Oscar Piastri delivered an incredible display of defensive driving to claim his second career Formula 1 victory at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a tense, strategic battle. The McLaren rookie took advantage of a chaotic, penultimate-lap crash between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz to secure McLaren’s place atop the constructors’ standings for the first time in a decade, now leading Red Bull by 20 points.
Leclerc, starting from pole, seemed untouchable in the early stages, building a commanding 6-second lead. But Piastri, though initially struggling on medium tires, fought back. A crucial pit stop sequence—where McLaren used teammate Lando Norris as a tactical roadblock—allowed Piastri to jump ahead of Perez and close in on Leclerc.
Piastri then unleashed a daring move on lap 19, outbraking Leclerc into Turn 1, taking the lead. From that moment, the race turned into a high-speed chess match, with both drivers pushing the limits, only for Leclerc’s hard tires to give up on lap 46, allowing Piastri to secure an unassailable lead.
“I went for a pretty big lunge but managed to pull it up, then hung on for dear life for the next 35 laps,” Piastri said after his masterful victory.
The late-race drama, however, unfolded behind them. As Perez overtook a struggling Leclerc for second place, Sainz smelled blood and pounced, leading to an intense three-car battle. But chaos struck on the penultimate lap when Perez and Sainz collided on the run to Turn 3, both crashing out in a spectacular smash. The virtual safety car was deployed, neutralizing the race, and ensuring Leclerc’s second-place finish.
Mercedes’ George Russell snuck through the carnage to claim an unlikely podium in third, admitting it was more luck than performance. “We’ve got to be realistic—this podium wasn’t on merit today,” he said.
Lando Norris capped a sensational recovery drive, climbing from 15th on the grid to finish fourth, overtaking Max Verstappen late in the race. Verstappen, who endured brake and grip issues all afternoon, finished a frustrated fifth, seeing his championship lead trimmed to 59 points over Norris.
In a standout performance, Williams teammates Alex Albon and rookie Franco Colapinto secured seventh and eighth places, while Lewis Hamilton recovered from a pit-lane start to finish ninth. Haas substitute Oliver Bearman rounded out the top 10, becoming the first driver to score points for two different teams in his first two races.
With McLaren taking charge of the constructors’ title and Piastri showcasing his prodigious talent, the 2024 Azerbaijan GP will be remembered for both its high drama and Piastri’s undeniable brilliance under pressure.
