Unexpected twists of fate at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix The “City of Winds” lived up to its name

It all began with qualifying, where, for the first time in history, the session was stopped six times by red flags caused by driver crashes.

The stoppages were due to accidents involving Alex Albon (Williams), Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), and Oscar Piastri (McLaren). Both the drivers themselves and their colleagues admitted that the cause of the crashes was the challenging weather conditions—specifically, the Baku wind. And this turned out to be just the beginning.

However, I would also say that the cause of the accidents could be a simple human “boomerang.” None of these drivers came out to the pit lane to greet the fans or wave to them on qualifying day, even though, in other countries and at other Grands Prix, they give autographs and take selfies with their supporters.

And today, the fans had barely settled into their seats after the start of the main race when last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner, Oscar Piastri, was already out of the race. The 24-year-old Australian crashed his car, valued at around $18 million, at the fifth (!) corner of the very first lap. This happened despite the fact that after qualifying, his chassis had been replaced with the one he had already used to win four Grands Prix. As they say, this is Baku, and no chassis can help when the Baku wind comes into play. After that, Piastri had no choice but to watch the race on his mobile phone.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who had already won the Baku stage of Formula 1 in 2022, took the lead almost from the first lap and never relinquished it, steadily extending his gap over second-place George Russell (Mercedes) throughout the remaining 50 laps. In the end, he finished first with a lead of nearly 15 seconds (+14.609), claiming his 67th Grand Prix victory, his fourth of the current season, and his second in Azerbaijan.

Thus, the Dutchman, who will turn 28 in nine days, gave himself a fantastic gift both for his birthday and for his Formula 1 career anniversary. This year marks exactly 10 years since Max began participating in this famous race. Moreover, Verstappen became only the second driver after Sergio Pérez to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix twice.

Third place went to Carlos Sainz, now representing Williams. It’s worth noting that for the 31-year-old Sainz, well known for his time at Ferrari, the Baku podium is his first since joining Williams. So, it’s safe to say that Baku has been a lucky city for Carlos.

Meanwhile, the living legends of Formula 1—Sainz’s former teammate Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)—seem unable to regain their former form. Seven-time F1 champion Hamilton finished eighth, while two-time champion Alonso ended up 15th. And it seems to me that the Baku wind had little to do with this outcome.

Overall, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned into a nightmare for Ferrari! Charles Leclerc finished just behind Hamilton, in ninth place. As a result, even in the Constructors’ Championship—where McLaren’s lead is unchallenged (623 points!)—Mercedes nudged the Italian powerhouse down to third place: 290 points versus 286.

After the Baku stage, the top ten in the drivers’ standings looks like this:

• Oscar Piastri (McLaren) — 324 points

• Lando Norris (McLaren) — 299

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — 255

• George Russell (Mercedes) — 212

• Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) — 165

• Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) — 121

• Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — 78

• Alex Albon (Williams) — 70

• Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) — 39

• Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) — 37

As we can see, the fiasco in Baku did not shake Piastri’s position, but it slightly increased the chances of four-time world champion Verstappen to claim his fifth title. Now, everyone is eagerly awaiting the next, 18th, Formula 1 round, which will start in Singapore in a couple of weeks.

By Vugar Vugarli, exclusively for Caliber.Az