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Azerbaijan GP
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Azerbaijan GP
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2024 Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP
Sep 12, 2024 to Sep 15, 2024
| Baku City Circuit, AZ
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Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP
F1 Azerbaijan GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2024 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc starts on pole for Ferrari and is joined on the front row by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – while title challenger Lando Norris endured a nightmare qualifying having dropped out in Q1 and starts from 15th.
Max Verstappen will look to take advantage of that but he also needs to make up ground starting in sixth for Red Bull.
The Azerbaijan GP starts at 12pm BST.
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Checkered flag
09:11:13 am
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So, that rounds out the Azerbaijan GP. Never fear though, the next race is just a week away, as the paddock heads East for the Singapore GP on the 20-22 September. Until then, go well!
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
09:09:07 am
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Piastri, cool as ever, stands on top of the podium with a tiny glimmer of a smile as the Australian and British national anthems play out to mark his and McLaren's triumph. After the trophies are handed out the podium finishers get busy with the fizzy to round out a barnstorming Baku.
09:04:16 am
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In the podium green room, the top three sit in stunned silence watching the Sainz and Perez crash, before Piastri quips "they've not been great friends this weekend" after the pair impeded each other in other sessions this weekend.
09:00:55 am
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Ocon and Gasly have become the latest names set to see the stewards, this time for virtual safety car infringements, so the line outside the stewards' room is going to be a long one this afternoon.
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08:59:15 am
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Piastri on his win: "I tried at the start of the race to get in front but once I dropped out of DRS I just didn't have the pace. After the stop I saw we were pretty close again and I felt we had a bit more extra grip so I had to go for it because if I knew I didn't get past at the start of the stint I was never going to get past. I went for a pretty big lunge but I managed to pull it off and then hung on for dear life for the next 35 laps. The last couple of laps, once he [Leclerc] dropped out of DRS, were a little more relaxing but there is no such thing as a relaxing lap around here. It was hard work but goes down as one of my better races of my career."
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08:56:36 am
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Leclerc on being unable to pass Piastri for the lead: "I think as soon as we put the hard tyres on [we struggled to fight]. On the mediums the car felt good and unfortunately we didn't do any high fuel running on my side in FP1 or FP2 and we went for a set-up direction in the race that was maybe a bit more difficult to manage. I was struggling to keep those hard rear tyres managed. Towards the end I really thought at one corner or two I was going to put it in the wall. It was very close. Second today, McLaren and Oscar have done an exceptional job and been better than us. It is a huge shame for Carlos on the last lap but hopefully everybody is OK, but not a great day for the team."
Breaking news
08:51:24 am
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Here's the developing race report on Piastri's Azerbaijan GP win.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images
08:50:18 am
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And now McLaren has also been placed under investigation, but this time for a pitlane infringement.
08:49:40 am
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Both Hulkenberg and Verstappen have been placed under investigation for separate infringements under the virtual safety car. More on that when we get it.
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08:48:41 am
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Asked how surprised he is to be on the podium by Steiner, Russell says: "Yes definitely surprised, glad to see Checo and Carlos are OK. I think there was so much hard work for everyone in the team, engine changes on my side, engine changes for Lewis, so much going on and everybody was working so hard. We had a really bad start to the race and I was dropping off a lot but on the hard tyre I think we were one of the quickest out there so that was great, got past Max, so an added bonus to stand on the podium."
08:46:03 am
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Piastri, Leclerc and Russell are already discussing the Sainz vs Perez clash before the parc ferme interviews who will be hosted by Netflix star Guenther Steiner.
08:43:51 am
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The clash between Sainz and Perez will be investigated after the race - so presumably right now.
08:43:24 am
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Piastri gets out of his cockpit and stands on top of his car, despite a little stumble, and throws his arms up in the air to the roar of his McLaren mechanics. He measured that race win to perfection. It is his second grand prix win, following on from Hungary earlier in the year.
With that McLaren goes to the top of the constructors' standings, with a 20-point lead over Red Bull leaving Baku. Norris has also chipped into Verstappen's lead in the drivers' standings, with the gap down to 59 points.
08:40:16 am
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Hulkenberg takes 11th ahead of Gasly, Ricciardo, Zhou, Ocon and Bottas. DNF: Perez, Sainz, Stroll and Tsunoda.
08:39:30 am
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Norris finishes the race in fourth ahead of Verstappen in fifth. Then comes Alonso, Albon, Colapinto - his first points in F1 - with Hamilton and Bearman rounding out the top 10. Norris gets the bonus point for fastest lap too.
