Well done Baku. It was everything those typical Azerbaijan Grands Prix usually are… and more!
It started with a tame first stint of the race, albeit for Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda’s clumsy skirmish at Turn 4, that would feature little in the way of memorable action until just before the halfway point.
The eighth Grand Prix on the streets of Baku naturally came alive beyond that, culminating in an epic showdown between four unerring drivers from three of Formula 1’s most iconic teams. None of which being title protagonists Max Verstappen or Lando Norris!
But let’s have a quick rundown of the preceding laps to set the scene.
It was Charles Leclerc who got the getaway at the start with Piastri struggling on the dirty side of the grid, but just about maintaining his P2 ahead of Sergio Perez and behind Leclerc.
Almost immediately Leclerc looked to have the race win firmly in his grasp. Throughout the first stint, little in the way of threats arose from those behind the polesitter.
At this point I’m quickly going to highlight the new kids on the block – Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman. Both ran ahead of their respective teammates right the way through to their first pit stops on what is one of the toughest circuits to extract lap time. A magnificent effort from both throughout the Grand Prix to each take a points-paying position in the end.
But it was Lap 21 that things got spicy up at the front of the field.
Just at the moment I considered getting a cup of coffee, the TV broadcast cuts to a sensational move from Piastri to rip the lead out of the hands of a seemingly completely comfortable Leclerc. Had Piastri pushed too hard too soon? That would explain how much of a shock the move was to everyone, surely!
Perez quickly joined the fight as the lead pair continued to trade blows, the Ferrari trying again and again to make the move stick on the outside of Turn 1. Only some punchy Piastri defence on the long straights would keep the Monegasque behind.
Then came a stage of the race where Piastri looked fairly unchallenged, his tyres holding up just fine.
A mistake from Verstappen at the tricky right-hand Turn 15 delayed his challenge on Norris in the middle of the Top-10 just as the pair got stuck behind Alex Albon’s sprightly Williams for more of their afternoons than they’d have wanted.
I haven’t yet mentioned either of the Mercedes duo. Well, on Lap 34, George Russell joined the Verstappen-Norris fight in some style. He passed championship leader Verstappen for P6 – a crucial move for him. We’ll get into that…
Things got even more interesting from here on in! Ferrari tried and tried to outfox McLaren – most notably making a dummy ‘Box opposite to Piastri’ call on Lap 37.
Here followed a stint where Piastri and Leclerc both pushed inconceivably hard to gain any sort of headway on the other, power sliding out of Turn 16 on multiple occasions and kissing the wall on several occasions.
But then, the fight would be well and truly over for the Ferrari driver and his rear tyres, as he exclaimed helplessly over the radio. Piastri could then create some breathing space as Perez attacked Leclerc for that second position.
Against all odds, the Monegasque kept Perez and fast-approaching teammate Carlos Sainz behind just long enough before the race’s final twist in its tale.
Who knows whether either of the attacking Perez-Sainz duo would have passed Leclerc in the end; unfortunately that we’ll never quite know. Perez and Sainz tangled out of Turn 2 in dramatic fashion, making contact and spearing into the inside concrete wall.
Thankfully both drivers were as OK as they could be after such an impact. That’s never a given especially where a high-speed collision with a concrete wall is concerned!
Something the FIA definitely needs to sharpen is its reaction to scenarios where an obvious intervention is required. The ensuing mess, mangled cars and stranded drivers on a high-speed part of the circuit, in the setting sun, clearly required at least a VSC. It did appear but only after crucial time passed before being deployed somewhat late according to GPDA Director Russell.
The Mercedes driver claiming the toughest moment of his race being driving blind into a “wall of carbon fibre” at full racing speed following the crash.
In the end, the Top 10 looked like this: Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Verstappen, Alonso, Albon, Colapinto, Hamilton and Bearman.
Ten points for Williams, including Colapinto’s first-ever points in F1 in only his second attempt. And one point for Haas’s Oliver Bearman who becomes the very first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two Grands Prix. Bravo, Ollie!
Many of course benefited from Sainz and Perez dropping to the back of the order, but its down to each and every one of the drivers out there to put themselves in the right position to capitalise on others’ misfortune.
In the championship standings, only 59 points now separate Verstappen and Norris in the Drivers’ Championship.
Notably, Bearman now overtakes Kevin Magnussen in the championship (seven points compared to six).
Over in the Constructors’ Standings, McLaren has overtaken Red Bull for P1, and with a 20 point gap now to play for!
After the breathtaking battles we witnessed today, bring on next weekend’s action in Singapore!
By Danny Herbert
X: @TheDHerbert
Instagram: @danny.herbert_
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