Oscar Piastri claimed the second win of his career after cruising to victory in an action-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With this win, Piastri yet again proved to the critics exactly why he shouldn’t be considered as the backup driver for Lando Norris.
Leclerc, who started from pole, put some distance between himself and the chasing pack. After the first round of pit stops, Piastri found a new life in his tires, swooping past the Monagasque after a late lunge from far behind on lap 20. The Australian then defended for 30 laps with Leclerc constantly on his rear wheel, looking to regain the lead but Piastri held on to claim his second win of his career.
“That ranks as probably the best win of my career,” Piastri said after the race. “Trying to soak up that pressure for so long, that was incredibly tough. I saw an opportunity or half an opportunity after the pit stop and knew I had to try and take it. I knew that getting to the lead was going to be one thing, but I knew I had my work cut out for me after that.”
With this win, Piastri closed the gap to Leclerc to 13 points in the driver’s standings with 7 races to go.
How the Late Perez-Sainz Collision Shifted the Momentum for Oscar Piastri?
As the lead cars of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc kept exchanging blows at the front, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz quietly went about their business maintaining a strong race pace to keep in touch with the frontrunners. Things got interesting when the duo got perilously close to the front two, making it a four-way battle for the win.
With 3 laps to go, Perez pressured Sainz into Turn 1, but the Ferrari driver held his ground, allowing him to overtake Perez. Sainz then made a move on Leclerc, giving Perez an opening to pull alongside him before they collided.
Sparks fly on the streets of Baku! 💥😱
This moment between Sainz and Perez effectively ended the race, and cost both the chance of a podium!#F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/iR6UTynvpv
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 15, 2024
“Really a shame that it happened,” said Perez. “Yeah, I lost words to say because it cost a lot of points, a disaster to the championships. We definitely have a lot more on the table this weekend. In my opinion, Carlos moved too quickly to follow the tow from Charles, it’s just the wrong time, the wrong moment that ended up with a huge shunt.”
The collision relieved pressure on Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, who finished the race under the Virtual Safety Car. The crash also promoted George Russell to a podium finish with Lando Norris completing a mega drive to finish 4th having started from 15th on the grid. Max Verstappen completed the top 5 after yet another disappointing afternoon.
McLaren is the new leader of the Constructor’s title with 476 points, 20 points ahead of Red Bull. Ferrari ended the day with 425 points to their name with Mercedes (309) and Aston Martin (82) completing the top 5.
Read More: McLaren to Prioritise Lando Norris Over Oscar Piastri As They Seek to Upstage Red Bull
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