Checkered flag
08:38:05 am
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The race duly ends under the virtual safety car - so Piastri wins the Azerbaijan GP! Leclerc takes second and Russell is given a surprise podium in third after Sainz and Perez crash out.
08:37:07 am
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To recap the crash: Perez looks to go around the outside of Leclerc at Turn 1 but Leclerc fights firmly but fairly on the inside to shove Perez wide. That allows Sainz to overtake Perez to take third and he gets such a good drive he looks to go around the outisde of Leclerc at Turn 2. But he loses traction and that invites Perez back into the fight, leading to Perez and Sainz tangling on the straight between Turn 2 and 3 and ending up in the wall.
Safety car
08:35:08 am
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The virtual safety car has been deployed at the start of the final lap. That's this race over.
08:34:23 am
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Well, that escalated quickly...
Crash
08:34:07 am
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Sainz and Perez clash! Both are in the wall and out of this race!
08:33:46 am
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Leclerc gets his elbows out on Perez! He keeps hold of second and that gets Sainz ahead of Perez at the exit of Turn 1!
08:32:23 am
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Norris has DRS, closes in on Verstappen, and makes the move look easy around the outside of Turn 1. He is up to sixth and is now taking points from his title rival.
08:32:06 am
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Leclerc is weaving to deny Perez a tow on the main straight and defends firmly on the inside line, he is doing all he can to keep second place. Piastri is 2.8s clear and looks destined to win this.
08:30:57 am
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Leclerc reports his rear tyres have "gone" and he is out of grip. Has all that attacking Piastri cost him dearly with four laps left?
08:30:23 am
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Norris is now only 1.6s behind Verstappen. The battle is on!
08:30:19 am
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Piastri has bolted clear at the front! He posts his personal best lap of the race to pull out eight-tenths on Leclerc and he's 2s ahead. Leclerc's under attack from Perez now!
Mechanical problem
08:29:28 am
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A brake issue forces Stroll to pit and retire. But back to the front and this incredible battle...
Alex Kalinauckas
08:29:17 am
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Norris’s pace right now is indeed good enough to catch Verstappen - he’s in the mid 1m45s and Verstappen is low 1m47s
08:28:35 am
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Sainz in fourth is giving a late charge too - so it is a four-way fight for the lead as the quartet are covered by under three seconds.
08:27:25 am
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Piastri kisses the barrier with his right-side tyres coming through the tight second sector but gets away with it.
08:26:42 am
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Leclerc is given encouragement once again over his Ferrari team radio, but it is worth saying he has never had a clear-cut chance to make a move on Piastri. He's been close, but not close enough the entire time. Five laps to go.
08:25:54 am
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Norris is now just 5.3s off Verstappen, so the two will likely be together in the final two laps.
08:25:15 am
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Here we go again, into Turn 1 and you know the drill by now: Leclerc with DRS charges up to the rear of Piastri, Piastri defends the inside, Leclerc is forced to look to the outside and has to hold station.
Alex Kalinauckas
08:23:35 am
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Norris took 1.5s from Verstappen last time by - it could be very close between them by the end of the race with the gap at 9.1s right now.
08:22:46 am
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This victory battle is getting a bit more spice for the finish as the leaders close in on backmarkers. It is an Ocon-led train of Stroll, Bottas and Zhou.
Alex Kalinauckas
08:21:24 am
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It’s still Piastri’s traction out of Turn 1 that is making the difference. Leclerc is trying to cut back, but can’t as Piastri powers out and then the dirty air makes it so hard for the Ferrari to stay close.
08:20:43 am
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Another lap ticks by and another Piastri defensive line into Turn 1. That time Leclerc kept to the racing line, perhaps hoping for a mistake to pounce on into Turn 2, but the Aussie doesn't falter. And once again Perez is creeping up to the pair of them as they battle.
08:18:20 am
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There are 10 laps to go and Piastri once again defends the inside line at Turn 1 to keep Leclerc behind him.
08:17:21 am
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All this Ferrari strategy chat seems to be a method to push McLaren into making a Monza-like two-stopper call. It is bold but it seems unlikely McLaren will make the same mistake in consecutive races.
08:16:30 am
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In one lap, Norris has taken out well over 1.5s on Verstappen. It's difficult to understand Red Bull's plan here with 11 laps to go as the Dutchman will be a sitting duck in a few laps time.
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By: Autosport Staff
Published: Sep 15, 2024, 1:11 PM
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