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Daniel Ricciardo wins Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lance Stroll in ‘cruel’ finish

AN “utterly brilliant” display from Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo has seen him claim a shock victory from the jaws of defeat.

Alex BlairAlex Blair
@alexblair_1
11 min read
June 26, 2017 - 11:45AM
Raise your hand if you love Baku.
Raise your hand if you love Baku.

Formula One Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan

A chaotic finish with Daniel Ricciardo taking first place has seen a carnage-filled Grand Prix come to a close.

YOU might want to sit down, it’s going to take a while for you to wrap your head around this. Daniel Ricciardo has taken his fifth career win in a stunning comeback from 17th place after a horror start to the weekend.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were caught in a heated collision mid-race, with the former later experiencing head rest malfunctions which cost him the podium. Teenager Lance Stroll scored his first podium and earned the “driver of the race” accolade, while Valtteri Bottas trumped teammate Hamilton for a Mercedes on the podium.

1:27pm

Dan forces Stroll into doing a shoey

18-year-old Lance Stroll was goaded into doing a famous Daniel Ricciardo “shoey” after his first podium finish, downing a huge mouthful of sweaty champagne in front of millions of viewers.

“I’m too young for this. This is going to scar me for life,” he said before chugging the stewy beverage out of the race-worn boot.

1:08pm

Dan finishes first, Stroll trolled by final second Bottas powerplay

Congratulations, Daniel.
Congratulations, Daniel.

Sit back, take a breath. It’s over.

By far the most exciting race this season has concluded with a podium you simply could not have picked two hours ago.

Daniel Ricciardo finished first after starting 10th on the grid and falling behind to 17th place with brake issues early in the race.

Lance Stroll somehow managed to blast ahead into second but was bested by a final-second surge from Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, overtaking the 18-year-old and taking second. “That was cruel,” Martin Brundle said of the shock finish.

Despite having second place snatched out of his hands, Stroll was awarded driver of the day and was praised by his race team.

“That was a stunning drive. That absolutely went past your age. Congratulations, well done kid,” Williams official Rob Smedley told Stroll over the radio.

Vettel steered his Ferrari into fourth, just ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes. In a stop-start race, the safety car came out three times in quick succession before a red flag stopped the race near the midway point because debris littered the track.

Shortly before that, Hamilton and Vettel were involved in an incident that threatens to sour their good relations.

Hamilton appeared to stop his car right in front of Vettel, causing Vettel to collide into him. An irate Vettel then accelerated alongside Hamilton and appeared to deliberately swerve back into him.

Vettel was given a 10-second stop-go penalty, but Hamilton lost valuable time changing a loose headrest at the same time that Vettel served his time penalty.

Ricciardo said everything fell into place — and it needed to after starting so far back on the grid.

“I have never really had a boring win and today was certainly not that. After all the chaos and the red flag I felt that a podium was in reach but then once Lewis had to pit and Seb had the penalty I knew the win was possible,” Ricciardo said.

”After my qualifying mistake and starting in 10th place, today was going to be a race of no mistakes, capitalising on moments and opportunities and I felt like we did everything we could this afternoon.

“The last restart was the most important and I think it was Stroll, Hulkenberg, Massa and me, all nearly four wide but I managed to get third and I think that was, in a way, the winning move. Once I saw the gap I was going to do everything I could to brake as late as possible and get that position.

“What a day, it’s crazy and it’s slowly sinking in.”

— with AP

12:58pm

Lance Stroll fighting to silence haters

F1’s “rich kid” Lance Stroll is looking to claim his first podium finish, sitting in second place as the race heads into its final four laps.

Valtteri Bottas is in third ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton [fifth] and Sebastian Vettel [fourth].

12:40pm

Ricciardo’s shock comeback

Dan’s back!
Dan’s back!

Daniel Ricciardo is now in first place, making it the first time team Red Bull has had a driver at the top of the pack for over a lap this year.

If he can hang on, it will be one of the greatest comebacks seen in recent memory after falling back to 17th early in the race after suffering brake issues.

12:33pm

Sebastian Vettel penalised for dangerous driving

Sebastian Vettel has been slapped with a 10 second penalty for his incident with Lewis Hamilton after the former rammed into the Brit’s car.

He’s been gifted the top spot after Hamilton was forced to pit with a loose head rest, meaning Aussie Daniel Ricciardo [who sits in second and six seconds behind Vettel] could come off with a shock default win if he keeps his pace and holds off a rampaging Hamilton vying for a podium.

