BEIJING - McLaren's Oscar Piastri withstood heavy pressure from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to take victory in Sunday's Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as the race ended under caution after a penultimate lap tangle between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez.
Starting second on the grid, Piastri remained close to polesitter Leclerc and took the lead at the start of lap 20, diving down the inside of the Monegasque at Turn 1.
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From then on, the Australian had Leclerc breathing down his neck for the remainder of the race, and though the Ferrari driver came close to drawing alongside on several occasions, the McLaren always seemed to have just enough to stay ahead, with Piastri seemingly having better rear traction out of corners.
However, Leclerc's challenge faded with around three laps remaining as he struggled with his tyres, and the Monegasque fell into the clutches of Perez and Sainz, who then collided on lap 50 while battling over third.
But while chaos reigned behind, Piastri reigned supreme to take his second Grand Prix win of 2024, in what he called the "most stressful afternoon of (his) life" on his slow-down lap.
"After the (pit) stop, it felt like we had a bit of extra grip, and I had to go for it; I knew if I didn't get past [Leclerc] at the start of the stint, I was never going to get past," said Piastri after the race.
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"I went for a pretty big lunge but I managed and then hung on for dear life for the next laps. Once he dropped out of DRS, it was a little bit more relaxing, but there was no relaxing lap around here. ”
“It definitely goes down as one of the better races of my career."
Behind Piastri, Leclerc took second place, with the Monegasque rueing his Ferrari's lack of pace on the Hard compound tyres.
Sainz and Perez's clash promoted Mercedes' George Russell into an unexpected third place, with Piastri's teammate Lando Norris salvaging fourth place after starting only 15th following a disrupted qualifying session.
The Briton also took the bonus point for the fastest lap, taking a total of three points out of championship leader Max Verstappen, who had a low-key run to fifth.
Fernando Alonso took sixth for Aston Martin, while an excellent afternoon for Williams saw Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto finish seventh and eighth.
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Lewis Hamilton salvaged ninth after having started from the pit lane, with Haas stand-in Oliver Bearman taking a point in tenth in only his second Grand Prix.
In the Drivers' Championship, Verstappen still leads on 313 points, with Norris edging ever closer and now sitting on 254 points. Leclerc is third on 235.
In the Constructors' Championship, McLaren have taken the lead from Red Bull and currently have 476 points. Red Bull are second on 456, with Ferrari edging closer on 425. The 18th round of the 2024 F1 season is next weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
