick summary of what happened after the crash.
The Australian’s crash triggered a yellow flag and Max Verstappen is still currently leading the race, with Carlos Sainz behind him.
9.06pm
Oscar Piastri has crashed and is now out of the race.
Replay footage shows the Australian jumped the start – an uncharacteristic error from the championship leader – and his McLaren stalled.
He then plummeted from ninth place to last place before locking up and sending his car into the barriers near turn 5. Piastri will come away with zero points.
This is now a huge opportunity for his teammate and rival Lando Norris.
9.04pm
We’ve got Max Verstappen on the hard tyres, with Carlos Sainz and Lawson on the mediums. George Russell has also opted for hard tyres however Piastri and Norris are on the medium compounds.
And..… WE ARE RACING!!
Verstappen gets a clean start who leads out of turn 1 with Sainz close behind.
8.55pm
McLaren has changed the chassis on Oscar Paistri’s car, following his massive shunt during qualifying. Sky Sports commentators mention the chassis is an older one that the Australian has used before.
Also we’ve heard some temperamental weather is headed our way. Fingers crossed for clear skies!
It will be lights out at 9pm AEST.
8.44pm
McLaren has dominated the first half of the F1 2025 season with 12 grand prix wins. The only interludes have been Max Verstappen and George Russell.
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This week marks Verstappen’s second pole position, after expertly converting a few weeks ago to win in Monza. To be clear, it is very unlikely that Verstappen can win the driver’s championship, unless cataclysmic diaster befalls the papaya team. The constructor’s championship is also in safe hands, given Red Bull’s second driver Yuki Tsunoda is struggling.
However, Verstappen in a semi-quick Red Bull can create a headache for McLaren, who thus far, have not prioritised or picked a number one driver.
This championship is a two-horse race between Piastri and Norris. However, if Verstappen continues to loom, it may force the team to back a driver to protect the championship.
8.23pm
Rain, rain, stay away, we chant at our television screens.
Rainfall marred yesterday’s qualifying session, but the skies look pretty clear ahead of today’s race. However, the forecast is predicting significant gusts of wind.
8.17pm
Thanks for joining us tonight folks. While we wait for the pre-race interviews, I thought I’d provide some fun facts on the race.
Tonight’s race is in Baku which is a street or city circuit with 51 laps. It has a full circuit length of around 6.003km and a distance of 306.049km with 20 corners.
There’s a mixture of 90-degree turns and medium-speed corners, which is why we saw so many cars crash yesterday during qualifying – one mistake can be pretty costly. As championship leader Oscar Piastri unfortunately found out yesterday...
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