F1 FINAL REPORT: Oscar Piastri edged out Charles Leclerc to win...

Red Bull star Sergio Perez has been summoned to the FIA stewards following an on-track incident during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend

Oscar Piastri triumphed in a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix, fending off a fierce challenge from Charles Leclerc to secure his second career Formula 1 victory. Piastri’s victory was the highlight of an eventful race that saw McLaren outperform expectations, with Lando Norris recovering from 15th to finish fourth, ahead of reigning world champion Max Verstappen. The result left McLaren leading Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship by 20 points, while Verstappen’s fifth-place finish means his lead over Norris in the Drivers’ Championship has shrunk to 59 points.

Piastri’s Battle with Leclerc Steals the Show

From the beginning of the race, it appeared that Charles Leclerc was set to dominate. The Ferrari driver built an early six-second lead over Piastri before the first round of pit stops, giving the impression that victory was within his grasp. However, Piastri showed his mettle after pitting on lap 16. He managed to stay ahead of Sergio Perez, thanks in part to teammate Lando Norris, who skillfully held up the Red Bull driver in the narrow middle sector.

Leclerc pitted one lap later but struggled to get his hard tires up to temperature quickly enough. This allowed Piastri to close in and pull off a brilliant overtake at Turn One on lap 20. From there, the two drivers engaged in an intense battle for the lead that lasted for much of the race. On multiple occasions, Leclerc tried to retake the lead, but Piastri defended masterfully, using his McLaren’s superior traction off the corners to stay ahead.

Whenever Leclerc closed in on the long straights, Piastri positioned his car perfectly, covering the inside line and preventing Leclerc from getting alongside him at the corner exits. The battle thrilled the crowd as the two drivers went wheel-to-wheel in what many are calling one of the best duels of the season. Meanwhile, Perez lurked just two seconds behind, ready to pounce on any mistake by the leaders, but both Piastri and Leclerc kept things clean.

As the laps wound down, Leclerc’s tires began to degrade, and Piastri capitalized, pulling away in the final five laps to secure his second career F1 win. Piastri was jubilant after the race, reflecting on his performance: “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,” Piastri said. “After the stop, I saw we were pretty close again, and I felt like we had a little bit of extra grip, so I had to go for it.”

He added that the final laps, though somewhat more relaxing once Leclerc dropped out of DRS range, were still tense due to the challenging nature of the Baku circuit. “There’s no such thing as a relaxing lap around here,” Piastri said, adding that it was one of his best performances to date.

Drama in the Fight for Third

While Piastri and Leclerc fought for the lead, the battle for third also produced its share of drama. Perez, who had been lurking behind the leaders all race, saw his opportunity to challenge for a podium in the closing laps. Unfortunately for him, it ended in disaster. On the penultimate lap, Perez went deep into Turn One, allowing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to slip past him. As Perez fought back at Turn Two, the two collided, crashing into the wall and bringing a premature end to both of their races.

The crash handed third place to Mercedes’ George Russell, who had been running a relatively quiet race up to that point. The incident brought out the Virtual Safety Car, effectively neutralizing the race for the final lap. “We were just in the right place at the right time,” Russell admitted after the race, acknowledging that he had benefited from the misfortune of others

Norris Recovers Brilliantly from 15th

Lando Norris also put in a superb performance, recovering from 15th on the grid to finish fourth. After a difficult qualifying session, few expected Norris to make significant inroads into Verstappen’s lead in the championship, but the British driver had other ideas. He opted to start on the hard tires, allowing him to run a long first stint and jump Verstappen, who pitted earlier.

Verstappen, though faster on paper, was unable to pass Norris when the two came wheel-to-wheel on lap 24. Norris defended aggressively, shutting the door on Verstappen and staying ahead. Norris then cleverly used the DRS from Williams driver Alex Albon to prevent Verstappen from getting close enough to launch another attack on the straights.

Once Norris made his second pit stop for fresh medium tires, he found himself 15 seconds behind Verstappen but quickly began setting the fastest laps of the race. With just three laps to go, Norris caught and passed the struggling Verstappen to take fourth, a result that was boosted by the crash between Perez and Sainz.

Verstappen’s Struggles Continue

It was another frustrating race for Verstappen, who has been struggling for form in recent races. Starting third on the grid, the Dutch driver never looked comfortable, with his Red Bull lacking the pace to challenge McLaren and Ferrari. After failing to pass Norris mid-race, Verstappen’s tires began to fade, and he had no answer when Norris caught and overtook him late in the race.

The fifth-place finish leaves Verstappen 59 points ahead of Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, but the result will be a concern for Red Bull as McLaren have now overtaken them in the Constructors’ standings by 20 points.

Other Notable Performances

Further down the order, Fernando Alonso finished sixth for Aston Martin, having run a relatively quiet race. Williams had a standout performance, with Alex Albon finishing seventh and rookie Franco Colapinto scoring his first F1 points in eighth. Colapinto, in just his second race for Williams, has already impressed with his performances, showing that he is a capable replacement for Logan Sargeant.

Lewis Hamilton had a subdued race, finishing ninth after starting from the pit lane due to an engine change. The seven-time champion struggled with traffic and tire degradation throughout the race and was never in contention for a top-five finish.

Haas’ British teenager Oliver Bearman rounded out the top ten, scoring a point in his one-off race as a substitute for the banned Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen, who was suspended for accumulating too many penalty points, will return for the next race in Singapore.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was one of the most action-packed races of the season, with Piastri’s victory and McLaren’s resurgence now making the title battles more interesting. With several drivers showing strong form, the upcoming races promise more intense competition at the front of the grid.