Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Race: Oscar Piastri denies Charles Leclerc victory

This time, his victory is beyond dispute. Oscar Piastri drove a brilliant race to secure his second Formula 1 victory with mastery. Starting from pole position for the fourth year in a row, Charles Leclerc managed the start of the race perfectly, still leading after his first pit stop. But at the start of the 20th lap, Oscar Piastri dared to attack the Ferrari with a late brake into the first corner.

IL Y VA OSCAR PIASTRI 🤯

Il prend les commandes du Grand Prix devant Charles Leclerc ⚡️#AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/7CvEAxhsVE

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 15, 2024

Piastri takes the lead and doesn’t let go of it.

With authority, the Australian took control, but the battle between the two men allowed Sergio Perez to get closer. In a tense atmosphere, the three men remained close until the end, with Leclerc staying within the DRS zone until five laps from the finish.

Victim of a drop in performance from his rear tires, the Monegasque tried to resist Sergio Pérez’s comeback, while the McLaren pulled away in front. The Mexican tried his luck but found himself under threat from the other Ferrari, that of Carlos Sainz.

The Madrilenian passed and in the 50th of the 51 laps, he made contact with Sergio Pérez, who had caught up to him on the second straight with DRS. Both men ended up in the wall, offering an unexpected podium to George Russell, who had already secured a victory in Austria thanks to a collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in front of him.

LE CRASH ENTRE SAINZ ET PÉREZ À UN TOUR DE LA FIN 🤯

Les deux pilotes vont bien 👍#AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ZN4khG7OUf

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 15, 2024

Sainz and Pérez offer the podium to Russell.

Lando Norris, starting from 15th place, managed to climb up to 4th place thanks to a perfectly executed strategy. Staying on track for a long time, the British driver went into the pits to put on medium tires 15 laps before the end with the aim of catching up with Max Verstappen, who was 15 seconds ahead of him.

Done three laps from the finish: the British driver passed, gaining some unexpected points on the championship leader. Verstappen had a tough race, unable to keep up with his teammate Sergio Perez, and apparently struggling with a car he blamed for a lack of efficiency in the braking system.

The incident on the final lap allowed him to finish 5th, whereas he was actually 7th. The triple world champion is not the only one benefiting from Sainz and Perez’s retirements: Franco Colapinto scores his first points in his F1 career by finishing 8th, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, believe it or not!

Colapinto and Bearman: rookies at the party!

The Argentine has already managed to enter the top 10 in only his second race, something Logan Sargeant had not been able to do since the beginning of the season. The rookies were in the spotlight as Oliver Bearman also scored points (10th) for the second time in two Grand Prix, after his 7th place in Saudi Arabia with Ferrari.

On the other hand, Alpine did not experience any miracles. The French team was one of the weakest in the field this weekend and Pierre Gasly’s 11th place was only possible due to the retirements ahead of him. Esteban Ocon finished 15th, between the two Saubers.

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