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Race report
Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP

F1 Azerbaijan GP: Piastri beats Leclerc in thrilling battle; Norris outscores Verstappen

Piastri comes out on top of a titanic battle in Baku as Perez and Sainz crash out

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme
Franco Colapinto, Williams Racing
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas F1 Team, chats with Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, chats with Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
James Vowles, Team Principal, Williams Racing
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor, Alpine F1
Jack Doohan, Reserve Driver, Alpine F1 Team
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Frederik Vesti, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, speaks with Raymond Vermeulen, manager of Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, at the drivers presentation, as George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, is visible in the reflection of his sunglasses
Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 Team
Andy Stevenson, Sporting Director, Aston Martin F1 Team, Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team, on the pit wall
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team, on the grid
Naomi Campbell, on the grid with Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor, Alpine F1
The Aston Martin F1 Team pit crew practice their pit stops
Mechanics bring Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, to the grid
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, on the grid
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20, the remainder of the field on the opening lap
Alex Albon, Williams FW46, Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, the remainder of the field at the start
Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Team VCARB 01
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46, Alex Albon, Williams FW46
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, the remainder of the field on the opening lap
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, on a Reconnaissance Lap
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, on a Reconnaissance Lap
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Alex Albon, Williams FW46
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, Franco Colapinto, Williams FW46
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Marshals deploy the red and yellow track conditions flag
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, makes a pit stop
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Alex Albon, Williams FW46, in the pits
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24, makes a pit stop
Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
The car of Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, in Parc Ferme.
Team members of McLaren celebrates as Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, takes the chequered flag
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his team in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme
The McLaren team climb the pit wall to cheer Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, over the line
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, 1st position, arrives in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his team in Parc Ferme
Mechanics from McLaren celebrate in the garage
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his team on arrival in Parc Ferme
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, in Parc Ferme
The McLaren team celebrate on the pit wall at the end of the race
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, the McLaren team celebrate in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates in Parc Ferme
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates in Parc Ferme
The car of Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, 1st position, parked up behind the first place sign in Parc Ferme
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, talk in Parc Ferme
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, celebrates in Parc Ferme
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, receives his trophy from Farid Gayibov, Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, Tom Stallard, Race Engineer, McLaren F1 Team, celebrate on the podium
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, the McLaren trophy delegate, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, talk in Parc Ferme
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, celebrate with champagne
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, with Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, Tom Stallard, Race Engineer, McLaren F1 Team, on the podium
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, on the podium
Team members watch on as Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, Tom Stallard, Race Engineer, McLaren F1 Team
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, celebrates with his teammate on the podium as confetti falls
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, celebrate on the podium with Champagne
The McLaren team celebrate the race win of Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, at the the post race press conference
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, at the the post race press conference
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, at the the post race press conference
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, 2nd position, at the the post race press conference
106

McLaren's Oscar Piastri took a superb second career win in Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix after first passing and then holding off polesitter Charles Leclerc.

Mercedes' George Russell joined them on the podium after a dramatic late crash between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.

Leclerc had taken his fourth consecutive Baku pole on Saturday and looked good value to finally convert it into a first win on the high-speed street circuit.

The Ferrari driver kept the lead at the start from Piastri, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez passing the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz for third.

World champion Max Verstappen mirrored his Red Bull team-mate by diving up the inside of Mercedes' Russell for fifth.

With a one-stop on mediums and hards expected, Leclerc built up a comfortable six-second gap on Piastri and Perez, while Verstappen complained of his car's behaviour and struggled to keep up with Sainz in fifth.

Perez was the first of the frontrunners to pit for hard tyres on lap 14, but his stop didn't trigger an immediate reaction from Leclerc and Piastri to avoid an undercut.

Waiting an extra lap, Piastri was poised to lose second, but Perez came back out behind Piastri's team-mate Norris, who had started in 15th and helped hold the Mexican up so Piastri could retain his position.

