Verstappen again off the podium. The battle for third place ended in a hard crash, with Piastri triumphing after a heroic performance on the streets of Baku

While Verstappen and Norris are the most talked about battle in the championship, for the second weekend in a row Piastri and Leclerc were the biggest duel on the track. Unlike at Monza, Piastri emerged victorious from this duel, claiming his second career win. Third place on the podium went to Russell after Sainz and Pérez collided on the penultimate lap.

• Oscar Piastri wins Formula 1 race for the second time in his career
• Verstappen extended his winless streak to seven races with his fifth place finish
• McLaren leapfrogs Red Bull at the top of the Constructors’ Cup with 38 points

Charles Leclerc took pole position for the fourth consecutive time at the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. But he is not leaving Baku with a win this year either. He followed Oscar Piastri’s rear wing very closely for almost thirty laps, but in the end he was not able to match the McLaren driver’s pace.

It was a nightmare weekend for Red Bull and especially Sergio Pérez. Max Verstappen was certainly not happy with his performance in qualifying, but with Lando Norris starting as high as 15th, he was hoping to increase his lead at the front of the Drivers’ Cup.

But Verstappen’s expectations were not fulfilled – the Dutchman finished fifth, Norris fourth. Pérez was on course for a flawless performance and was grinding his teeth for a second place for a while, but after contact with Carlos Sainz he didn’t finish the race.

McLaren also moved ahead of the Austrian team in the Constructors’ Cup. Ferrari is also closing in, now just 30 points behind second place.

McLaren’s teamwork has borne fruit

The start went best for the Red Bull drivers, who had the inside track into the first corner. Pérez, starting ahead of his teammate for the first time in 2024, overtook Sainz to move into third place. Verstappen took advantage of George Russell’s caution at turn two to take fifth.

Lando Norris could also be pleased with the start of the race. The McLaren driver started from 15th after an unlucky qualifying session, but quickly worked his way up the points. It wasn’t until Alex Albon became his first difficult obstacle.

Norris was thrown into an unexpected situation on lap 15 when he was asked by the team to slow down Perez in sector two, who returned to the track behind him after his pit stop. The British driver obliged the team without hesitation, even though stable boss Andrea Stella had announced before the weekend that, given Norris’ position in the Drivers’ Cup, he would be the one strategically favoured.

Norris’ work ultimately proved critical to Piastri’s race. The Australian came out of the pits just ahead of Pérez, sticking with leader Charles Leclerc. He soon surprised the Monegasque at the first corner and took the lead.

But Piastri didn’t run away with the lead. Leclerc never lost DRS and attacked many times into turn one. However, the Melbourne native showed why he is the F2 and F3 champion, fending off all of the Ferrari driver’s attempts with ease.

The duel between the leading pair was watched at close quarters the whole time by Pérez, who maintained a constant gap of just over one second to Leclerc. With five laps to go, Sainz joined the mix. At the same time, Leclerc ran out of breath (and rear tyre grip) and looked set to fall into the clutches of the #11 Red Bull.

Pérez’s podium hopes hit the wall, Piastri the winner

He held second place in the run-up to the penultimate lap with some brave defending, while opening the door for Sainz to get ahead of Pérez.

The Mexican subsequently had the better exit out of turn two, but in trying to get on level with Sainz he made contact with the rear wheel of the Ferrari with his front wheel. Both cars were immediately pulled into the barriers by the contact and the race ended under safety car.

With three laps to go, Lando Norris sent out a caution to Red Bull. On the straight, he whizzed past Verstappen for sixth place. While the three points he scored on Verstappen in the Drivers’ Cup may not seem like much, it’s worth remembering that Norris started nine places behind the Dutchman.

A thrilling battle for the last two points positions was fought between the Williams and Haas teams. In Baku, both Colapinto and Bearman made their second appearance in an F1 car. The youngsters, who had raced against each other earlier this year in the junior F2 competition, kept Lewis Hamilton behind them for a long time and eventually, thanks to a late crash by Sainz and Pérez, both scored points.

Colapinto is thus the first Argentine since 1982 to score points in F1. Bearman made Formula One history with a more curious statistic – he is the first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two races. Earlier this season, he had already finished seventh when he replaced Sainz at Ferrari.

Source: F1TV