6 off-track moments you may have missed at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix proved to be a weekend of drama and shock results. Max Verstappen took a second dominant win in a row, while Williams and Carlos Sainz secured a fan-favourite podium, and championship leaders McLaren endured their lowest-scoring weekend of the season.

The track action delivered yet again round the beautiful streets of Baku, but aside from the dramatics on-track, the city played host to numerous notable moments – from furry paddock stars stealing the spotlight to heartwarming driver camaraderie – that once again proved the magic of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Feline favourites in the paddock

While Grand Prix weekends are most notably graced by famous faces from music, film, and sport, it was a rather more unexpected star that captured the spotlight in Baku. A group of stray cats made themselves at home in the paddock, quickly becoming unlikely celebrities over the weekend.

At first, staff tried to usher them out for safety reasons – but the four-legged visitors had already charmed the teams, drivers, and fans. One particularly lucky kitten even ended up with a makeshift paddock pass, perfectly nicknamed ‘Furrari’. The story spread so quickly that it reached all the way back to the UK, where Alex Albon’s mum took to Instagram to jokingly plead for the feline to be brought home to join the ever-growing Albon family of pets.

Let’s hope to see these special guests star again in 2026!

Piastri’s front row seat of the Grand Prix

Championship leader Oscar Piastri had a weekend to forget in Baku, on the very circuit he had produced a stunning win in 2024. After a frustrating crash in Q3 on Saturday, things went from bad to worse on Sunday, as he jumped the start at lights out, then went into anti-stall as the field came past him, before locking up and crashing into the barriers at Turn 7 on the first lap.

But after climbing out of the car, he didn’t vanish – he is a racing fan after all. Instead, Piastri was spotted just on the other side of the barriers, sat back watching the rest of the race on a marshal’s phone, feet up, in a surprisingly calm posture. From there he had a good view of some of the mid-race incidents, including the dramatic contact between Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto which left the Thai driver with a 10-second penalty.

When it was time to head back to the paddock, the quirks of a city circuit meant there was no easy lift home. Piastri had to make the walk back through the streets of Baku, turning an otherwise frustrating day into an impromptu photo shoot as fans and photographers captured the unusual sight of a driver strolling through the city in full race kit.

Bromances aplenty for Sainz

During an unforgettable weekend for Carlos Sainz in Baku, where his fantastic pace and tactical brilliance brought Williams their first podium in a full-distance race since 2017, the drivers showed their love for the 'Smooth Operator'.

After securing a brilliantly unexpected front-row start after Saturday’s Qualifying, Sainz was joined by old Toro Rosso team mate Max Verstappen and his Red Bull crew to celebrate the achievement, proving that friendships in Formula 1 often outlast team colours.

That love carried through to Sunday’s race, when Sainz converted his front-row start into a long-awaited podium for the team. Team mate Alex Albon – despite a challenging race of his own – was front and centre in the celebrations, while Team Principal James Vowles looked every bit the proud parent at Williams’ first podium under his management.

The congratulatory messages didn’t stop there: ex-team mate Charles Leclerc used his team radio to tell Sainz he’d “done a good job,” whilst a number of the other drivers congratulated the Spaniard in interviews and social media posts.

Sainz shared the podium with Mercedes’ George Russell, who also happens to be Williams’ last podium finisher, adding an extra sense of continuity and history to the moment. Vowles’ former team, Mercedes, didn’t miss the chance to celebrate too: Toto Wolff and the team showered Williams with congratulatory gifts, a perfect reminder that rivalries can sometimes be pretty wholesome!

A famous friend at the flag for Verstappen

As with most Grands Prix, some of the biggest stars wave the drivers across the line, and in Baku, this was no exception. However, this weekend marked a special twist for winner Max Verstappen, as it was his close friend and world-renowned DJ Martin Garrix who was waiting at the finish line to wave the chequered flag as the Dutchman secured an emphatic victory.

The Dutch duo have been close for years, and Garrix’s flag-waving cameo was a fitting way to mark another triumph for Verstappen as his season seems to be taking a positive turn heading into the final seven races of the season. The pair embraced afterwards, capping off a weekend where music and motorsport once again crossed paths.

Helmet watch in Baku

George Russell debuted a special one-off helmet over the weekend in Azerbaijan with a fin-tastic addition to his usual light blue look for a design inspired by the ocean. Covered with colourful sea creatures, the lid was created in partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation to raise awareness of ocean conservation. The Mercedes driver’s striking design turned plenty of heads in the paddock, and looked right at home next to the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Carlos Sainz’s helmet told a different story, but one every bit as heart-warming. Ahead of the weekend, the Williams driver promised a young fan that he’d carry a unicorn on his helmet in Baku – and sure enough, a small sticker appeared on the back over the entirety of the weekend.

It might have been intended as a playful one-off addition, but after Sainz qualified on the front row and converted that into William’s first podium in four years, 'Sparkles' was quickly hailed as a lucky charm. Let’s hope it becomes a permanent feature on the Spaniard's lid for the remainder of the season!

No easy ride home

The chaos of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix didn’t stop when the chequered flag fell. Good friends Leclerc and Sainz were travelling back to Monaco together after the race when their flight was unexpectedly diverted into Italy due to a storm.

Rather than wait around, the pair – joined by a few friends – hired a rental van to complete the two-hour trip home. And fittingly, it was fresh podium finisher Sainz who jumped behind the wheel once more, capping off his memorable Baku weekend by driving the final leg himself. Despite it being late at night, the spirits were still high with the ex-team mates!