12:19pm

‘Utterly brilliant’: Ricciardo’s clutch play

Daniel Ricciardo has muscled his way back into the race with an incredible overtake to pass Lance Stroll for third. The Aussie experienced a horror star with brake issues but is now only a single second behind second-placed Sebastian Vettel. “Utterly brilliant,” Martin Brundle said in awe of the Red Bull’s timely move.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has a serious issue. The Brit’s head rest has begun to come loose, presenting the race with a serious safety problem if it comes off and flies onto the track.

He’s been forced to pit.

12:02pm

Tempers explode in championship battle as Vettel rams Hamilton

This got a little heated.
This got a little heated.

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are under investigation after the latter looked to deliberately drive into the side of his opponent’s car. Vettel claimed Hamilton “brake tested” him but vision may prove the German guilty of a purposeful collision.

F1 legend and Sky Sports personality Damon Hill said Vettel lost his head in the heat of the moment and should have known better.

“That’s a rush of blood to the head and he should have more self-control in my view,” he said.

Former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalanien predicted a penalty for Vettel in the incident’s fallout.

11:44pm

Race red flagged after carnage

Carnage has stopped the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Carnage has stopped the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton found himself a little too close to the second Safety Car after complaining it was going too slow. The Brit was radioed by his team to hold back. “That was pretty close to the Safety Car on the restart, Lewis,” his race engineer said.

“Trust me, it wasn’t,” a cocky Hamilton replied.

Kimi Raikkonen has experienced more tyre woes with his rear ballooning out and forcing him down into 15th place.

Meanwhile, there’s a massive underdog fight for the podium at the front of the race. Felipe Massa, Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz have all fought for the third spot amid the carnage and safety car madness.

Massa currently holds third with teenager Stroll in fourth.

Perez held third for a good portion of the race before losing his front wing in a collision with Esteban Ocon.

“What did Esteban do, guys?” Perez asked his team angrily. “The car is drifting to the left massively.”

Daniel Ricciardo has quietly advanced up the pecking order, taking fifth after a horror start sent him to an early pit.

After all the carnage, officials called for a red flag, forcing drivers into the pits until the debris is cleared.

11:27pm

‘Here we go again’: Verstappen in another Red Bull horror show

Aaaand Max is out again.
Aaaand Max is out again.

Max Verstappen is in the middle of another Red Bull horror show, experiencing engine woes in the 12th lap of the race.

“Issue with the engine. Here we go again,” he said angrily over the team radio as teammate Daniel advanced up into 11th place.

Verstappen was forced to retire from the race after his pit crew deemed the damage too severe.

Meanwhile, Daniil Kvyat has been sitting stranded on the left of the track after coming to a halt.

The Safety Car was deployed as Kvyat’s car was retrieved, prompting an outburst from race leader Lewis Hamilton. “The Safety Car is driving too slowly, it’s dangerous for us,” he said. “It’s hard enough to get heat into the tyres as it is.”

11:18pm

Ricciardo pits early after slow start

Daniel Ricciardo’s luck turned from bad to worse after starting 10th, copping a piece of debris in his brakes in the fallout of the carnage in lap one.

The Aussie had to pit early to fix the problem. “Lets get stuck into it now mate,” he said over the radio as he rejoined the race in 15th position.

Meanwhile, Jolyon Palmer has experienced another hiccup after a disastrous qualifying weekend. The struggling Brit was forced to pit after spotting smoke billowing out of the rear of his car.

Lewis Hamilton still leads the pack with Sebasitan Vettel in second and Sergio Perez in third.

11:03pm

Chaos in tight start at Baku

Chaos gripped the first lap at Baku with a number of drivers experiencing hiccups.

A collision between Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen saw the latter lose a piece of his car seconds into the race.

Bottas has a shaky front tyre to deal with which could spell disaster with his pit stop still miles away. Raikkonen, on the other hand, has tyre problems of his own. “My rear definitely doesn’t feel very good,” he said over the radio.

Lewis Hamilton sits in first with Sebastian Vettel hot on his tail in second. Underdog Segio Perez has squeezed his way into third while Red Bull young gun Max Verstappen sits behind him in third.

10:47pm

Mariah Carey snubs Martin Brundle

Fans were treated to the unlikely sight of music star Mariah Carey on the grid minutes before the race.

Media rushed around the pop diva with microphones as she strutted around the busy grid. But her advisers weren’t having a bar of Sky Sports reporter Martin Brundle. The F1 legend is known for his famous pre-match walk around on the grid in the countdown to each race, snagging interviews with team officials and former stars for a line.

When Brundle approached Carey for a chat, her team brushed him off.

“Mariah, may I have a word for Sky TV?” he said before her accomplice said “no, no, no”.

Carey walked off as Brundle sat through an awkward 15 seconds of television, hastily covering up the snub.

