Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri has won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Australian won in Baku ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and George Russell in the Mercedes. There was drama shortly before the end: the GP was ended under the Virtual Safety Car due to a late accident between Red Bull man Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari.
Defending champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) only finished fifth, being overtaken by his World Championship rival Lando Norris (McLaren) in the final phase. The Briton raced from 15th place on the grid to fourth place, reducing his deficit to Verstappen to 59 points with seven laps still to go. Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg missed out on the points in eleventh place..
Pole-setter Leclerc initially secured his lead at the start, pulling away from Piastri in the early stages. Meanwhile, Norris ploughed through the back of the field and quickly worked his way into the top 10. The Briton stayed out on hard tires for a long time and thus had an easy time in the final phase on fresh medium tires against Verstappen on worn hard rubber.
The Dutchman complained throughout the race about a lack of grip on the rear axle of his Red Bull and was lucky that Norris had already ruined all his chances of victory in qualifying on Saturday.
Shortly after the first pit stop, Piastri overtook Leclerc – but was unable to get away from the Ferrari. The Monegasque driver was stuck in the back of the McLaren for several laps, but was always unable to get past the long straight.
Formula 1: Perez crashes into Sainz’s rear
Then came the drama two laps before the end: Because Leclerc’s rear tires were completely worn out, Sergio Perez in the Red Bull attacked the Ferrari. The attempt failed, however, and Carlos Sainz slipped past in the second red racer. The Mexican’s counterattack failed completely: Perez crashed into the back of the Spaniard, and both crashed into the wall. Both got out of their cars unharmed. The race ended under virtual safety car conditions.
Nico Hülkenberg was in tenth place for a long time and thus in the points, but lost his position shortly before the end to Haas colleague Oliver Bearman. The Briton was standing in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen in Baku.
Source: www.sport.de
