Late-race chaos seals dramatic victory for Piastri in Baku

Sending heart rates through the roof, Oscar Piastri put on a masterclass display of aggression and defensive prowess around the tight streets of Baku, hailing victorious for a second time in his F1 career after commanding the three-way battle for Azerbaijan Grand Prix glory.

As the second-ever Ferrari driver to take four consecutive poles at the same circuit after Michael Schumacher, Charles Leclerc had a big challenge ahead of him as the field launched toward the first braking zone.

The most recent race winner held onto his lead position, calmly guiding Piastri through the medieval streets of Baku as the two drivers set off into the distance, the McLaren bobbing in and out of DRS assistance.

Behind, the Red Bulls were the only drivers within the top 10 to gain on their direct competitors in the relatively clean opening lap.

Sergio Perez demoted Carlos Sainz, stealing the final podium position early as Max Verstappen did the same to George Russell in a synchronised move through Turn 2. 

Out of position, Lando Norris also picked off the competition to find himself in P12 by the end of Lap 1.

It wasn’t long before the championship contender was within familiar points territory, however, disposing of Haas’ rookie Oliver Bearman to enter the top 10.

But as the first stint carried on, with the majority of the grid electing to run the medium compound, the race soon settled into a rhythm. 

Prior to the first round of pitstops, Leclerc extended his lead to five seconds after McLaren admitted Piastri pushed too hard too early off the line.

Things completely shifted when Piastri was called into the pits for a tyre change on Lap 15, crucially rejoining the race ahead of Perez after his McLaren teammate put in the defensive paces through the Castle section to give the #81 the perfect amount of leeway.

The two drivers battled up to the rear of the Ferrari who stopped one lap later than the Australian, kickstarting the high-intensity, three-way battle for the lead.

Any feeling of comfort vanished from Leclerc’s cockpit as Piastri secured the DRS advantage on Lap 19, making the defining move of the race on the next run into Turn 1. 

Catching Leclerc off guard, Piastri was extremely late on the brakes as he ambitiously dove down the inside of the first corner to steal the lead on Lap 20.

He didn’t lose the Ferrari, however, defending Leclerc’s attempt into the next braking zone before the Monegasque took a step back. 

Crossing the line on the following lap, just 1.2 seconds separated the top three who went nose to tail into the 90° first corner.

Attempting to replicate Piastri’s overtake, Leclerc spent the next thirty laps in the McLaren’s dirty air, coming within metres of regaining his lead across each journey of the 2.2km straight, however, to no avail.

Oscar Piastri celebrates victory on arrival to Parc Ferme after the Azerbaijan GP. Image: Dom Romney / LAT Images.

Perez’s aggression had its peaks and troughs, with the Red Bull driver dropping in and out of the victory fight before being brought back into play on Lap 33 after Leclerc’s strongest attempt failed. 

Running within two seconds of the #16 Ferrari, the Mexican soon had Sainz closing in behind to make it thrilling a four-way battle for the undecided Baku top step. 

That was until Leclerc fell out of Piastri’s DRS range on Lap 47, a welcomed sight for Perez who switched his attention from Sainz 1.3 seconds behind to the second-placed Ferrari.

The Melbourne-born racer’s lead interval jumped from one second to three seconds within two laps, with the chance to naturally extend the gap ripped away from him as carnage unfolded behind.

Trying to dive down the inside of the #16, Perez’s inability to stick the move lit up Sainz’s hopes and dreams of a podium finish.

The Spaniard flew past the #11, even questioning a move on his teammate into the next tight braking zone before Leclerc stood his ground, leaving the pair to fight it out.

Two into one on the narrow streets of Baku don’t go, and with Sainz steering his car away from the walls, the pair made heavy, race-ending contact, slamming into the walls at speed and spraying debris across the road.

Both drivers were ok, however, Perez was furious and Sainz confused as they climbed out of their crumbled cars to take home zero points each.

The rest of the field was left trundling around the neutralised race track, ending the stress-inducing Azerbaijan Grand Prix under Virtual Safety Car conditions.

With third and fourth crashing out, the man in fifth place, George Russell, was promoted to a surprise podium finish.

Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz battle on Lap 1, foreshadowning their incident in the dying moments in Baku. Image: Simon Galloway / LAT Images.

The calm end to the day was a welcomed shift for Piastri who no longer had to worry about Leclerc stealing the late lead, confirming his second Formula 1 Grand Prix victory after the heartbreak of losing the Italian Grand Prix. 

The win crowns Piastri as the top scorer of the last seven races, having accumulated 135 points to aid McLaren in leading the constructors’ championship after Baku for the first time since 2014.

Norris’ race of recovery also contributed massively to the team’s championship ambitions, with the Brit ending with an unexpected fourth-place finish after overtaking a disgruntled Max Verstappen following a tiresome race for the Red Bull driver.

The overtake by his championship rival wasn’t the only bad outcome of the race after taking the start nine positions ahead of him, with Verstappen under investigation for a Virtual Safety Car infringement of allegedly overtaking cars under the neutralised conditions.

Onboards show the Dutchman speeding up to wave to Norris and give Russell a thumbs up after the race had ended, however, the track was not yet given the green light.

Joining Verstappen in the meeting will also be Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon for the same reasons, while McLaren’s pitlane infringement of allegedly having team personnel in the pitlane during the race booked them a date with the stewards as well.

Perez and Sainz both gave their statements to the jury, returning to the media pen unsure of the outcome of their run-in.

Rounding out the points positions, it was a huge day for the Williams camp who added 10 points to their season total this weekend after coming home in P7 and P8.

Franco Colapinto earned himself four points in just his second weekend as an F1 driver after finishing behind Alex Albon, and he was not the only rookie to do so, with Bearman also adding one point to his haul from Jeddah after capitalising on the Sainz-Perez incident in an overtake on his teammate for P10.

The 10-point addition lifts Williams above Alpine in the constructors’ championship and places Colapinto into 19th in the championship, already ahead of his points-less predecessor.

Raising stress levels and shifting both championship fights, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a masterclass display of fair and hard racing for the lead, with three teams all in with an equal shot at glory ahead of the second street race of the double heading in Singapore.

The Singapore Grand Prix will run across September 20-22, with the relatively close proximity to Oscar Piastri’s home nation hopefully bringing the Australian good luck to go back-to-back in a week’s time.

Image: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images

Azerbaijan GP Race Results:

2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Schedule:

Friday, September 13th:

FP1: 19:30 – 20:30

FP2: 23:00 – 00:00

Saturday, September 14th:

FP3: 18:30 – 19:30

Qualifying: 22:00 – 23:00

Sunday, September 15th:

Race: 21:00

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