Formula One returned to the streets of Baku for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a venue that reset expectations for street races when it was first announced, combining the low grip and unyielding barriers common to the genre with the sort of low downforce and high speeds previously reserved for tracks like Monza or Hockenheim. It has since earned a reputation for being the template for the street circuits that have followed it, those in Jeddah and Las Vegas. The six-kilometre layout winds its way along the Caspian Sea and through the historic heart of the city, combining dauntingly fast straights with a tight and technical middle sector. Coming into the weekend, Aston Martin’s strong run of form came to a grinding halt at Monza, last time out, with neither driver scoring points – but Baku had traditionally been a stronger circuit for the team, being the scene of their maiden podium finish and presenting an opportunity to hit back immediately.
Practice Sessions
The first practice session got underway on Friday morning with drivers cautiously trundling out - the two Aston Martins only covering 4 laps in the first 15 minutes and setting unrepresentative times: Stroll in 17th and Alonso 18th. An 8-minute red flag stoppage followed, when Gasly reported carbon debris at the last corner. When the running resumed, the Aston Martin pair didn’t make any progress and at the halfway point their positions remained unchanged. As the session headed into the final 15 minutes Alonso climbed to 12th and Stroll to 15th neither driver finding the pace needed to get into the top ten. When the chequered flag fell, Alonso was P15, Stroll P17, a subdued opening hour for the green machines. The afternoon session was almost a repeat of the morning one. Both Aston Martins headed out after 6 minutes and initially Stroll set the 11th fastest time and Alonso the 15th, but by the halfway point Stroll had slipped to 17th and Alonso to 19th. Heading into the final quarter of an hour Stroll was 16th and Alonso 18th but when the session ended the pair were languishing where they were previously, in 17th and 19th. For the final practice session on Saturday morning blustery winds were sweeping across the Baku City Circuit - the unpredictable gusts funnelled by the tall buildings disrupting the stability of the cars. The teams took their time heading out on track as yellow flags had been deployed due to a branch being blown onto the track. The Aston Martin pair only left the garage on soft compound tyres when 19 minutes had passed and Alonso immediately posted a strong lap, briefly going P4, while Stroll slotted into 13th, 2.5 seconds slower than Alonso. The times soon stabilised as other drivers set representative laps and at the halfway stage Alonso had dropped to 15th and Stroll to 14th. The final half hour saw little improvement, with Alonso still running 15th and Stroll 16th, with 15 minutes left. At the close Alonso finished P14 while Stroll bookended the order, in 20th, the pair having collected information over a combined total of 112 laps.
Qualifying
From the moment the track was opened for Q1 urgency filled the pit lane with drivers lining up eagerly to head out as soon as they could as there was a risk of rain and the wind was expected to play tricks. Sparks literally flew in the Aston Martin garage as mechanics rushed to release Alonso and Stroll into a congested queue. Both AMR25s quickly got to work - Alonso’s first flying lap put him as high as P3, with Stroll close behind in P7. Faster cars inevitably shuffled them down the order, Alonso to P9 and Stroll to P13, when the first red flags were deployed after Albon had clipped an inside wall, bending his wheel and suspension and needing him to stop on track. After 5 minutes of stoppage, at the restart, Alonso and Stroll returned to the circuit promptly, but before any more laps could be banked, another crash brought out a second red flag – this time Hulkenberg smashing into a wall and losing his front wing and nose. At this point, Alonso was P11 and Stroll P16, the Canadian being noted by the Stewards for a yellow-flag infringement, adding a layer of jeopardy. As the session ticked towards its conclusion, both Aston Martins left the garage for one final attempt and in an anxious finale, Alonso and Stroll crossed the line in P8 and P9 – just 2 seconds before Colapinto crashed and brought out yet another red flag, ending the session. With both Aston Martins safely through to Q2, it was a huge relief after all the disruptions. After a short delay, the second round got going but within two minutes, Bearman glanced a wall upon exit and damaged his car, triggering yet another red flag. Fortunately, Alonso had just set a banker lap, slotting himself into an impressive P5. Stroll, meanwhile, had not yet laid down a time. Six minutes later running resumed - Leclerc spun pirouette-style on his flying lap, underlining how tricky the conditions had become. With just 5 minutes left on the clock, Alonso was confined to the drop zone, in P13, after having a lap time deleted, while Stroll hovered on the cusp, in P11. Both green machines went out to push again on their final laps, Alonso producing a seemingly safe lap time, climbing to P8, but other drivers went quicker, dropping him down to P11, missing out on Q3 by just 0.069s. Stroll was unable to improve, as the tailwind caught him out at first turn and he finished 14th. Although both Aston Martins were out, the final round served up even more twists and drama. First Russell slid wide and missed a turn, Leclerc smashed heavily into a wall and lodged his Ferrari awkwardly in it and Championship leader, Piastri followed with a crash of his own. Red flags flew repeatedly, extending the Qualifying session to almost 2 hours – longer than the race! Through all the destruction, Verstappen seized pole with a typically composed lap, ahead of Sainz and Lawson, the latter claiming their highest positions of the season – underlining the volatility of the Qualifying session.
