Norris’ help, failure to follow instructions… How Piastri won in Baku
Oscar Piastri claimed his second Formula 1 victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. Before holding off Charles Leclerc's comeback in the closing laps, the Australian benefited from some decisive race strategies on his road to success.
Starting in 2nd position on the grid, Oscar Piastri produced a flawless race to climb to the top step of the podium in Baku. Yet, it was not a done deal for the Australian. Ahead of him, Charles Leclerc had a considerable lead at the end of his first stint thanks to a strong pace on soft tires (6 seconds). Behind, Sergio Perez posed a constant threat.
Three drivers led the Grand Prix and stuck to their respective exhausts for almost the entire race. From the start, although Carlos Sainz had clinched third place, it was Sergio Perez’s Red Bull that took the advantage at the start, joining the front battle between leader Charles Leclerc and second-placed Oscar Piastri. On the same one-stop strategy, all three were equipped with medium tires.
As the Ferrari driver was pulling away in the first part of the race, Oscar Piastri’s goal was to hold onto his second place and hope to catch up with the Monegasque later. Behind him, Sergio Perez remained attached to the McLaren’s DRS zone and attempted the undercut to gain an advantage, pitting first.
Also read: Azerbaijan GP: Oscar Piastri deprives Charles Leclerc of victory
Lando Norris, the McLaren pawn who needs to slow down Sergio Perez.
The Red Bull driver was the first of the front runners to stop for hard tires, at the end of the 13th lap, more than two seconds behind Piastri. While the pit stop itself went well, Perez’s Red Bull was held for an extra second because of Russell’s Mercedes, which was also entering the pit lane. Back on track behind Lando Norris, who was continuing his climb, the Mexican lost valuable time. McLaren indeed asked its British driver to hold him back to allow his teammate to keep the advantage over Perez.
Tom Stallard, McLaren engineer, to Norris in the 15th lap: « Can you do something to hold Perez back in the second sector without hurting yourself? »
Lando Norris: « Yes, for how long? »
Tom Stallard: « One or two laps. This lap. »
Sergio Perez to his engineer: « He’s holding me back »
Hugh Bird, Perez’s engineer: Yes, we can see that.
If Sergio Perez then managed to get the best of Lando Norris in the third sector, the hundredths lost behind number 4 did not allow him to benefit from his undercut strategy. Stopping two laps after the Mexican, Piastri came out seven tenths ahead of his opponent. An advantage that allowed him to manage his tires and gradually pull away from the Red Bull.
Andrea Stella, the team principal, wanted to emphasize the importance of this sequence: “I therefore think that 50% of Oscar’s victory is shared with Lando – and this shows that we approach the race as one single team.”
Leclerc’s difficulties with his new tires
At the pit exit (16th lap), Charles Leclerc saw his lead melt on Piastri. Relegated to more than 6 seconds behind the winner at Monza before his pit stop, Piastri had come back to just 2.5 seconds from him. Piastri then quickly overtook Alex Albon, who was between them (the Williams driver had not stopped yet, editor’s note), before catching up with the race leader.
Charles Leclerc seemed surprised by the differences between his car and the McLaren with the new set of tires coming out of the pit lane. “We thought it would take a lot of time for everyone to warm up the tires, which was the case for our car, but not at all for McLaren, which immediately got its tires up to temperature and gained a lot of time,” justified the Ferrari driver after the race.
Piastri ignores the instructions of his engineer
Leclerc struggling to warm up his new tires, Oscar Piastri was quickly able to make up ground. In two laps, the Australian closed to less than a second of the Monegasque. But his team advised caution.
Also read: Azerbaijan Grand Prix: The editorial Top / Flop
As the 2021 F2 champion continued to make progress, his engineer on the radio warned him: « Be careful. We have already damaged the tires [at the beginning of the race] attacking Leclerc.
The British team preferred to prioritize preserving the tires by avoiding too aggressive an attack. Oscar Piastri did not see it that way and tried his luck as soon as the opportunity to take the lead arose: « My engineer told me not to try again, but I completely ignored him. It was risky, but necessary to aim for victory,” indicated the number 81 driver.
An ambitious overtaking
However, far from Leclerc (8 tenths) when starting the long straight line of the stands, the Australian tried his luck by taking the inside line on the Ferrari driver in the first turn of the 20th lap. He admitted not wanting to miss the opportunity, as had been the case at the start of the race.
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« I had had a similar opportunity during the first relay », explained the winner of the day. « On the second or third lap, I was just in the DRS, but I did not fully exploit this opportunity […] So, when I had a similar opportunity after the pit stop, I had to seize it. That’s what made me win the race. »
A perfect maneuver
It was still necessary to manage to get the better of the Ferrari. Piastri threw his single-seater into the inside of the corner, surprising Charles Leclerc. He then managed to exit well onto the straight and resisted the pressure from his opponent in the following laps.
A passing welcomed by his race director. He was quite far behind before the corner, and yet he took the corner on the inside. So yes, I was surprised. But Oscar always surprises us with his abilities, and I would say that today, he also demonstrated his mental strength. Andrea Stella testified.
Once in the lead, Oscar Piastri never let go of it. Thanks to a well-managed team race strategy and the daring of the 23-year-old driver, the Australian turned one of the best races of his career into victory.
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