Norris ahead of Verstappen

Who will win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Oscar Piastri also triumphs in Baku.

(Bild: AFP/ APA/Andrej ISAKOVIC)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has won the Formula 1 race in Azerbaijan, celebrating his second Grand Prix victory. The 23-year-old Australian prevailed on the street circuit in Baku on Sunday after a thrilling finish ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and George Russell in the Mercedes. 

McLaren thus took the lead in the constructors' championship from Red Bull Racing, as Lando Norris finished fourth ahead of championship rival Max Verstappen.

Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull was left to rue a podium finish after the Mexican crashed with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap in the battle for third place. In the championship race, Norris, who set the fastest lap, reduced his deficit on Verstappen by three points to 59 points. In the team standings, McLaren is now 20 points ahead of the Austro racing team with seven races and three sprints to go before the end of the season.

(Bild: AFP/APA/SIMON WOHLFAHRT)

"A hard piece of work"
"It was a hard piece of work and certainly one of my better races," said Piastri overjoyed after his second triumph after the Hungarian GP in July. Williams youngster Franco Colapinto delivered another showcase of talent in his second race in the premier class, finishing eighth and scoring points for the first time directly ahead of Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton.

The start in Baku promised excitement. Hamilton, like Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, had to start from the pit lane after an engine change, Norris was 15th on the grid in traffic and Verstappen had to make do with sixth place in qualifying. Pole-setter Leclerc defended his top position on the first lap ahead of Piastri, while the two Red Bull drivers also got off to a good start. Perez passed Sainz and was third, Verstappen overtook Russell.

Perez also switched to the hardest compound shortly afterwards and returned to the track behind Norris. Piastri waited a little and stayed ahead of the Mexican thanks to the help of Norris, who slowed Perez down a little in the middle sector. Leclerc defended his leading position, but Piastri coped a little better with the new tires and overtook the Monza winner with a courageous braking manoeuvre on lap 20.

Verstappen, meanwhile, caught up with Norris on much fresher tires, but was unable to overtake his world championship rival. "My brakes aren't working," the Red Bull star radioed and also complained about the lack of grip on the rear axle. A little later, Verstappen was no longer able to keep up with Norris and was overtaken by Russell. Norris changed his set of tires 13 laps before the end of the race and returned to the track in seventh place, just one place and 15 seconds behind Verstappen.

Crash at the finish 
At the front, Leclerc was determined to get past Piastri again, but the 23-year-old Australian defended his lead bravely. While the Ferrari driver hung behind the McLaren, Perez and Sainz lurked just behind. Norris, on the other hand, made great strides towards Verstappen and overtook his rival without any problems. However, Leclerc had to pay tribute to his attacks and defended a Perez attack with degrading rear tires. Sainz briefly slipped through. However, the Spaniard and the Mexican touched on the next straight and both spun into the wall. The race ended with a virtual safety car and McLaren as the winner of the day.