Piastri's stout in and out-laps also cut his deficit to Leclerc to just over a second, and on lap 20 the Australian made a late lunge to the inside of Turn 1 to take the lead of the race.

Leclerc first told his team he thought Piastri's pace was "crazy", given there were another 30 laps left to run on the hard tyres.

But rather than letting Piastri ride off into the sunset, Leclerc stayed with him and tried to return the favour on several occasions into Turn 1, with Piastri standing firm each time.

That battle allowed Perez to sit back behind the pair in third, taking less life out of his hard tyres, while Sainz was also closing in following a lonely race in fourth.

As Perez failed an overtake on Leclerc on the penultimate lap, Sainz looked poised to benefit and slip past for third, but coming out of Turn 2 the pair tangled and made a hard crash into the wall.

Piastri headed Leclerc and Russell home under the virtual safety car, while Norris rounded off his comeback race in fourth.

Norris started on the hard tyres and was initially able to hold off Verstappen, who continued to struggle with rear-end bouncing. After finally making his lap 38 pitstop, Norris clawed back a 15-second deficit to repass Verstappen for fourth.

In the background Fernando Alonso rounded off a lonely race to sixth, holding off hard-tyre starter Alex Albon who had run as high as third in the first stint.

Rookies Franco Colapinto put in a commendable performance to follow Albon in eighth, taking points on his second grand prix outing.

Lewis Hamilton made a solid comeback from a pitlane start to finish ninth, after choosing to make engine and suspension changes overnight.

Impressive Oliver Bearman also took a maiden point for Haas, edging out his experienced team-mate Nico Hulkenberg for tenth.

RB's Yuki Tsunoda was the only other retirement after a lap one clash with Aston's Lance Stroll, with left Tsunoda with terminal floor damage and Stroll with a puncture.

By virtue of taking the fastest lap, Norris' comeback race saw him claw back three points to Verstappen, narrowing the gap to 59 points.

   
1
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5
   
   
1
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2
   
Cla Driver # Laps Time Interval km/h Pits Points Retirement Chassis Engine
1 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 51

-

    1 25   McLaren Mercedes
2 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 51

+10.910

10.910

10.910   1 18   Ferrari Ferrari
3 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 51

+31.328

31.328

20.418   1 15   Mercedes Mercedes
4 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 51

+36.143

36.143

4.815   1 13   McLaren Mercedes
5 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 51

+1'17.098

1'17.098

40.955   2 10   Red Bull Red Bull
6 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 51

+1'25.468

1'25.468

8.370   1 8   Aston Martin Mercedes
7 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 51

+1'27.396

1'27.396

1.928   1 6   Williams Mercedes
8 Argentina F. Colapinto Williams 43 51

+1'29.541

1'29.541

2.145   1 4   Williams Mercedes
9 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Mercedes 44 51

+1'32.401

1'32.401

2.860   1 2   Mercedes Mercedes
10 United Kingdom O. Bearman Haas F1 Team 50 51

+1'33.127

1'33.127

0.726   1 1   Haas Ferrari
11 Germany N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27 51

+1'33.465

1'33.465

0.338   1     Haas Ferrari
12 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 51

+1'57.189

1'57.189

23.724   1     Alpine Renault
13 Australia D. Ricciardo RB 3 51

+2'26.907

2'26.907

29.718   1     RB Red Bull
14 China Z. Guanyu Sauber 24 51

+2'28.841

2'28.841

1.934   1     Sauber Ferrari
15 France E. Ocon Alpine 31 50

1 lap

    1     Alpine Renault
16 Finland V. Bottas Sauber 77 50

1 lap

    1     Sauber Ferrari
dnf Mexico S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11 49

2 laps

    1   Collision Red Bull Red Bull
dnf Spain C. Sainz Ferrari 55 49

2 laps

    1   Collision Ferrari Ferrari
dnf Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 45

6 laps

    3   Brakes Aston Martin Mercedes
dnf Japan Y. Tsunoda RB 22 14

37 laps

    2   Collision RB Red Bull

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