Oscar Piastri’s thrilling victory over Charles Leclerc in this morning’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix has seen McLaren leapfrog Red Bull into the World Teams’ Championship lead.
Piastri hit the front with a Turn 1 lunge on Leclerc on Lap 20 and defended fiercely over the remaining 31 laps to win his second Grand Prix with one of the best drives this season.
Leclerc, who started from the pole, challenged the Australian throughout the remainder of the race but was, at times, forced to turn his attention to Sergio Perez, who was running third and showing great pace.
Perez sat behind the leaders for much of the second half of proceedings, but the battles up front also brought Carlos Sainz into the equation.
On the penultimate lap, Perez attempted to overtake Leclerc, whose tyres were fading, but came up short at Turn 1. Sainz jumped at the opportunity to pass the Red Bull, only for the two to come together and crash into the wall exiting Turn 2.
The incident brought a Virtual Safety Car, and racing would not resume, with Piastri taking the win from Leclerc and George Russell, who jumped from fifth to third following Perez and Sainz’s crash.
“P1! I’m so happy to have won my second Grand Prix,” said the Australian. “This is the best win of my career. I’m proud of what we did today. 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 like we had a little bit of extra grip. I had to go for it because I knew that if I didn’t get past at the start of the stint, I was never going to get past. So, I went for a pretty big lunge, but managed to pull it up, and then hung on for dear life for the next 35 laps.
“It was hard work, but I think that definitely goes down as one of my better races.
“We’re now leading the World Championship. It’s a massive team effort, and everyone at McLaren deserves full credit for the turnaround that’s happened in my 18 months here.
“The car has improved, but I think they’ve helped me improve as well: 12 months ago, I definitely wasn’t capable of achieving results like this. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Lando Norris bounced back from Q1 elimination and worked his way through the mid-field, opting to run long before stopping for mediums late and hunting down Max Verstappen to finish fourth.
Running long also allowed Norris to hold up Perez, who had stopped for hard tyres on Lap 14, and let Piastri respond a lap later and retain second, preventing an undercut.
The McLaren driver finally made his stop on Lap 38 and overturned a 15-second deficit to Verstappen to take sixth entering the closing stages. He gained two further positions following the late crash and set the fastest lap to take a valuable World Championship bonus point.
Verstappen followed Norris home in fifth, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who ran a quiet race in sixth.
Alex Albon, who ran a similar strategy to Norris and stopped late, came home an impressive seventh, one place ahead of rookie teammate Franco Colapinto, who finished in the points for Williams in his second-ever race.
As a result, Colapinto has scored more points in two races than the driver he replaced, Logan Sargeant, managed in 36 career starts at Williams, justifying their decision to replace the American mid-season.
Pre-race engine and suspension changes saw Lewis Hamilton start from pit lane, and the seven-time World Champion responded strongly to come home ninth.
Oliver Bearman’s point in tenth place makes him the first rookie driver to score points for two different teams in his first two races in a single season.
A haul of 38 points to Red Bull’s 10 in Azerbaijan gives McLaren a 20-point lead in the Constructors’ standings. Ferrari also outscored Red Bull 18-10 and move to 31 points behind the reigning champions.
“Today we secured an important and impressive victory in Azerbaijan,” said Team Principal Andrea Stella. “Oscar’s performance throughout the race was exceptional, and to take the lead in the way that he did is proof of what a special driver he is.
“Lando also completed an impressive comeback after starting out of position through no fault of his own.
“At this event, there was no team with a clear pace advantage, and this strong result was due to the excellent execution of the race by the team and our drivers. It is further proof that our package can be competitive and fight for victories at a variety of circuits.
“Today’s result also promotes us to first in the Constructors’ Championship, an important milestone in our journey. However, the team remain clearly focused on the task ahead, and we use this positive moment to redouble our efforts for the coming races.
“The progress we’ve made since the start of 2023, when we were at the back of the grid, is down to the hard work and dedication from our entire team, as well as the support from our shareholders and partners.
“We quickly turn our attention to Singapore, where the team will be focused on executing another successful race weekend.”
Verstappen still holds the advantage in the Drivers’ Championship, with Norris left with plenty of work to overturn a 59-point deficit. Leclerc is now also in the equation and only 19 points behind Norris. Piastri’s brings him closer to Leclerc, with 13 points separating the pair.
In all, 32 points separate positions two to four.
Formula 1 returns this weekend with the Singapore Grand Prix before a four-week break ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
Header Image: McLaren
