On the grid, the front runners were all on Supersofts, with the exception of Raikkonen who was using
Ultrasofts. Seb maintained his pole advantage at the start, while Kimi was fighting with Ocon and right from
the start, the debris was flying. Esteban ended up in the barrier and Kimi needed to pit for a set of Soft tyres
and a front wing, as the Safety Car made its first appearance. The number 7 Ferrari re-emerged in 12thplace
as five laps went by before the race resumed. Seb had got his tyres up to a good temperature and thus defied
Baku’s slipstreaming laws. He then pulled away while Kimi began overtaking other cars so that he was
10thon lap 9. He then passed Stroll as the tyre changes began and out in front, Seb set another fastest lap.
Kimi then got by Leclerc, who was having a great race in the Alfa-Sauber.
The two leaders were running at the same pace, but going into the first corner on lap 22, Hamilton locked his
wheels and ruined his tyres, so that he had to pit. The leading SF71H stayed out and continued to push.
Sebastian’s radar was picking up information on what was happening with the other cars. He pitted at the end
of lap 30 to take on Softs, as planned. It took a few laps for the harder compound to settle down, as Bottas
stayed out while Kimi was looking to go the distance.
But then it all happened on lap 40, as the two Red Bulls collided on the straight, which brought out the Safety
Car, leading Ferrari to opt for a double pit stop. Seb and Kimi came in close formation. The Safety Car led the
pack through the pit lane with Bottas in front on used Ultrasofts, followed by Seb, Hamilton and Kimi on new
Ultrasofts. Ten laps to go and everything was up for grabs again, as Grosjean, in the process of warming his
tyres, hit the wall, so the safety car period was extended.
There would be just a four lap sprint to the flag and the four leaders fanned out, Seb tried to attack but
overshot the corner and flat spotted his tyres, running behind Kimi with the Mercedes duo out in front. But that
wasn’t the end of the excitement as Bottas got a right rear puncture off some debris, while Perez passed Seb
and that’s how it ended.
Lewis Hamilton
I have very mixed emotions today. Valtteri deserved to win, he did an exceptional job and had a faultless drive.
This is such a crazy and exciting race and I never gave up. I was constantly pushing but it was a real
struggle. I feel incredibly grateful to come out with the win. You have to take the ups with the downs and I
can’t complain that I won; I will take it and hopefully learn from today. But Valtteri was very, very unfortunate,
a one-two would have been a great result for the team. I would not have got by him in the remaining laps if he
hadn’t had his tyre blow. It looks like Ferrari still has the better car, they outperformed us most of the
weekend. We were able to just hold on to them during the race. We definitely have some work to do, but we
are in the mix and it’s going to be very close. We have to keep our heads down and keep working.
Valtteri Bottas
I’m absolutely heartbroken. It hurts a lot. But this is racing; some days are good, some days are bad – and
some days are very bad. A small piece of debris destroyed my entire weekend. We had a good race until the
puncture. The car felt really good and we were fast. I thought I had everything under control on the Safety Car
restart, but then suddenly my tyre exploded. I didn’t see the debris and I couldn’t feel it until the tyre blew. It
was really close the last couple of races, so it’s good that our team won today, but I’m obviously still very
disappointed. I’ll try again in two weeks.
Toto Wolff
That was just a brutal race and probably exactly the kind of Grand Prix that fans want to see, with twists and
turns at every point. In the garage, it was a real rollercoaster of emotions for the whole team and I am really
pleased to see us get our first win of the season with Lewis but equally incredibly disappointed for Valtteri
who drove a perfect race. We went from looking like scoring a solid double podium, to suddenly having the
possibility of a one-two before it was snatched away from us with Valtteri’s puncture, to still winning the race.
