Madrid, Sep 15 (EFE).- Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the seventeenth of the Formula One World Championship, held this Sunday on the Baku street circuit; a race marked by the accident, on the penultimate lap and when they were fighting for the podium, of the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull).
Piastri, 23, achieved the second victory of his F1 career – the second of the year, after Hungary – crossing the finish line ahead of Monaco’s Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and England’s George Russell (Mercedes); who ‘inherited’ third place after the accident of ‘Checo’ and Carlos – fortunately without personal injuries – in a race in which the other Spaniard, the double world champion from Asturias Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) finished sixth; and the Argentine Franco Colapinto (Williams) was eighth, in his second race in the top category.
In a very exciting finale, Sainz took advantage of ‘Checo’s’ failed attempt to snatch second place from Leclerc in the first corner of the penultimate lap; and got into a fight that ended with the talented Madrid native and the brave Guadalajara driver – called to testify by the stewards – crashing into the wall; and Russell benefited, finding himself in third place.
Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), leader of the World Championship, finished fifth, one place behind Englishman Lando Norris (McLaren), who minimised damage by coming from fifteenth place on the grid and setting the fastest lap in the race. Lando, second in the championship, closed the gap on ‘Mad Max’ by three points in the general classification and is now 59 points behind the Dutch sports idol’s 313 points lead. With seven races remaining.
But with Piastri’s victory and Norris’ fourth place, McLaren has taken the top spot in the constructors’ championship from Red Bull; the Woking team now leads with 476 points, twenty more than the Austrian team. After a race in which the spectacular final mishap somewhat marred Piastri’s display.
After being the best newcomer last year, Piastri finally made his mark on Sunday in Baku. Australia, which celebrated its last world champion in 1980, when Alan Jones won the title, can reasonably begin to think that, if he continues his progress, Oscar could be the next ‘Aussie’ to achieve it.
Leclerc had taken his 26th F1 pole position on Saturday; his third of the year and his fourth in a row in Baku, where he had also started first in the sprint race last year. His Spanish teammate started third, from the second row, alongside ‘Checo’, on the (until now) talismanic track of the Mexican, who has taken two of his six victories in the premier class in Azerbaijan.
Alonso – with a stratospheric lap in Q2 – was set to start eighth, but the announcement hours before the race that the seven-time world champion from England, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), would start from the pit lane, having exceeded the number of changes allowed in his power unit, meant that the driver from Oviedo would start seventh. Accompanied on the fourth row by the Argentine Colapinto, outstanding in his second qualifying in F1; who thanks to the penalty of the Briton also moved up one position and looked ahead from an eighth position that he would confirm at the finish.
Norris had made a mistake in the main qualifying session, which he finished seventeenth, after being eliminated in Q1. The subsequent disqualification of the Frenchman Pierre Gasly and the penalty – for the same reasons as Sir Lewis – of the other Alpine, the also French Esteban Ocon, placed him fifteenth on the grid, nine places behind Verstappen. A position from which Lando advanced eleven places, to sign the comeback of the day. The second was the one carried out by Hamilton, who finished ninth. Admitting the Spanish-Mexican gift.
Pole position is no guarantee of anything in Baku, as of the seven previous races in the former Soviet republic, it had only been won twice from the front of the line. And alongside Leclerc was silent contender Piastri, after a Saturday of mixed emotions for McLaren, which was pushing Red Bull in the constructors’ championship but was also feeling threatened by Ferrari.
In favour of the driver from the French Riviera, he said that the Azerbaijan track is a kind of mix between Monaco and Monza (Italy), where he had celebrated his two victories of the season. But Leclerc had to settle for second place, which nevertheless confirms his third place in the championship, where he is 19 points behind Norris.
The top ten drivers all started on the medium tyre, except for Colapinto’s teammate Alex Albon of Thailand, who started on the hard tyre and finished seventh on Sunday. Albon started from the fifth row, next to the Englishman Oliver Bearman, who replaced the suspended Dane Kevin Magnussen at Haas (where he will drive in 2025), the first driver in history to miss a race after losing the twelve points on his licence. Ollie, who has just turned 19 – and who had already replaced Sainz in Saudi Arabia – did well again and scored points again, in his second race in the top division.
‘Checo’ passed Carlos and Verstappen passed Russell -fifth on the grid- at the first opportunity; Alonso and Colapinto maintained their positions.
Norris – who had started with hard tyres – was already running tenth, in the points zone, after the eighth of the 51 laps that were done on the fourth longest track (6,003 metres) in the World Championship, the only one (28 metres) below sea level; and where tyre management – the rear ones suffered quite a bit – was going to be, once again, key. With a view to trying to finish with just one stop. On a circuit that was also very hard on the brakes.
Colapinto switched to hards on the eleventh, trying to undercut Fernando, who protected himself by copying the action one lap later.
And shortly after the dance of stops began.
On lap 13, the two Mercedes and ‘Mad Max’ stopped; Checo’ entered the garage one car later; and Lando – who had not yet done so – was provisionally in fifth place. Piastri’s stop on lap 16, which left Ferrari with a double lead, was good. And the ‘Aussie’ did not lose position to ‘Checo’, returning to the track ahead of the driver from Jalisco.
