Effectively carried out Baku – you’ve got managed one other yr of internet hosting an exciting Components 1 race. The race-long duel between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri set the important thing narrative for this yr’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, however a wealth of motion all through the sphere all fought for second billing throughout the 51-lap race.
After all, the stark variations in speeds between the Neftchilar Avenue ‘straight’ and the tight Previous Metropolis part prompted a lot in the way in which of set-up compromise – and an ever-evolving observe made it troublesome for the groups to get their tyre preparations proper. And, as we all know, uncertainty is the important thing ingredient for an unpredictable race. An end-of-race crash, spectacular rookie drivers, and alternate methods all contributed to the cocktail.
And there was lots extra to get caught into off-track, because the 2025 driver market slowly nears completion and the fallout of Adrian Newey’s impending transfer to Aston Martin started to settle upon the paddock. Let’s evaluate the occasions in Baku, we could?
1. Simply how good Piastri may be in assault and defence
Piastri fought his technique to first, then held off Leclerc’s advances
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Photos
Oscar Piastri’s second Components 1 profession victory ought to, absolutely, sooner or later be a contender for his finest ever – a listing that on this proof will solely develop. For the Baku race was so good total and Charles Leclerc was on sensible type and so onerous to beat round a really difficult course, plus the eventual winner confirmed expertise past his not even two years on the prime degree.
Piastri’s move from method again on the method to Flip 1 on lap 20 made the distinction. He “fully ignored” engineer Tom Stallard’s recommendation to not make an early lunge on fragile new tyres principally instantly in his second stint. He then braked so late McLaren group boss Andrea Stella felt “my intuition was, ‘he is gonna go lengthy’”. However Piastri not solely didn’t slide deep, he just about nailed the right racing line over the left-hander’s apex kerb.
Then he soaked up 25 laps of intense strain – primarily through his judgement to get good traction within the 90-degree turns of sector one allying with the McLaren’s strengths on traction, plus taking dangers within the center sector the place Ferrari’s larger downforce degree meant it was higher – earlier than Leclerc misplaced DRS. He’d destroyed his hards in what turned out to typically be a thermal degradation race that earlier than the beginning many as an alternative had feared could be an occasion determined by tyre floor graining.
Stella reckoned all of it confirmed how Piastri “is at all times shocking us with expertise, together with his potential”.
“I might say, as we speak, he gave additionally an illustration of his psychological power,” Stella added. “He drove like a driver that has a variety of expertise that has been beneath this type of strain earlier than – that may look with one eye on the mirror, with the opposite eye on the braking level.
“Oscar did it once more with an excellent degree of precision and was fairly managed. Even when he was speaking on the radio, [he] appeared very a lot beneath management. Phenomenal driver, sensible drive.”
Hear, hear.
2. Haas is already loving working with Bearman
Bearman grew to become the primary driver to attain factors in his first two races with two separate groups
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
Ollie Bearman now has a 100% report for factors finishes from a number of F1 occasions in 2024 and has collected them for 2 groups, with Haas now following his Ferrari Jeddah look instead of the appendicitis-addled Carlos Sainz.
Bearman bought to make an early debut with the group that he’ll race for full-time in 2025. Haas group principal Ayao Komatsu informed Motorsport.com that total Bearman’s weekend had been “not excellent, however fairly spectacular”.
Bearman got here inside 0.128s of constructing Q3, solely lacking out as a consequence of Turns 11 and 12 slides on his ultimate qualifying run. However he did outqualify vastly extra skilled team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in his one-off right here and bounced again from a sloppy FP3 crash.
Within the race, Haas bought its stint-one race-pace targets flawed for Bearman on the mediums and so Hulkenberg needed to be waved by, earlier than Bearman and Lewis Hamilton jumped the German within the aftermath of the Carlos Sainz/Sergio Perez crash proper at race’s finish.
However maybe an important aspect of Bearman’s weekend is how he rapidly built-in himself together with his new group.
He had some familiarity from six FP1 appearances in lower than a yr with Haas, however Motorsport.com sources on the group recommend Bearman’s fast studying and quiet, self-deprecating angle have hit the proper notes for a squad that hasn’t loved the type of lofty glory of the organisation the place Bearman stays a junior, Ferrari.
It’s understood the Scuderia will probably be paying the Briton’s wages subsequent yr, whereas Haas can be benefitting from his media-training slickness gleamed in its Academy.
3. F1 set for dialogue on penalty factors system evaluate after Magnussen ban
Magnussen didn’t participate in Azerbaijan after choosing up a ban
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
Bearman’s second 2024 substitute look has been extra controversial, because it adopted Kevin Magnussen changing into the primary F1 driver banned beneath the championship’s penalty licence factors system concerning driving requirements.
The Dane had assist from lots of his friends concerning the conflict with Pierre Gasly at Monza that led to his suspension. Gasly even argued for Magnussen to not be banned and mentioned he would vouch on his behalf to officers.
The subject was raised within the Baku drivers’ briefing, the place Gasly mentioned he “requested them on shifting ahead as a result of I feel as a sport we by no means prefer to see somebody penalised in that method and the view was that it was a bit harsh”. He mentioned in response to his query, he discovered the FIA is “open on reviewing and shifting ahead, which is an important”.
Motorsport.com understands that whereas not but on the level of activating a full evaluate into whether or not the penalty factors system wants any alteration within the wake of Magnussen’s ban – one thing that might solely occur on the finish of every season in any case – steps in the direction of this will probably be mentioned within the low season.
However even when a evaluate is carried out, there could also be little change to the system anyway.
Motorsport.com realized in Baku that post-Monza, the FIA analysed the typical variety of factors issued per driver for all of 2024 and when cross-referenced with the variety of instances Magnussen had been the topic of stewards’ choices this season, the drivers understood how the ban had ended up coming about.