For Lewis, I guess that his luck has come full circle after the misfortune earlier in the season, and it’s
probably fair to look at today as him getting back the win he lost in Melbourne. The race began pretty quietly,
with clean starts for our guys and then everything unfolding steadily. Lewis got caught out with a gust of wind
under braking, flat spotting his first set of tyres. This forced him to stop on lap 22 and take the Soft compound
to the finish. Meanwhile, Valtteri stayed out and was just getting faster and faster; we stayed on track
because he was building the gap to Vettel, and perhaps had a chance for the win with a late charge on
UltraSoft, when the Safety Car came out for the Red Bull accident. We pitted both cars and, after Sebastian’s
mistake on the restart, we were set for the one-two finish when Valtteri hit a piece of debris that was on the
track. Clearly that perfect result wasn’t meant to be today in such an unpredictable race. So it’s a bittersweet
feeling: fantastic to get the win on the board and to be leading the drivers’ championship, but also
disappointed because the quickest guy DNF’d with a puncture – and because we know there is still work
ahead of us to improve the pace of the car in what will be a close three-way fight for the rest of the season.
James Allison
After three races where we had opportunities to win that we did not take, it’s great to have victory come our
way this afternoon in Baku. I am as pleased for Lewis as I am sad for Valtteri after the race. Both drivers
delivered fine performances but it was a cruel blow to have the prospect of a one-two finish dangled in front of
us and then whisked away at the last when Valtteri drove over some debris following the Safety Car period.
That’s two races running where he has deserved a much better outcome and I am confident it will come for
him in the future. For Lewis, this was perhaps not the kind of swashbuckling victory he relishes but it
nonetheless represents a measure of compensation for some of his misfortune in earlier races this season.
On the operational side, the entire team performed well to recover from a difficult Friday and secure solid grid
positions which were the foundations for today’s races. We delivered quick pit stops and excellent strategy
decisions, all of which keep us in the game as we work to improve the car, in what is shaping up to be a
dramatic and very memorable season.
Nico Hülkenberg
“It’s wild and just crazy here as it’s so tight. We started well but I just lost the rear end at the end of turn four
and that was my race done really. I had some rear locking going into that corner and the wind was difficult
and it didn’t take much to throw me off. It’s unfortunate but that’s how it is sometimes. Let’s look forward to
Spain.”
Carlos Sainz
“It’s a very strong result for the team. I’m very happy and it was a really fun race, as always in Baku. It was
crazy out there as the grip was difficult today. The first stint was very strong and I was able to overtake both
Red Bulls on track. Then, the soft tyre was trickier for us and in the end we had to battle for that fifth place. It
is positive for the team to go into Europe in a strong place in the Championship. I need to keep working hard
with my engineers to keep building the car to my liking and to keep the points coming. Next stop is Spain
and I really look forward to it.”
Marcus Ericsson
“It was a difficult race for me. I was involved in an incident at the beginning of the race, and picked up some
damage to the car. I was struggling to keep everything together after that, and I gave everything to catch up
with my direct competitors. In the end, it was good to manage to finish in P11. As a team, we have scored
points for the second time this season, which is very motivating, and our potential is becoming more clear
with every weekend. We must keep up the good work now. I look forward to the next race weekend in
Barcelona.”
Charles Leclerc
“It was an amazing race today – I am very happy with my result. It was definitely eventful, with many incidents
on track making it especially challenging and fun to drive. I felt comfortable in the car, and did my best to
gradually advance to the front of the midfield through the race. It is an incredible feeling to score points for the
first time in Formula 1. As a team, we can see our potential, and know what our strengths are. I am very
pleased, and look forward to continuing on this positive path.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal
“We are very pleased with the job that we have done this whole weekend starting from Friday and then a good
qualifying session. Charles scored his first points in Formula 1 today, finishing in P6. He had a strong pace
and did a consistent job. It was a huge step for him to make and he can be proud of what he has achieved.
Marcus put up a good fight. He was involved in an incident at the beginning of the race, which set him back 2
and made it tough for him, however, he managed to recover and catch up with the midfield. He finally finished
in P11 and was very close to scoring points. It is a great achievement for the team, not only for the points but
also for the pace shown especially in the first stint. Now we have to stay focused in order to continue this
good work.”
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