“That,” said Oscar Piastri after racing to the finish line first at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, “was probably the most stressful afternoon of my life.” Supermodel Naomi Campbell waved off the McLaren driver as winner in Baku, winning for the second time the 23-year-old took part in a Formula 1 race. The journey there was like a one-and-a-half-hour self-defense course, which the Australian completed with flying colors. “What a day,” he said. “That was definitely one of my best races so far.” Second after 51 laps (306 kilometers) was Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari ahead of George Russell (Mercedes). World Cup rivals Lando Norris (McLaren) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) came fourth and fifth. Nico Hülkenberg from Emmerich (Haas) remained in eleventh place without points, having fallen back on the penultimate lap due to debris on the track that damaged his car. Verstappen in the fun-free zone Leclerc had won the starting position race against Piastri the day before and was there for the fourth time in a row drove to pole position in Baku. But again it wasn’t enough to triumph on the Caspian Sea. World champion Max Verstappen, without a win in six races, continued to struggle with his car: only sixth in the qualification. The cockpit of his RB20 remains a fun-free zone for the Dutchman. For the first time in a year and a half he even lost to his stablemate, the two-time Baku winner Sergio Pérez, who qualified in fourth place behind Carlos Sainz (Ferrari). Piastri, the brilliant starter, failed to sprint over 90 meters to the first corner. Leclerc to attack. Pérez overtook Sainz, Verstappen squeezed past Russell. And Lando Norris, Verstappen’s only opponent in the fight for the world title? Initially circled in no man’s land. Only 17th place in qualifying. It should be easier for him from now on.McLaren realized before the trip to Azerbaijan that Norris would no longer be able to intercept Verstappen if he and his colleague Piastri constantly fought each other on the slopes, as they did recently in Monza. The gap to Verstappen is still considerable, but for McLaren every point counts in order to keep the pressure on the long-time winner of the past. Finally, some will say, team boss Andrea Stella distributed the roles: granted Norris the unrestricted hunting license, commissioned Piastri to provide shooting assistance. “Lots of opportunities to make mistakes” Will the change of course come too late? At least it’s of no use if Norris ends up sidelined through his own fault. In the starting position race he failed in the first round because he made a mistake in the last corner of the decisive attempt. “Hopefully,” said Norris before the race through the old town of Baku began, “I will be able to make a few overtaking maneuvers.” On Sunday the first lap was not over, when he raced up to twelfth place. The hunt for Verstappen began. Baku’s narrow track offers a six-kilometer mix of long straights on which the cars accelerate to speeds of 350 km/h and more, and treacherous 90-degree curves: if you don’t brake with all your might, you’ll crash into the barrier. “There are many opportunities to make mistakes in Baku,” said Ferrari race director Frédéric Vasseur. His driver Leclerc crashed into the barriers during Friday training. But now he controlled the action on the medium tires, kept Piastri at a distance, and was more than four seconds ahead after a quarter of the distance to be covered. Norris was circling in ninth place and shortly afterwards was in demand as a rolling chicane. He slowed down Pérez after his pit stop and helped Piastri, who stayed ahead of the Mexican after his service. So the new teamwork at McLaren is working. Just a little different than planned. “They’re pushing like crazy.” When the tires were changed, the balance of power on the track changed. “They push like crazy or they have more grip than us,” radioed the leader Leclerc. His lead melted away and Piastri accelerated noticeably on the hard rollers. At the beginning of the 21st lap he attacked Leclerc at the entrance to the first corner and took the lead. “Brilliant,” said McLaren team boss Andrea Stella about the highly talented Australian’s masterfully executed maneuver: “He came from so far behind. A pleasure to watch.” External content from Twitter In order to display external content, your revocable consent is required. Personal data from third-party platforms (possibly USA) may be processed. More information. Activate external content A three-way battle for victory broke out between Piastri, Leclerc and Pérez. Things haven’t been this tight at the top of Formula 1 for a long time. Leclerc collected himself and seemed to manage his tires better than Piastri. Its tire management is considered its biggest weakness – over the Grand Prix distance. Leclerc rode attack after attack. But Piastri parried again and again. “Come on Charles,” Leclerc was shouted in his ear 15 tours before the end of the day, “keep it up.”More on the topicBut he couldn’t find a way to combat the Australian’s fighting spirit and martial art. Rejected again and again, he had to realize four laps before the end on worn rear tires that it wouldn’t be enough to win again. Worse still. Behind him, Perez and Sainz pressed. A violent collision between the two of them – they remained uninjured – helped Russell to third place two laps before the end. Norris found his way past Verstappen in the finale. But the three points he made up in the title race after the botched qualification didn’t help much. Next week, in Singapore, he has more to catch up on. We remain 59 points behind, with seven Grand Prix and three short races still to come. After all: McLaren overtook Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
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