Leclerc stopped on lap 17. And Carlos did the same one lap later and returned to the track sixth. Virtually fourth. Behind the Mexican.
On the first of the 20 corners of the track, Piastri threw his car at the Monegasque and overtook him on the twentieth lap. Perez, setting fast laps, joined the party, creating a leading trio. Norris’ tyres were beginning to show signs of wear and Carlos overtook him on the 24th lap.
Alonso was ninth and Colapinto tenth when ‘Mad Max’ brutally harassed Lando, who was defending himself like a cat on its back just before the halfway point of the race, taking advantage of the slipstream given to him by Albon – who had not stopped either – and blocking the championship leader in turn.
Leclerc – attacking – and Piastri were moving away from ‘Checo’; who was getting closer to both of them again, benefiting from this fight. But with the rearview mirror pointing at Sainz, who also wanted third place.
In their particular duel for the championship, Verstappen could not cope with Norris, who was running tyres twelve laps older than the Dutchman; Russell passed him on lap 34.
Norris changed tyres with thirteen laps remaining and came in on the new medium tyre fifteen seconds behind the Dutchman, who had completed 24 laps on the hard tyres.
The end was very exciting, because ‘Checo’ was getting closer again and Carlos also wanted the podium, when Piastri was pulling away from Leclerc and had just cooked up his brilliant victory. The Mexican threw the car at Charles, who defended himself; and the Madrid native took advantage of the incident to enter the fight, before the accident with ‘Checo’. Sad from a sporting point of view, for both; but one that should be celebrated is that no personal injuries were recorded.
“It was a disastrous weekend, because we should have finished second or third; we had the pace to fight for victory. Carlos is the last person I wanted to have had this contact with. It was a bad day for the World Championship, but there are still seven races left; there is still time for improvement,” said ‘Checo’, who now shares seventh place overall with Russell.
“I’m happy and calm because we’re both fine after hitting the concrete wall on the left,” said the Spaniard, who remains fifth in the championship, now with 184 points; 129 less than ‘Mad Max’. “But I’m also upset, because I was the fastest on the track for the last twenty laps. That’s racing. You have to turn the page and move on,” added Sainz.
Alonso compared his race to the one he had two Sundays ago at Monza, where he finished eleventh, well below his performance behind the wheel. This time he proved true the saying – not always scientific – that what luck takes away from you, it eventually gives back to you; and he left happy.
Colapinto was even happier. The man from Buenos Aires showed that he is up to the task and in his second race in the elite he captured his first points (four) in F1.
A category that never rests. The next race will be held next weekend, the traditional night race at Marina Bay, home of the Singapore Grand Prix.
Adrian R. Huber
#Piastri #takes #doctorate #Baku #finale #marked #accident #Sainz #Checo
2024-09-16 14:47:08
What were the key highlights of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024 race?
Table of Contents
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024: Piastri Wins Thrilling Race Amidst Dramatic Crash
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024, held on September 15, 2024, witnessed an action-packed race on the Baku street circuit. Australian driver Oscar Piastri of the McLaren F1 Team secured his second victory of the year, after Hungary, crossing the finish line ahead of Monaco’s Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and England’s George Russell (Mercedes).
The thrilling finale saw a dramatic crash between Spanish driver Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) on the penultimate lap, which led to Russell inheriting third place. Fortunately, both Sainz and Pérez escaped without personal injuries. This incident marked a turning point in the race, as Piastri’s victory was somewhat overshadowed by the spectacular final mishap.
The race began with Leclerc taking his 26th F1 pole position on Saturday, his third of the year and fourth in a row in Baku. Sainz started third, alongside Pérez, on the Mexican’s talismanic track, where he has secured two of his six victories in the premier class.
In the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren took the top spot from Red Bull, with Piastri’s victory and Norris’ fourth place, the Woking team now leads with 476 points, twenty more than the Austrian team. This marks a significant milestone for McLaren, who have been steadily improving their performance.
Standout Performances
Oscar Piastri (McLaren): Secured his second victory of the year, showcasing his impressive skills on the Baku street circuit.
Lando Norris (McLaren): Made a remarkable comeback, advancing eleven places from his 15th position on the grid to finish fourth, setting the fastest lap in the race.
* Franco Colapinto (Williams): Impressed in his second race in the top category, starting eighth and finishing in the same position.
Impact on the Championship
Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), the leader of the World Championship, finished fifth, one place behind Norris. This has closed the gap between Verstappen and Norris in the championship standings, with Verstappen now holding a 59-point lead with seven races remaining.
Upcoming Races
The next Formula One race is scheduled to take place on September 22, 2024, in Singapore. Fans are eagerly anticipating the next thrilling installment of the championship, as the drivers continue to battle for the top spot.
Event History
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc throughout the laps.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri Takes Victory Amidst Dramatic Finale
The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held on September 15, was a thrilling event that saw Australian driver Oscar Piastri of McLaren take his second victory of the season. The 23-year-old crossed the finish line ahead of Monaco’s Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and England’s George Russell of Mercedes, who inherited third place after a dramatic accident involving Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Sergio Pérez of Red Bull [[1]].
The race was marked by a intense battle between
