Oscar Piastri holds off Charles Leclerc to win thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Lando Norris recovers to fourth and beats Max · Max Verstappen.
Piastri took the lead after an unbelievable battle for the lead with Leclerc for a lot of the race, earlier than Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz completed second from final A dramatic crash occurred through the battle for third place on the lap.
George Russell benefited from the collision to complete third, with Norris taking fourth after passing Verstappen with one other technique late within the race. Norris closed the hole on the Dutchman within the drivers’ championship to 59 factors.
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Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez acquired right into a scuffle and each hit the barrier throughout Ferrari’s race with Purple Bull on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen struggled for a lot of the race and completed fifth, with McLaren now 20 factors forward of Purple Bull within the constructors’ championship.
It was probably the most intense races of the 12 months, with Piastri and Leclerc clashing a number of occasions, and Verstappen and Norris closing in at totally different factors of the race.
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Lando Norris began fifteenth on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, overtaking title rival Max Verstappen to complete 4th in what shall be a possible win within the championship Huge moments.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was sixth, Williams’ Alex Albon was seventh and rookie Franco Colapinto took the primary factors in eighth.
Lewis Hamilton completed ninth in a quiet race, with British teenager Oliver Bearman ending tenth for Haas.
Piastri wins epic battle with Leclerc
Early on, Leclerc appeared like he was heading for victory, with a six-second lead over Piastri earlier than the primary pit cease.
Piastri pitted on lap 16, remaining simply forward of Perez after Norris tactically held off the Purple Bull driver within the tight midfield.
Leclerc pitted a lap later, however his arduous tires slowly warmed up and Piastri took benefit on lap 20 with a shocking overtake into Flip 1.
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Oscar Piastri sprinted previous Charles Leclerc from the within and took the lead on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
From then till the ultimate laps, Leclerc and Piastri had been by no means separated by greater than a second in a number of wheel-to-wheel periods.
Each time Leclerc approached Flip One, Piastri lined the within and was capable of forestall Leclerc from merging on the exit of the nook.
The McLaren driver additionally had large traction within the corners as Leclerc could not discover a method by means of within the epic battle for the lead.
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Oscar Piastri received his second Components One race on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with an outstanding defensive efficiency forward of Charles Leclerc.
Perez was at all times inside two seconds of the main two drivers and able to make the most of the incident, however Piastri and Leclerc stored clear.
Ultimately, Leclerc’s tires started to degrade and Piastri led the ultimate 5 laps to win simply the second F1 race of his profession.
Leclerc needed to look over his shoulder within the closing levels, with Perez on high of him and Ferrari team-mate Sainz closing in shortly. The Monegasque driver defended effectively, Perez went deep into the primary nook on the penultimate lap and Sainz handed easily.
Perez chased the Spaniard after the second flip, however the pair tousled and hit the wall arduous, so the race ended underneath the digital security automotive.
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Karun Chandhok analyzes the rostrum incident between Carlos Sanz and Sergio Perez to see who was accountable.
Norris makes a superb restoration from fifteenth to 4th
Few thought Norris would overtake Verstappen within the title race after a disastrous qualifying session that noticed him begin from fifteenth on the grid.
The British driver opted to begin on arduous tires reasonably than mediums, thus masking a protracted distance and located himself in entrance of Verstappen after the Purple Bull driver pitted.
Verstappen was unable to overhaul his title rival as Norris aggressively closed the door on him on lap 24, the closest the reigning world champion has ever come.
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Andrea Stella praises Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and your entire McLaren staff as new staff leaders.
Norris then tactically used Alex Albon to remain within the Williams driver’s DRS to assist him in order that Verstappen could not get shut on the straight.
Norris pitted for brand spanking new medium tires with 14 laps remaining, and Verstappen’s tires pale away. He was 15 seconds behind Verstappen and started to gentle up the timing screens with purple zones and quickest lap occasions.
The McLaren driver caught and handed Verstappen for sixth with three laps remaining, shifting into fourth after Perez and Sainz clashed.
Elsewhere, Hamilton completed ninth after ranging from the pits resulting from an engine change.
Hamilton was caught in visitors for a lot of the race and complained concerning the efficiency of his tires on medium and arduous roads.
Williams claimed double factors for the primary time of the season, with Albon taking seventh from team-mate Colapinto, who had confirmed himself to be a wonderful alternative for Logan Sargent in simply his second F1 race. .
Behrman completed tenth in a one-off race for Haas, changing Kevin Magnussen, who was banned from the Baku race for reaching the penalty restrict however will resume in Singapore Return to the taking part in discipline.
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