The Australian pilot Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, this Sunday on the streets of Baku, with reigning champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), leader of the World Championship, in fifth place just behind his main rival, Lando Norris (McLaren), who is getting ever closer.
According to the criteria of
Piastri The 23-year-old claimed his second F1 career win – his second of the year, after Hungary – by winning ahead of Monaco’s Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and England’s George Russell (Mercedes); the latter ‘inherited’ third place in a race in which Mexico’s Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez (Red Bull) and Spain’s Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – who were fighting for the podium in the final stretch – crashed on the penultimate lap and had to retire.
Oscar Piastri
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Proof that the championship is now more attractive and competitive than at the beginning of the season – much more than last year and the arch-dominance of Verstappen and Red Bull-, the victory in Baku was between Ferrari, McLaren and the Austrian team, current world champion.
Starting from pole position in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the fourth time in a row, Leclerc He held first place until the 20th lap (out of 51) when he was overtaken by Piastri’s McLaren.
The Australian was able to hold out until the final laps against the Ferrari driver’s attempts to come back. “I made a great effort and fought for 35 laps,” said the winner of the day, after having one of the “best races” of his sporting career.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen
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“McLaren and Oscar did an exceptional job and were better than us. We lost the race because I didn’t defend as well as I could have,” Leclerc admitted sportingly.
Russell He was third in this 17th round of the World Championship, marked by the accident between Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), who was on track for third place, and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
The Mexican, in an attempt to overtake, touched the rear of Sainz’s Ferrari and both ended up in the track’s protective walls with both cars destroyed.
“It was unfortunate for ‘Checo’ because he drove brilliantly. He could have won the race. I saw the replay, Carlos moved towards ‘Checo’ and this ended his race,” said Red Bull boss Christian Horner, defending his driver.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has a different view: “I’ve just reviewed the incident and it’s too early. Both of them wanted to stay in Charles’ slipstream, and you can probably say that ‘Checo’ had space on the left and Carlos had no space on the right.”
Colapinto eighth
Verstappenthe leader of the World Championship, was not able to fight for podium positions, something unthinkable just a few months ago.
Sixth on the grid, he finished fifth behind Norris, who started from 15th place and made a great comeback. The veteran Spaniard finished one place behind Verstappen. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
Max Verstappen
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In the World Championship, the Dutch driver maintains a 59-point lead over Norris while in the builders Red Bull For the first time in more than two years, McLaren has lost first place in the standings, which now has a 20-point lead over the world champion team.
Further back, the Argentine Franco Colapinto, A surprise in Saturday’s qualifying, he maintained his level to finish eighth in his second race in the elite with Williams… Ahead of a certain Lewis Hamilton, ninth.
Australian driver Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday in the streets of Baku, with reigning champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), leader of the World Championship, in fifth place just behind his main rival, Lando Norris (McLaren), who is getting ever closer.
Franco Colapinto
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SPORTS
With AFP.
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