Lewis Hamilton says he had to “yank” the steering wheel to overcome crippling balance issues with his Mercedes in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.Hamilton qualified seventh on Saturday after a difficult qualifying session, explaining Mercedes had found one of its car components was “not correctly built” and led him up the wrong set-up direction.His lowly qualifying position prompted Mercedes’ …Keep reading
Well done Baku – you’ve managed another year of hosting a thrilling Formula 1 race. The race-long duel between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri set the key narrative for this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but a wealth of action throughout the field all fought for second billing across the 51-lap race.Of course, the stark differences in speeds between the Neftchilar Avenue ‘straight’ and the tight …Keep reading
A new technical intrigue has arisen in the aftermath of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with McLaren’s rear wing under the spotlight.Footage from the rear-facing onboard camera on Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 showed the upper flap distorting under load, with the most visible aspect of this being the outer leading edge of the upper flap which tilts upwards as speed builds.This could potentially give rise to a …Keep reading
Formula 1 fans were treated to an unfamiliar sight in Baku as Max Verstappen was outqualified by Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez for the first time in 33 races, before being well beaten in the race. How did the world champion’s weekend go so wrong?It was particularly odd that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ended up being Perez’s best race in 18 months, and that the Mexican was genuinely in contention …Keep reading
The day before Autosport sidled into the back of Haas’s garage at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ollie Bearman had already made a point of getting to know all his mechanics working in this critical spot.He’d gone around the whole Haas squad and said hello on Thursday – a new bundle of energy after the American team had gotten used to the laid-back unruffledness of two season pros in Kevin …Keep reading
Max Verstappen has avoided punishment for overtaking under a virtual safety car after the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The world champion and several other F1 drivers were investigated for overtaking under virtual safety car conditions after the finish of a thrilling race in Baku.The VSC came out for a crash on the penultimate lap between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, who tangled on the run …Keep reading
McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris blocking Sergio Perez played a crucial part in Oscar Piastri’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory.Piastri was shadowing Ferrari’s leader Charles Leclerc in the first stint of a one-stop race when third-placed Sergio Perez attempted to undercut the McLaren driver by being the first to pit on lap 14. Rather than responding immediately …Keep reading
Oscar Piastri says his winning pass on Charles Leclerc in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix came right after his race engineer urged him to bring in his new tyres cautiously.Piastri made his winning move on lap 20 of the 53 lap one-stop race, right after the only pitstop sequence, with the McLaren driver and Leclerc fighting tooth and nail for the rest of what turned out to be punishing hard tyre …Keep reading
Haas driver Ollie Bearman says he sensed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton “wasn’t going to put me in a wall” during their late battle in Formula 1’s 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.Bearman had been leading Hamilton up the order to the fringes of the points for 23 laps during the second half of the Baku race, where they were both ultimately boosted to points-scoring positions by Sergio Perez and …Keep reading
Franco Colapinto hopes his points finish in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix shows his talent and that he is deserving of a berth at Williams, after it let Logan Sargeant go prematurely.Colapinto’s achievements in Baku – making the Q3 cut and finishing eighth to score four points – were things Sargeant never managed in 2024, where his bruising one-and-a-half seasons in F1 with the …Keep reading