Sergio Perez wins dramatic 2021 Azerbaijan GP ahead of Vettel and Gasly

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez beats Sebastian Vettel to win 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in dramatic finish, Pierre Gasly clinches another podium with P3. Title rivals Hamilton and Verstappen failed to score points.

Pirelli Tyre failures and Lewis Hamilton costly mistake

Red Bull’s Verstappen was cruising to victory with three laps remaining when his left-rear tyre blew, in similar fashion to Lance Stroll’s earlier incident which caused his Aston Martin to crash violently. The race was red-flagged, allowing the track to be cleared and all cars were able to change tyres.

From a standing start, for the final two laps, Perez was beaten off the startline by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, but Lewis locked-up and went straight on at Turn 1 and dropped to the tail of the field. Perez won but was instructed to stop his car straight after taking the chequered flag.

Vettel impressive drive continues

For the first time this season, Charles Leclerc led away from pole, but he was passed for the lead by Lewis Hamilton with no need for DRS, so strong was the tow, on Lap 2. Verstappen then swept by the Ferrari man on Lap 7.

Verstappen took the lead after a crucial sequence of pit stops, Hamilton starting that sequence on Lap 12 with a slow switch for hards thanks to traffic in the pit lane. Verstappen pitted a lap later and emerged first, followed by Perez who split the championship rivals.

And the Dutchman seemed to have victory in the bag, mastering a Lap 35 Safety Car restart after Lance Stroll’s terrifying accident, when the Aston Martin driver’s left-rear tyre appeared to gave way on the pit straight.

Vettel started 11th but finished a brilliant second as he pitted 18 laps later than anyone else, and emerged sixth. On the re-start after Stroll’s crash, he took P4 off Leclerc and Gasly, and was promoted to the podium by Verstappen’s retirement.

Leclerc finished fourth as his Lap 10 undercut attempt on Gasly didn’t pay off. While he tried to wrestle P3 off the Frenchman after the final re-start, his efforts were in vain and the Ferrari driver finished fourth.

Lando Norris shrugged off a three-place penalty and undercut his rivals having started P9 to take fifth ahead of Fernando Alonso, both movers in that final re-start, while AlphaTauri’s rookie Yuki Tsunoda started seventh and finished there having pitted early on Lap 9.

Rounding out the top 10 was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in P8 – who bounced back on hard tyres after a huge Lap 11 lock-up that left him as low as 15th – Daniel Ricciardo, up to ninth from 13th, and Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo in P10.

Kimi took the last point, for Alfa Romeo. The veteran started on mediums and passed his team mate Giovinazzi for the final point on Lap 50. Giovinazzi himself enjoyed a recovery from last to 11th, however, having taken four places in the opening lap and pitting for hards before his rivals to make up more places.

But it was a dire day for Mercedes as Valtteri Bottas also finished outside the points. The Finn qualified P10 but struggled throughout, losing places during the Safety Car restart for Stroll’s accident to finish 12th.

That left Haas racer Mick Schumacher 13th, despite an unsafe relief during the first Safety Car period that left him being wheeled back into his box to re-fit his left-front tyre, and Nikita Mazepin 14th, despite being one lap down at one point. Hamilton was classified a lowly 15th for his late lock-up.

Nicholas Latifi, under investigation for a red flag infringement, finished 16th while Williams team mate George Russell pulled into the pits on Lap 50 to finish 17th. Esteban Ocon was the race’s first retiree, a power unit issue stopping his Alpine on Lap 4.

Remembering Ojjeh, Mosley and Thomas

Before the drivers began their formation laps, a one-minute silence was held in memory of long-time McLaren shareholder Mansour Ojjeh and former FIA President Max Mosley – while those around the paddock also took time to remember their late friend and colleague, F1 camera person Thomas Bonnecarrere.

Coming up next?

We have one weekend off until the French Grand Prix on June 18-20, with many questions to be asked as Verstappen missed out on a chance to extend his championship lead, and Hamilton missed out on a chance to gain the championship lead here in Baku.