Oscar Piastri said he had endured “probably the most stressful weekend of my life” as he crossed the finish line at the Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix to claim his second Formula One victory of the 2024 season.
Australian Piastri overtook Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had taken pole for the fourth successive race in Baku, after their first pit stops and held him off to win by more than 10 seconds.
“After we stopped, I saw we were pretty close again,” said Piastri, who had never won a race before triumphing in Hungary on July 21.
“I felt like we had a little bit of extra grip and I had to go for it because knew that if I didn’t get past at the start of the stint that I was never going to get past.”
“Yes! Well done everybody, that was probably the most stressful afternoon of my life…” 📻
You’re telling us, Oscar 😅#F1 #AZERBAIJANGP PIC.TWITTER.COM/UQLDMOLOX6
— Formula 1 (@F1) SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix: Piastri wins
“I went for a pretty big lunge and managed to pull it off and hang on for dear life for the next 35 laps,” added Piastri.
“The last couple of laps, when Leclerc dropped out of DRS, were a little bit more relaxing but there’s no such thing as a relaxing lap around here so it was hard work. That definitely goes down as one of my better races of my career.”
In a dramatic conclusion, Mercedes’ George Russell took third after Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull driver Sergio Perez crashed while battling for the position, with the safety car out on the final lap.
Lando Norris gave his title hopes a boost by finishing fourth for McLaren, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen came in a minute and 17 seconds behind Piastri in fifth and is now 59 points above Norris at the top of the standings.
A Baku blockbuster!! 🤩
Here’s how the top 10 crossed the line 📈#F1 #AZERBAIJANGP PIC.TWITTER.COM/OMX50YXGEH
— Formula 1 (@F1) SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
Leclerc: Azerbaijan ‘lessons’
“It is enjoyable when you’ve got many opportunities on every lap,” said Leclerc. “Maybe McLaren had less downforce and in the straights they were very quick.
“In the corners, we were a bit quicker. I couldn’t get as close as I wanted and eventually we lost the race when I didn’t defend as well as I could have at the end of the straight.
“Sometimes you make mistakes and I’ll learn from it. McLaren and Oscar have done an exceptional job and done better than us.”
Leclerc is 19 points shy of Norris in third place in the championship, while Piastri is a further 13 behind.
