Formula 1: Piastri wins in Baku! Norris ahead of Verstappen after stronger comeback

• Formula 1, Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku

Formula 1 in Baku: The race in the ticker protocol

The most important things in brief: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has won the Formula 1 race in Azerbaijan. On the street circuit in Baku, the Australian prevailed ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Mercedes driver George Russell, after there was a third heavy crash between last year's winner Sergio Pérez in the Red Bull and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz shortly before the end. Defending champion Max Verstappen had to settle for fifth place in the second Red Bull. His world championship rival Lando Norris, after a botched qualifying in the McLaren, managed to get from 15th place on the grid to fourth place in the race and further reduced his deficit in the title race.

Verstappen’s pursuer Norris moves up two places

The chances of Max Verstappen's World Championship rival Lando Norris catching up at the Formula 1 race in Baku are increasing. Because record world champion Lewis Hamilton started from the pit lane due to an engine change on his Mercedes and Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was penalized at the back of the field, Norris moved up two starting positions. The McLaren driver will therefore start the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan today (1:00 p.m./RTL and Sky) in 15th place and can hope for important points in the World Championship duel with defending champion Verstappen.

Norris had botched the qualification on Saturday and was eliminated in the first round in 17th place. Verstappen also experienced disappointment in sixth place. The Red Bull driver is 62 points ahead of Norris in the overall standings with eight races to go, but his team has been in poor form for weeks.

Norris had already won a starting position on Saturday evening. The race stewards discovered a rule violation on Gasly's Alpine, whose fuel system briefly worked irregularly. Instead of starting in 13th place, the Frenchman now has to start from the very back.

Russell sets fastest time in 3rd practice – Haas driver complains after crash

George Russell set the fastest lap in the Mercedes in the last free Formula 1 practice session before qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Briton beat Charles Leclerc, who had set the fastest time of the day in the Ferrari on Friday, to second place by 13 thousandths of a second. Leclerc has taken pole position on the Baku circuit for the past three years.

Behind Russell and Leclerc, World Championship runner-up Lando Norris came in third in his McLaren. Fourth place went to his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri, who is expected to help his team rival in the fight for the World Championship title against leader Max Verstappen.

The one-hour training session on the narrow and demanding course, where Nico Hülkenberg finished 16th, had to be interrupted twice. First, a defect stopped the Alpine of Frenchman Esteban Ocon, and later Oliver Bearman demolished the left front calf of his Haas. Bearman complained over the radio after his crash: “I'm such an idiot!”

Ferrari is breathing down Red Bull’s neck

After winning their home race in Monza, Ferrari smelled a rat. The Scuderia is now only 39 points behind leader Red Bull in the battle for the World Championship, and Charles Leclerc can also count on being an outsider in the drivers' championship, considering that Baku and Singapore are two good tracks for Ferrari, while Red Bull is falling further and further down the pecking order.

Leclerc is still 86 points behind Max Verstappen, while the Monegasque speaks about his title ambitions on media Thursday in Azerbaijan: “There is definitely a chance,” he says. “But I think that realistically speaking, it will not only take a leap in performance to win the drivers' championship, but probably also a bit of luck.”

Leclerc: Should we have taken the constructors’ title

“In the team rankings, everything is still open because 40 points are at stake, and with two drivers in one team, that's doable. We also have our chances, and that's a goal we should aim for ourselves. But before we think about a title, we have to improve our car to be able to keep up with the guys at the top on a consistent basis and not just be there in one race.”

“I don't think we're at the level of McLaren and Red Bull yet. I think like in Monza, when they didn't optimise their package, we can be here and try to win. And that's what we did in Monza. But in the future we need to make some more steps forward to challenge them consistently.”

Nevertheless, at least three of the eight remaining tracks in the 2024 Formula 1 season are likely to suit Ferrari's strengths. These include Baku, Singapore and Las Vegas, although there could be a special Leclerc factor in Azerbaijan, as the Baku City Circuit is considered one of the Monegasque's special tracks.

Leclerc’s special relationship with Baku

After all, he has been on pole position in the last three Grands Prix on the Caspian Sea, making him the only driver to have taken pole position in Baku more than once. He also still holds the circuit's lap record with a 1:43.009 from the 2019 season. And in Formula 2, he also showed his pace early on in Azerbaijan's winding curves.

In the 2017 Formula 2 season, he took pole position with a lead of 0.568 seconds over second place, then won the main race, including a fastest lap that was more than six tenths faster than the fastest lap of any other driver. The next day, he also finished the sprint race in first place, but was pushed back to second place by a ten-second time penalty. And this despite the fact that his father, Hervé Leclerc, died at the beginning of the same week.

Why Leclerc is so fast in Baku

When asked on Thursday how he explains his historically strong performances in Azerbaijan, Leclerc said: “Apart from the fact that it is a street circuit and I really like street circuits, I think there is just an element of risk management that is less pronounced on normal race tracks.”

“There you have a little more room to make a mistake. You can lock a wheel and there are no consequences. On a street circuit, there are consequences. So the risk is much more in the driver's mind and that is a challenge that I particularly like and where I have been particularly fast in the past.”

“That sometimes cost me points.” But at the same time, that's also my strength on these routes. It's not something I'm going to change. I just like the rhythm, but that's about it.”

“But it's one of my favorite tracks, I love this track and I've always felt particularly comfortable here. I've usually been pretty strong in the past too. But that doesn't affect the way I prepare for this race. I just prepare as well as I do for any other race weekend.”

Will the first Formula 1 victory be achieved in Baku in 2024?

But it is also a fact that, despite all his good performances, Leclerc has never won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Formula 1. The long straights, tight corners and relatively high curbs should suit Ferrari this weekend. The 26-year-old will not be pushing himself too far, however.

“Our mechanical package will be very similar to what we have had so far this season. We are not bringing any upgrades and I expect our slow speed performance to still be very good and that should be a strength,” he explains. “I also think it should be a strong weekend for us.” On paper at least, it should be a more positive weekend than usual, but we still need to confirm that on track.”

By Kevin Hermann, co-author: Jake Boxall-Legge