F1 split wide open!

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday. Pics/AFP

After a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it seems like nearly half the field is capable of winning races in Formula 1. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, whose driver Lando Norris is Max Verstappen's closest title challenger, says he's enjoying the best show he's seen in his eight years in F1. There have been six different winners in the last eight races, representing four different teams. Verstappen, whose dominance in 2022 and 2023 broke records, still leads the standings but his last win was in June.

"This is the best season I can think of ever in Formula 1 since I've been here," Brown told The Associated Press from the IndyCar season finale at Nashville Superspeedway in Tennessee. Could it even be better than the 2021 fight between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, which was decided on the final lap of the year and helped fuel F1's Netflix boom? Brown thinks it might be. "That was mega exciting, but it's just two guys, two good guys. Now you've got four good teams in today's race," he said.

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Zak Brown

"To have four teams that can win any weekend, and [Sergio] Perez was obviously back on form today, eight drivers going into Singapore and we're going I don't know which of these four teams might win. I don't know which of these eight drivers might win,' I can't recall Formula 1 having that level of competitiveness."

There was non-stop action Sunday. McLaren's Oscar Piastri took the win in Baku, but only after a daring overtake on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Perez was in the mix for Red Bull until he and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. collided, handing third to Mercedes driver George Russell. Further back, Norris surged through the field from 15th on the grid to finish fourth ahead of Verstappen and take another bite out of the champion's standings lead.

Teams' performances fluctuate week by week, depending on upgrades from the factories, track conditions and setup changes, like the one which Verstappen blamed for ruining his weekend in Azerbaijan. "Even a change of tyres can turn an also-ran into a contender," Russell said on Sunday.

(With agency inputs)