Mistakes brought consequences around the walls lining the Baku street circuit. But PETER COSTER saw it also brought something special.
It was a race for the purists as Oscar Piastri proved himself the King of Cool in winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, ahead of a Ferrari that relentlessly chased his McLaren for 31 laps of the 51-lap race.
For those laps, he was no more than five or six tenths of a second ahead of Charles Leclerc after passing the Ferrari driver in a fearless lunge down the inside on turn one after starting alongside the polesitter on the front row.
The word by the commentators was “sublime.” It was uttered countless times as Piastri refused to bow to the pressure from the Ferrari as he brushed the daunting walls of the Baku circuit.
“Hang onto your hats,” said commentator Harry Benjamin breathlessly and if you’re not wearing one put one on.
I put one on.
The Melbourne superstar in only his second season of F1 was peerless in winning a race where he was expected to support Lando Norris in the race for the constructors’ championship.
All that changed when Norris found himself starting at the back of the grid after passing a yellow flag in the first qualifying session.
As it turned out, it was Norris who was asked to slow a following Sergio Perez just enough to allow Piastri to rejoin the race ahead of the Red Bull driver after a pit stop on lap 15.
After then passing Leclerc on lap 20 the 23-year-old Piastri drove a race that ranks with the best seen in F1.
Yes, it was that good.
It was a nerveless display that would have seen most drivers relent under the pressure from Leclerc, which only ended in the closing laps when the Ferrari driver’s tyres “fell off the cliff.”
Piastri’s tyres were little better after both drivers decided to forgo a second pit stop.
McLaren has leapt ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ championships, with Norris and Piastri also having a chance of taking the drivers’ championship from Max Verstappen with seven races remaining.
Next race is through the streets of Singapore in another double-header before the F1 circus departs for the United States.
Formula One has gained emotional momentum after Red Bull’s former dominance, which was expected to bring a fourth successive world title to Max Verstappen.
No longer, as Red Bull struggles to give him a competitive car.
At Azerbaijan, as Leclerc fell further behind Piastri, the focus shifted to Perez in the Red Bull and Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari.
Fighting for third place, Sainz made contact with the Red Bull, putting both cars into the barriers.
Perez was later seen on overhead footage to move towards Sainz and neither driver was penalised.
“What happened,” was the immediate reaction by Sainz.
After the race it was obvious that Perez blamed the Ferrari driver. He didn’t say so, but his face said it all.
George Russell in the Mercedes inherited third place on the podium, with Norris fourth and an out-of-sorts Verstappen fifth.
The Sky Sports F1 team was analysing the race after the Australian National Anthem for Piastri when Australia’s Mark Webber suddenly appeared.
The nine-times GP winner, who is Piastri’s manager and mentor, said it was one of his protege’s best races. It was almost faint praise.
Webber, who is a six-footer, towered over the commentators, who included 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.
The Canadian has been one of Daniel Ricciardo’s fiercest critics and believes the Australian driver should retire from F1 after several unsuccessful seasons. At Azerbaijan, Ricciardo finished 13th.
The diminutive Villeneuve has now become one of Piastri’s boosters, saying the 23-year old Melbourne driver drove a “perfect” race.
Piastri admitted it was “the most stressful race of my life” but it was left Mark Webber to put the win in perspective:
“He’s arrived.”
2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
15th September 2024
| Pos | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 51 | 32:58.0 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 51 | +10.910s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 51 | +31.328s |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 51 | +36.143s |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 51 | +77.098s |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 51 | +85.468s |
| 7 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +87.396s |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 51 | +89.541s |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 51 | +92.401s |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 51 | +93.127s |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 51 | +93.465s |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 51 | +117.189s |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 51 | +146.907s |
| 14 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 51 | +148.841s |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 50 | +1 lap |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 50 | +1 lap |
| 17 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 49 | DNF |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 49 | DNF |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 45 | DNF |
| NC | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 14 | DNF |
PETER COSTER is a former editor and foreign correspondent who has covered a range of international sports, including world championship fights and the Olympic Games.
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