4. How F1 climate programs work with out key parts
The climate did not threaten the race, however rain might have brought on extra points than others
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
A political dispute between the French and Azeri governments concerning tensions across the numerous pursuits within the Armenia-Azerbaijan battle meant the Baku weekend befell with out one among F1’s ordinary key programs working as ordinary.
This was the radar system that’s normally deployed on the highest level of any circuit location to pinpoint climate programs traversing the areas and their surrounds. With the FIA’s official F1 climate accomplice – Meteo-France – compelled to adjust to journey recommendation issued by the French authorities to not journey to Azerbaijan, its workers that normally attend races and arrange the radar on the highest level of any circuit location, plus 4 climate stations to watch wind and ambient temperature, needed to work remotely.
The FIA put in one climate station within the Baku pitlane on Meteo-France’s behalf, whereas the groups relied solely on the business climate radar companies most use along with the Meteo-France provide at different occasions anyway.
A number of groups had small numbers of French workers that might additionally not journey to Baku – the ban more likely to invalidate sure insurance coverage packages – however that is understood to not have included French-British squad, Alpine.
As one group principal quipped to Autosport concerning the lack of full climate protection, the paddock tailored to working with “Meteo-Likelihood!”
5. Perez has nonetheless bought it – in Baku, not less than
Perez returned to type over the weekend, even when there have been no factors to point out for it
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Ever since Azerbaijan first appeared on the F1 calendar in 2016, Sergio Perez has been essentially the most persistently spectacular performer on the Baku Metropolis Circuit. With out a gearbox change, Perez would have began from the entrance row in that first season, no imply feat for a Pressure India driver on the time. He ended up on the rostrum anyway to complete third, and repeated the feat two years later.
Truly, it was simpler earlier than the weekend to call the Baku races the place Perez hadn’t completed on the rostrum: 2017 and 2019. He gained the 2021 and 2023 editions, completed second in 2022, and fully outclassed Max Verstappen all through the weekend this yr as he appeared to recoup his mojo across the Azeri streets.
That it ended sandwiched between Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and the wall was maybe not what Perez anticipated. Each drivers have their half to play within the incident, and waving it off as a 50/50 was the right name, but it surely quite takes the shine away from what was a stellar afternoon for Perez. In any case, he was properly throughout the victory struggle; Perez stood again and watched Leclerc and Piastri cube for the lead, at all times readily available to select up the items.
Many myths about Perez have been dispelled of late: the ‘tyre whisperer’ mantle has seldom been seen versus Verstappen, and the ‘avenue race specialist’ tag has not been capable of stand up to a couple of prangs at Monaco. However the Baku mastery stays, regardless of the toil and hassle that the Mexican has endured all through 2024.
6. Williams’ Colapinto resolution has already been vindicated
Colapinto has already outscored Sargeant’s profession tally
Picture by: Williams
Williams selecting to exchange Logan Sargeant was not a lot of a shock, all informed; selecting to advertise Franco Colapinto from inside undoubtedly was. But, it seems to have been one thing of a masterstroke, because the younger Argentine has instantly impressed and quadrupled Sargeant’s factors tally after simply two races with the group.
Colapinto carries himself with a wide-eyed astonishment that he is damaged into F1’s interior sanctum, defaulting to a graciousness in the direction of the religion proven in him throughout interviews. The newest topic of his disbelief lay in Thursday’s press convention, giddily noting from the couch that the room was brimming with journalists in comparison with the empty-room classes performed in F2. And if Colapinto thinks that the press convention was full on Thursday (if something, the room was half-empty), think about how he’ll really feel within the occasion he is ever scheduled for a Monaco Grand Prix press session…
However behind the affability is a steely and decided racer, one ready to chop it in opposition to F1’s finest. It regarded for a time that Colapinto would possibly miss out on factors, as Nico Hulkenberg briefly peeled the Williams driver out of the highest 10 – however the German’s brush with the wall at Flip 15 set into movement a reversal in place. Within the aftermath of the Perez/Sainz shunt, Colapinto was promoted to eighth for a four-point haul – one which helped Williams transfer previous Alpine within the constructors’ standings.
“I hope to be displaying what I am able to and that I deserve a seat in Components 1,” Colapinto urged after the Azerbaijan race. “The concept and the chance that James gave me helps me to point out that.”
7. All groups adjust to 2023 price cap – however procedural breaches for producers
Alpine and Honda fell foul of procedures associated to the price range cap
Picture by: Alpine
Ever since Christian Horner donned a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles to ship the information that Pink Bull had surpassed the 2021 price cap – the primary of its variety – the high quality and aero testing penalty levied upon the group has been sufficient to maintain the groups in examine through the previous two monetary audits. Both that, or accounting is just changing into extra inventive…
Both method, 10 groups had been discovered to be inside compliance of the 2023 price cap, and all energy unit producers had been inside the associated fee cap spend limits too – however there have been procedural breaches for each Honda and Renault.
Restrictions upon the facility unit producers had been launched in 2023 for the primary time in accordance with improvement for the 2026 engine formulation. As soon as the 2 producers signal their accepted breach agreements, the scope of the penalties – which is anticipated to be minor – will turn into recognized.
Aston Martin was compelled to pay $450k for a procedural breach of 2021’s price cap guidelines, with incorrectly excluded or incorrectly adjusted prices concerned with its manufacturing unit construct. Williams obtained a $25k high quality for that yr as a consequence of a late submission of an interim monetary report. No breaches had been reported for the 2022 price cap.
That Renault has triggered a procedural breach is of word, given the producer is ready to drag the plug on its 2026 energy unit improvement and hyperlink up with Mercedes on a buyer foundation.
F1 heads to Singapore this weekend, with simply seven races left on the calendar in 2024
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
