Oscar Piastri described his thrilling victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a defining moment of his career. Holding off Charles Leclerc for 35 grueling laps, the McLaren driver’s aggressive overtaking and defence culminated in the second Grand Prix win of his career.
“I tried, at the start to get in front, but once I got out of DRS I didn’t have the pace. After the stop, I saw we were pretty close again. I felt like we had a bit of extra grip and thought we had to go for it because I thought I’d never get past otherwise,” the Papaya driver said.
“I went for a big lunge and hung on for dear life for the next 35 laps.
“The last couple of laps were a little bit more relaxing but there’s no such thing as a relaxing lap.
“That goes down as one of the better races in my career.”
This race was as much about Piastri as it was about McLaren’s dramatic turnaround. Just a year ago, McLaren was at the bottom of the standings, struggling to find pace and consistency.
Today, they lead the Constructors’ World Championship, overtaking the incredibly dominant Red Bull.
“Where we started when I joined, we were literally last. Now we are leading the championship. Full credit to the team. Results like this weren’t possible 12 months ago. It’s a massive team effort, and I’m excited to see what the future holds,” Piastri said.
Right from the start of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc held his pole position, fending off the likes of Sergio Perez. Lap after lap, the pressure mounted, and this was maintained throughout the whole race.
Lap 20 saw Piastri seizing the advantage, overtaking Leclerc to lead the race with a lunge that seemed to come from nowhere. With his McLaren in clean air, he was able to control the race while managing his tires, letting Ferrari’s Monegasque driver use his to keep on his gearbox.
At the same time, other drivers faced their own battles. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda retired due to damage while Max Verstappen struggled with is car’s setup on this brilliant Baku circuit.
By the end of the race, mot only did Piastri hold his nerve, but he demonstrated exceptional race management which allowed his teammate Norris to push up the grid as much as possible, climbing from 15th to finish 4th. This was a strong points outing for the Woking team.
The final laps saw a chaotic tussle as Leclerc, Perez, and Sainz clashed, leading to a finish under the virtual safety car as the latter two crashed. The result: Oscar Piastri clinched a hard-fought win, with Leclerc and George Russell completing the podium in second and third.
2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Results
1. Oscar Piastri2. Charles Leclerc3. George Russell4. Lando Norris5. Max Verstappen6. Fernando Alonso7. Alex Albon8. Franco Colapinto9. Lewis Hamilton10. Ollie Bearman11. Nico Hulkenberg12. Pierre Gasly13. Daniel Ricciardo14. Zhou Guanyu15. Esteban Ocon16. Valtteri Bottas17. Carlos Sainz – DNF18. Sergio Perez – DNF19. Lance Stroll – DNF20. Yuki Tsunoda – DNF
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