“Well, that doesn’t spoil my life. And I suppose it doesn’t spoil your life, either,” he said.

“I would have liked to have a quick chat with her. I’ve never met her and I do love her music, but it’s time for some different music. Here’s the national anthem.”

10:10pm

F1’s ‘rich kid’ finding his feet

Is Lance Stroll finally finding his feet in motor racing at the highest level?
Is Lance Stroll finally finding his feet in motor racing at the highest level?

18-year-old Lance Stroll has copped a serious scolding from fans for his aloof nature on the circuit after joining the sport. The young Williams driver infuriated purists after complaining about Monaco’s tight corners, comparing their difficulty to the sport’s PlayStation game.

“It really p***** me off, because every time I play the PlayStation game, it’s always those corners that I can’t get right, and in reality it’s still those two corners,” he said.

Stroll hasn’t enjoyed a great start to in his first year at the pinnacle of motorsport, crashing out multiple times early on in the season. But his trip to Azerbaijan could be his time in the sun.

Sky Sports’ F1 expert Martin Brundle says Stroll is beginning to find his feet inside his Williams, overtaking teammate Felipe Massa for eighth position on the grid in Baku.

“It seems to me he’s starting to get on terms with the car and understanding how he keeps it where he needs it,” he said.

Damon Hill agreed, saying the youngster had learned quickly under pressure.

“He found it difficult to start with, there was a lot of pressure, but his learning rate has been impressive,” he said. “If this continues then he’s going to show a lot of promise.”

“Lance doesn’t seem to be out of touch with reality. He seems quite cool but it’s a fabulous moment for him.

“The old temptation is first corner, a rush of blood to the head and going for a gap. He needs to focus on bringing it home and scoring a lot of points for the team.”

10pm

F1 legend: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it’

Could it be another Mercedes-dominated podium?
Could it be another Mercedes-dominated podium?

Lewis Hamilton’s performance in qualifying ensured he banished any lingering demons from his qualifying nightmare last year and received special praise from Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

“Lewis with his lap, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lauda told Sky F1.

“What he did today, nobody else I think can do that. He’s fantastic.”

Despite his Saturday form, Hamilton is expecting a stern challenge from those behind him, but is confident his W08 will not suffer from the same issues which blighted him on Friday.

“I think being that it’s such a hot race, it’s such a difficult one,” Hamilton added to Sky Sports News HQ.

“I’m in a much better position than I was last year and as a team we’ve put ourselves in a good position. But I think Valtteri is going to be very quick and I think Ferrari, once they get the car heavier, their race pace is stronger.

“Our car was working really well today and I anticipate it will be the same tomorrow. If I have the pace that I had today then I should be in a good position.”

— Jonathan Green and Pete Gill, Sky Sports

9:45pm

Lewis reflects on ‘special’ qualifying

It’s shaping up to be another Lewis-a-thon.
It’s shaping up to be another Lewis-a-thon.

Lewis Hamilton hailed one of the most special laps of his career after he put in a majestic performance to claim pole for the Azerbaijan GP in a dramatic qualifying hour.

The three-time world champion claimed the 66th pole position of his career, moving him to sole second in F1’s all-time standings, to put him in the perfect position to win in Baku for the first time and close his 12-point gap to championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton had dominated the opening two sessions of qualifying but trailed teammate Valtteri Bottas after an error on his first run in Q3 when the red flag was deployed after Daniel Ricciardo crashed on the exit of Turn Six.

That left the drivers just one lap to improve their times but despite the difficulty in getting tyres in the right window all weekend and Bottas improving his initial time, Hamilton managed to hook up a near-perfect lap to post a 1:40.593 and snatch pole.

“That was one of the most exciting laps that I’ve had all year,” Hamilton said.

“I’m so pumped with that. That’s how qualifying should be.”

Half a second clear of the second-placed Bottas, over a second clear of the closest non-Mercedes car in Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, and with title rival Vettel out of the top three for the first time this season, qualifying could hardly have gone any better for Hamilton.

And to think he had, in his own words, a “scruffy” and “difficult” Friday.

“We started in the wrong place and had to make a lot of changes overnight,” said Hamilton. “But the changes were fantastic and that lap … There was a lot of pressure on that last lap.

“My last lap in Montreal was pretty special but I think this one tops it.”

The achievement had historic resonance too. Hamilton now boasts more F1 pole positions than his boyhood idol Ayrton Senna and remains on course to match Michael Schumacher’s all-time record at next month’s British GP.

— Jonathan Green and Pete Gill, Sky Sports

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/motorsport/formula-one/live-formula-one-grand-prix-in-baku-azerbaijan/news-story/959b635ed6070dc68508a951a5bbfef9