The Australian pilot Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won the Azerbaijan Grand Prixthis Sunday in the streets of Baku, with the current champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), leader of the World Championship, in fifth place just behind his main rival, Lando Norris (McLaren), ever closer.
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), second, and the British George Russell (Mercedes), third, completed the podium.
Proof that the championship is now more attractive and competitive than at the beginning of the season – much more so than last year and the arch-dominance of Verstappen and Red Bull – the victory in Baku was contested by Ferrari, McLaren and the Austrian team, current world champions.
Starting from pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for the fourth consecutive time, Leclerc held the lead until the 20th lap (of 51) when he was overtaken by the McLaren of Piastri.
Clash between Sainz and Perez
The Australian was able to hold out until the final laps against the Ferrari driver’s comeback attempts.
“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.
“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 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.
“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 the Red Bull boss. Christian Hornerdefending his pilot.
Different view for Ferrari principal Frederic Vasseur: “I’ve just reviewed the incident and it’s too early. They both wanted to keep in Charles’ slipstream, and you can probably say that that ‘Checo’ had space on the left and Carlos had no space on the right“.
Colapinto eighth
World Championship leader Verstappen was unable to fight for podium positions, something that would have been 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. One place behind Verstappen was the veteran Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
In the world championship, the Dutch driver maintains a 59-point lead over Norris, while in the constructors’ championship, Red Bull has lost its first place in the standings for the first time in more than two years to McLaren, which now has a 20-point advantage over the world champion team.
Further back, the Argentine Franco Colapintoa surprise in Saturday’s qualifying, maintained his level to finish eighth in his second race in the elite with Williams… Ahead of a certain Lewis Hamiltonninth.
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