Azerbaijan – Race: Ricciardo triumphs in a breathtaking scenario!

Unexpected, breathtaking, thrilling. Superlatives fall short in summarizing this Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the first of its name after the European Grand Prix held last year. The site hasn’t changed one bit, but this time the (tele)viewers got their money’s worth!

First laps already eventful

Under a bright and hot sun (nearly fifty degrees on the track), the first lap set the tone. Lewis Hamilton held the lead at the start, just ahead of Bottas. But the Finn found himself in a tough spot approaching the second corner. Kimi Räikkönen emerged on the outside: the former Williams driver pushed too hard on the curb, and the two drivers collided. The Ferrari driver was pushed against the wall. Luckily, the right front suspension withstood the impact. For Bottas, the right front tire went completely flat. A new set of soft tires had to be fitted at the end of this first lap.

The winners of this start? Sebastian Vettel, who moved up to second, ahead of Sergio Pérez, in third, right under Max Verstappen’s nose. Further back in the pack, Carlos Sainz spun out trying to avoid his teammate Daniil Kvyat, who returned from the run-off area and the asphalt escape route. The Russian’s race was ruined anyway by the 11th lap due to a brake overheating problem. Just like Jolyon Palmer, who abandoned his Renault due to a technical issue.

From then on, the Safety Car was deployed to clear the poorly positioned Toro Rosso in the second sector. The majority of the drivers took advantage of this for a free pit stop. In the event, Verstappen was let down by his engine. The Dutchman experienced his fourth retirement of the season in eight races!

His teammate was still quite far down the hierarchy after stopping prematurely. The Australian hadn’t lost much in exchange, being tenth during the first period of neutralization, which ended on the 17th lap. The race was only restarted for a few seconds: more debris was still scattered across the four corners of the circuit!

Hamilton vs Vettel, the hatchet unearthed?

A second restart on the 20th lap awaited the drivers involved. But a major controversy erupted at the exit of the sixteenth corner!

Hamilton was restarting the pack at a slow pace. Surprised, Vettel drove into the back of the Mercedes. This incident made the four-time world champion lose his cool as he pulled alongside the leader to express his discontent. Except the Ferrari driver forgot to maintain control of his vehicle! An unbelievable image of wheel-to-wheel contact between the two championship leaders. There’s no doubt this will be a memorable moment in the 2017 season!

However, it was already necessary to focus on a new chaotic restart! Räikkönen definitively lost any chance of doing well due to a puncture. The main incident here was, however, the collision between the two Force Indias! In the second corner, there was no room for all the drivers behind Vettel’s Ferrari. The young French driver didn’t give up and pinned his teammate against the wall. Pérez lost a lot, forced to return to his pit for long repairs. Like “Iceman,” the Mexican was still saved by a red flag waved two laps later, allowing time to pick up all the carbon pieces littering the track.

Ocon had to make a pit stop, much faster than his two little teammates. Hamilton took advantage of the few minutes of interruption to inspect the rear deflector of his W07. Would it hold up? We were not yet done with our surprises!

LAP 21/51: And further down the road, after the restart, both Force Indias collide

We’re back behind the Safety Car again#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/grtSMo60nF

— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 juin 2017

The cherry on the cake, under the checkered flag!

In this last restart, it was Daniel Ricciardo who gained two positions by delaying his braking into Turn 1 to the maximum. A bold and rewarding move: Massa and Stroll were overtaken! This maneuver simply marked the beginning of the end for the experienced Brazilian, who was also a victim of a technical KO. A good opportunity for Fernando Alonso, who moved up to sixth place after overtaking Sainz on the track and benefitting from Nico Hülkenberg’s retirement. Foolishly, Renault’s leader hit the wall on the inside of the 8th corner in the old city of Baku.

Hardly any driver was spared! Lewis Hamilton was experiencing his share of bad luck. Unexpectedly, the attachment of his roll hoop came loose! Another comical moment in a crazy Grand Prix with a triple world champion trying to fix the part with his hands. It was in vain and resulted in an extra pit stop on the 32nd lap. It seemed that his fate was still tied to Vettel, who was penalized with a 10-second stop-and-go for dangerous driving during the infamous clash mentioned a few lines above. Ironically, the timing of the stop was beneficial for the Ferrari driver, as he rejoined ahead… of Hamilton!

As a result, the leading trio had gotten rid of its main frontrunners. Ricciardo took the lead on the 34th lap, ahead of … Stroll and Ocon, who had already come back from nowhere after overtaking Magnussen! The hope for a first podium for the Frenchman still ended with the return of three rockets: Bottas and our duet, Vettel and Hamilton.

From his first attempt, Bottas moved ahead of Ocon. Vettel and Hamilton quickly did the same.

But this Grand Prix could not end without one last twist. Bottas managed to overtake Lance Stroll by slipstreaming him on the final straight of the ultimate lap. The Canadian will still be content with a historic third place, making him the second youngest driver on a podium in the history of Formula 1, at 18 years, 7 months, and 27 days. Exactly twelve days older than Max Verstappen in May 2016 in Barcelona.

😵 An incredible climax to an amazing race #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 #F1 pic.twitter.com/JhFDRlylyb

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2017

Incredible finish, therefore, which did not, however, shake Daniel Ricciardo!

The Australian experienced a relatively calm end to the race (a rarity), to claim the first victory of his season, the fifth of his career. And above all, this unexpected triumph marks something new: never since 2014 had three teams won in a single season. That is now accomplished, after the four victories by Mercedes drivers and the three by Sebastian Vettel for Ferrari.

In the overall standings, the German also takes advantage of his fourth place to increase his lead over Lewis Hamilton by two points: 153 points for the former compared to 139 for the latter. Mercedes earns sixteen additional points, notably thanks to Kimi Räikkönen’s retirement. The team with the star logo now totals 250 points, with 226 for Scuderia Ferrari.

Let’s end this summary on a historical note: Fernando Alonso brings McLaren their first points after his two points earned through sheer determination. Pascal Wehrlein also collects an additional point for Sauber. Nine teams have thus scored points in Baku, an unprecedented event in the great history of Formula 1. Enough is enough, the cup is full!

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

What. A. Race.#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 #F1Baku pic.twitter.com/mARZ8ype9g

— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 juin 2017

STR: “I’m lost for words. I can’t believe what just happened. It was a crazy race but we stayed out of trouble” #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/eQh7TrsjNq

— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 juin 2017