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, STEEM Witness & PeerPlays Witness.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo won a rollercoaster Grand Prix in Azerbaijan on Sunday, as rookie Lance Stroll took his maiden podium for Williams. It was a weekend of non-stop drama at the Baku City Circuit, which featured no less than three safety-car periods and a red-flag race stoppage in the main race.
First Practice
Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo led the way in Friday’s opening practice. Lewis Hamilton finished in fifth with Fernando Alonso retiring with engine problems.
Second Practice
Max Verstappen retained the top spot in the second practice despite crashing in the closing minute in the session. The second fastest was Mercedes’s Valttieri Bottas followed by Daniel Ricciardo and the Ferraris of Raikkonen and Vettel. Lewis Hamilton finished in 10th place.
Qualifying
Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton finished fastest ahead of Bottas and Raikkonen, with Vettel scheduled to start in 4th. This was Hamilton’s 66th pole start, moving two pole positions behind the great, Michael Schumacher’s, all time record. Hamilton beat Bottas to pole position by half a second.
Hamilton was left frustrated earlier having finished the two practice sessions in P5 and P10. He was, however, quick in qualifying, a feat that greatly impressed three-time world champion and Mercedes non-executive Chairman, Niki Lauda.
He said...
“He’s [Lewis] fantastic, especially thinking about his lap time here, because the difference he makes [compared] to everybody…….. Lewis with his lap today, I’ve never seen anything like it”
Main Race
There was plenty of drama in the main race. It was a remarkable race that featured three safety cars and several crashes, which was eventually won by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. Valttieri Bottas came second and rookie Lance Stroll completed the podium place.
Ricciardo was handed the victory mainly by the problems of Hamilton and Vettel. Ricciardo’s teammate Max Verstappen, who was the fastest in the practice sessions, retired early from fourth position with engine failures.
Hamilton vs Vettel
A controversial incident between this year’s top two drivers happened as they prepared for the restart after the second safety period. Vettel ran into the back of Hamilton as he accelerated out of turn 15, damaging his front wing. The German then pulled alongside Hamilton’s Mercedes and drove into it, banging wheels.
Vettel blamed it on Hamilton however, saying he believed Lewis had deliberately slowed down. Hamilton told his Mercedes engineers:
“Vettel literally just came alongside and hit me”. Vettel was given a 10-second stop-go penalty for this, a penalty Hamilton thought was “not enough for driving behaviour like that”.
After the race, Hamilton said:
“I think he [Vettel] disgraced himself today, to be honest.
Hamilton, having started from pole, comfortably led in the early stages of the race and continued to lead after the contact with Vettel until he was forced to pit with a loose headrest following the red flag period. He eventually finished 5th with Vettel just one place above him in 4th. Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso finally opened McLaren’s account for the season with two points for ninth place.
William’s rookie, Lance Stroll was named F1 Driver of the Day. As it stands, by finishing one place behind Vettel in 5th, Hamilton dropped to 14 points behind the Ferrari driver in the world championship standings. Vettel has 153 points compared to Hamilton’s 139. Daniel Ricciardo’s win puts him in fourth place with 92 points where he sits behind third placed Bottas who has 111 points.
Kimi Raikonnen (73 points) and Max Verstappen (45 points) complete the top six positions. In the constructor’s standings, Mercedes leads with 250 points. Followed by Ferrari and Red Bull with 226 and 137 points respectively.
This was the race of the season, when almost all of the top finishes were drivers who met misfortune early on, though it will be just as remembered for the clash between Hamilton and Vettel. That’s all from Baku. Austria is next in two weeks.