Race
As the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team drivers lined up for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso starting from P11 and Lance Stroll from P14, there was a sense of Formula 1 historical significance being made by the team. This would be the first time ever that any driver pairing would have reached a combined total of 600 Grand Prix starts – a milestone that reflects longevity, resilience and the enduring spirit of competition. When the tyre covers came off it was revealed that both drivers would start on medium compounds, offering the opportunity of having additional grip in the early laps and the chance of extending their opening stints if there was a safety car. The formation lap passed without incident, but as the lights went out to start lap one, commotion unfolded. Piastri made an uncharacteristically disastrous getaway, reacting incorrectly to the start sequence, applying his brakes after moving off too early and then trying to accelerate again — only to find the field streaming past him. Alonso, directly behind, had to take avoiding action, swerving across the track and losing momentum and in the process Hamilton found a way past him. But the matador didn’t give up and he became embroiled in wheel-to-wheel battles with both Ferraris as they funnelled through the opening corners. Stroll, further back, also capitalised on the confusion and moved up to 13th. Piastri’s day then took a further twist for the worse – at turn 3, having compounded his dreadful start, he locked up and piled head-on into a wall and put himself out of the race. The Safety Car, the new Aston Martin Vantage, was immediately deployed, before the first lap had even been completed. News quickly came through that Alonso was under investigation for a potential false start, a result of having twitched in reaction to Piastri’s early move. By the time the Safety Car was withdrawn at the start of lap 5, it was confirmed: a five-second time penalty would be handed to Alonso. At the restart, Stroll lost a place and was back in P14 and on lap 8 Alonso was relegated to P12 when Bortoleto passed him decisively. That is where they stayed for the next 7 laps. Although Stroll was in DRS range of Colapinto and he pressed hard, at one point making a lunge to get past, he couldn’t make the move stick and was repassed. With Colapinto forming a train of cars behind him, all within a second of each other, he came into the pits eventually for his one & only mandatory tyre stop, allowing Stroll to move up to 13th. We were now in the window, on lap 18, where those on medium tyres would have to start coming in, Antonelli being one of the first, which meant Alonso moved up to 11th. On lap 20, Leclerc stopped, promoting Alonso to the top ten. Stroll, still in P13, kept his pace consistent, while keeping Hulkenberg’s Haas behind, despite growing pressure. Then Lawson stopped, from 3rd place, rejoining behind Alonso on fresh tyres. Although that briefly elevated Alonso, it was then his turn, on lap 22, to come into the pits for a tyre change and serve his five-second penalty. By the time he rejoined, he had dropped to P17, his afternoon compromised, more so when, almost immediately, Albon cruised past Alonso, demoting him to 18th. Stroll, running slightly longer, rose as high as P12, but the pressure and a train of cars, Hulkenberg within DRS range, mounted behind him. And we were only at the halfway stage! Slowly, a few gaps emerged that allowed the Aston Martins to move up. First of all Bortoleto stopped, elevating Stroll to 11th and Alonso moved up to P16 when Bearman and Gasly stopped. However, on fresher tyres, Bortoleto overtook Stroll on lap 37, which was the signal for Stroll to come into the pits for his mandatory tyre change on the next lap, rejoining in P17 - Alonso moving up a place, to P15. Although towards the end of the race light rain was reported in parts of the circuit, it never developed into anything significant. A huge battle ensued for the remainder of the race between Lawson, Tsunoda, Norris and Hamilton, but their positions never changed. As they didn’t for Aston Martin, their positions being set until the chequered flag on lap 51: Alonso finished P15, Stroll P17 - neither having the pace to make further progress. At the front, Verstappen controlled the race and won, with Russell chasing and Sainz slotting into third.
Reflections
It was a bruising Sunday in Baku for Aston Martin. The five-second penalty handed to Alonso at the start set the tone, costing track position he was never able to recover. Stroll’s longer first stint showed brief promise, but once he emerged from his stop he was buried in traffic and unable to convert the strategy into points. More alarmingly, with both Racing Bulls scored points, especially Lawson finishing the highest he’s ever done in his F1 career, in 5th, which promoted them above Aston Martin, who slipped to 7th in the Constructors’ Championship.
Post Race Comments
Commenting afterwards on the second race in a row with no points, the driver’s reaction was minimal. Alonso said, "It was a difficult race without much happening and we simply didn't have the pace. At the start, I reacted to Oscar's movement and unfortunately got the penalty. I don't think this impacted our race in the end, because we just didn't have the performance. Hopefully our car will suit Singapore better and we can fight for the points again." Stroll reiterated that, stating, "We stayed out for a longer stint on the mediums hoping to take advantage of a Safety Car that never came, which limited our opportunities and what we could do. We will look ahead to Singapore now where we hope to be more competitive and have a stronger race weekend."
With Singapore next on the horizon in two weeks’ time, recovery will be vital if the team is to remain competitive in the midfield battle, especially with Sauber only 7 points behind Aston Martin in the Constructors Championship.