Oscar Piastri earned his second profession victory on Sunday by expertly navigating his McLaren to a dramatic win over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old Australian’s victory enabled McLaren to exchange Red Bull as leaders of the constructors’ championship, ending the champions’ two-year dominance, in a race of attrition that ended underneath a Virtual Safety Car following a spectacular late collision between Carlos Sainz of Ferrari and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez as they battled for third.
George Russell completed third for Mercedes forward of title-chasing Lando Norris within the second McLaren, who fought from fifteenth on the grid to beat three-time champion and collection chief Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who was fifth.
“Well, that was the most stressful afternoon of my life,” stated Piastri on staff radio.
“A big move! Thanks for the car! What a day that was! Thanks, everyone.”
Norris, who picked up an additional level for the quickest lap, diminished championship chief Verstappen’s result in 59 factors with seven races and three sprints to go.
The race started in heat sunshine underneath a cloudless sky with temperatures of 27 levels Celsius (air) and 46 levels Celsius (observe) bathing the 6-kilometer road observe.
Hamilton within the different Mercedes and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) each began from the pit-lane following in a single day power-unit overhauls and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) from the again of the grid after being excluded from qualifying for a gasoline circulation infringement.
Leclerc made a superb begin from his fourth Baku pole with no win to drag away from Piastri whereas each Red Bulls gained a spot and Norris rose to thirteenth on lap one.
Flurry of pit stops
Hamilton additionally made early progress. By lap 5, he was fifteenth as Leclerc led Piastri by 0.936 seconds forward of Perez, Sainz, Verstappen and Russell. Alonso was seventh, 4 seconds adrift and Norris eleventh.
Leclerc elevated his tempo and established a spot of three.6 seconds to Piastri. Norris, on hards, was as much as ninth and Hamilton 14th, the Britons managing the new circumstances with care.
The pit stops started on lap 12, most switching from mediums for hards. Hamilton dropped to 18th and Norris, with out stopping, rose to fifth.
After the flurry of stops, throughout which Leclerc briefly gifted the result in Sainz, Piastri stormed into the lead on lap 20, squeezing by on the within at Turn One.
“They are pushing like crazy – or they have more grip than us,” reported Leclerc.
Behind him, a battle royal developed for fifth as Norris resisted Verstappen and Russell behind Albon till he pitted on lap 32. “I have rear grip,” grumbled the pissed off Dutchman earlier than Russell swept by on lap 34.
Norris pitted on lap 38 to arrange a late cost, passing the champion on lap 48 for sixth.
By then, the main trio had been separated by lower than two seconds with Piastri resisting Leclerc’s strain and Perez chasing and it stayed that method, the Australian’s superior traction exiting Turn One, preserving him on prime as Leclerc’s tires deteriorated earlier than Sainz and Perez crashed on lap 50.
Fernando Alonso was sixth for Aston Martin forward of Williams’ Alex Albon and Argentine new boy Franco Colapinto with seven-time champion Hamilton ending ninth.
Ollie Bearman, standing in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen, was tenth for Haas forward of his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. He turned the primary driver to attain factors on debut with two totally different groups.
Source: www.dailysabah.com