Formulation 1: McLaren takes over constructors lead as Oscar Piastri wins in Azerbaijan and Sergio Perez crashes

Digital Author September 15, 2024

0 0 3 minutes read

McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri steers his car during the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images) — McLaren’s Oscar Piastri received the 2d Formulation 1 hang of his occupation on Sunday in Azerbaijan. (Characterize by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Characterize by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP through Getty Pictures)

Purple Bull’s lead in the Formulation 1 constructors standings is long gone.

McLaren took over first space with Oscar Piastri’s hang in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Huge Prix. Piastri defended mightily in opposition to pole sitter Charles Leclerc over the final 15 laps and Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez crashed out in the final laps while racing for third with Carlos Sainz.

Purple Bull entered the bustle with an eight-point lead over McLaren. That lead is now a 20-point deficit as a result of Perez’s crash and Lando Norris’ power the total technique to fourth. Norris was once eradicated in the predominant spherical of qualifying on Saturday and needed to launch 15th.

Norris started the bustle on the laborious compound tire and ran prolonged on his first stint ahead of striking the medium tires on to pause the bustle. The loads of approach received him in front of Max Verstappen, the particular person he’s chasing for the driver’s title.

Verstappen ended up ending fifth and bringing dwelling the most productive facets of the day for Purple Bull. Perez is awfully factual in Baku and was once space to sustain out fourth at worst on lap 50 of the 51-lap bustle. However as he raced with the 2 Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Sainz, he made contact with Sainz and the 2 hit the wall.

Piastri started 2d

Leclerc received off to a factual launch and paced the field in the outlet stint. Piastri took the lead not prolonged after the leaders pitted for mark fresh tires in a Flip 1 pass that Leclerc would possibly possibly just not non-public considered coming.

Piastri led from there, though he had a laborious time shaking Leclerc till the waning laps.

Piastri’s victory additionally comes the identical week as McLaren said it would possibly possibly possibly possibly prioritize Norris if wanted given the issue of the driver’s standings. Norris lower three facets off Verstappen’s lead by ending fourth and is now 58 facets serve of the three-time champion with seven races to head.

Verstappen quiet has to be thought to be the prohibitive accepted for the title, though it’s some distance from a formality. McLaren has been the quickest team in F1 over the summer and a DNF for Verstappen blended with a Norris hang would possibly possibly the truth is originate issues attention-grabbing.

What would possibly possibly very well be extra bright in the speedy term is Perez’s net page at Purple Bull. The team said at some stage in the summer damage that it was once dedicated to Perez during the pause of the season, however the crash and the resulting lack of facets on Sunday is but one other blow to Perez’s future although he wasn’t at fault.

Perez was once in line to gain not lower than 10 facets ahead of the crash and McLaren’s lead would had been lower than 10. As an quite a lot of, Purple Bull’s job for a third-straight constructors title is now heaps of more sturdy.

Mercedes’ George Russell accomplished third on the serve of Piastri and Leclerc as the bustle ended below a digital safety automotive as a result of the crash. Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton was once ninth after beginning the bustle from the pit lane as a result of a late engine swap.

Each and every Williams drivers accomplished in the facets as Alex Albon was once seventh and Franco Colapinto was once eighth. Colapinto scored extra facets on Sunday in Azerbaijan than Logan Sargeant, the particular person he changed two races previously, had accumulated for the rationale that launch of the 2023 season.