Here’s Giles Richards’s race report:
Summing up
Well, a race that veered from chaos and farce to thrillingly unexpected drama and skill ended up as a heartening riposte to criticisms that F1 is predictable and dominated by the same forces. What odds would you have got on that top three? Even McLaren picked up a point. So while Vettel’s and Hamilton’s hiccups in this race will undoubtedly be picked up and pored over, there was so much else going on too that you couldn’t take your eyes off this one, even when they called things to a halt for 15 minutes or so after 23 laps. Anyway, stay on the site for reports and reaction, and thanks for your company and emails. Bye.
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How they finished
The points-scorers: 1 Ricciardo (Red Bull) 2 Bottas (Mercedes) 3 Stroll (Williams) 4 Vettel (Ferrari) 5 Hamilton (Mercedes) 6 Ocon (Force India) 7 Magnusson (Haas) 8 Sainz (Toro Rosso) 9 Alonso (McLaren) 10 Weherlein (Sauber)
There are remarkable stories all over the place here. Ricciardo’s triumph from 10th on the grid, Bottas’s recovery to charge through the field for second, and third-placed Stroll’s first podium finish, even if he was pipped by the Finn on the line. How Hamilton, meanwhile, will curse that faulty head-rest, while Vettel’s chances of winning were finished off by his penalty for petulance.
Daniel Ricciardo wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
Ricciardo stays out of trouble, comes through turn 16 and cruises home – while Bottas steals second on the line from Stroll! Vettel holds on to finish fourth and extend his championship lead on Lewis Hamilton, who comes in fifth.
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Lap 50: Hamilton closes to just over a second behind Vettel, but can’t quite get there. Ricciardo keeps the lead going into the final lap from Stroll in second. Last lap coming up!
Lap 49: Ricciardo holds a five-second lead as we go into the final two laps, Stroll is stil his closest pursuer. Bottas closes the gap on Stroll to two seconds in third. Vettel, in fourth, is still a place ahead of Hamilton.
Lap 48: Three laps to go. Ricciardo and Stroll are each keeping their cool and their distance amid immense pressure behind them, holding onto the top two positions. Vettel is now 2.5 secs behind Bottas and closing. Hamilton closes too in fifth. And Raikkonen has been called in.
Lap 47: Hamilton has just set his fastest lap of the race of 1:43:04 – and he’s wondering whether Bottas might strategically slow down to thwart Vettel just behind him, but Bottas has his own priorities, as he chases down Stroll, 5.8secs ahead. Ricciardo still leads.
Lap 45: A rare, relatively incident-free lap leaves the standings as you were with Ricciardo still leading from Stroll, who has Bottas chasing him. Vettel is still fourth from Hamilton in fifth.
Lap 44: Stroll is told “we need green sectors every lap now” as the predatory Bottas applies pressure behind him – this is going to be fascinating finish. Ricciardo is still ahead.
Lap 42: DRS is noe open to Hamilton, who goes wide and takes on Ocon, who can’t counter him and gives the Briton the room to go clear: wise thinking by the Frenchman. Hamilton is now fifth, a place behind Vettel. But Ricciardo is still in the lead – what a drive this has been from 10th on the grid.
Perez is out (again)
Lap 41: Sergio Perez fails to finish for the first time in a long time, his earlier collision taking its toll and this time he is called in. Bottas is the fastest man on the track at the moment, but Vettel is on his case – he passes Ocon on a turn, and Hamilton is still treading water a tad in sixth. It’s 1 Ricciardo, 2 Stroll, 3 Bottas, 4 Vettel, 5 Ocon, 6 Hamilton.
Lap 40: The sun is setting now, and this race is going to end in darker conditions than anticipated, due to those delays. But Ricciardo and Stroll are holding their ground in the top two places, while Vettel’s advantage over Hamilton stays steady at around one second.
Lap 39: Hamilton moves up to sixth, with Vettel still ahead of him in fifth. This is going to be the mini-battle, if not the major one. A word for Stroll, looking steady in second and with a podium in sight. But Bottas’s astonishing recovery continues as he slips ahead of Ocon.
Lap 38: Ocon and Bottas now pass Magnusson to move up a place each. Further back, it looks as if the Saubers of Ericsson and Weherlein bumped tyres. Not more debris, please? Ricciardo still leads from Stroll.
Lap 37: Ricciardo stretches his lead – he’s now 4.9secs clear of Stroll – and a word for Ocon and Bottas, who have recovered extremely well from problems earlier on, in fourth and fifth now respectively. “What a shame, we could’ve won this race,” shouts Alonso, hinting at problems.
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Lap 36: Hamilton makes a big play on Alonso and Vettel in front of him on T2, the latter having been narrowly held off by the Spaniard. Three titans of the track tussling it out there, but Vettel retains his sixth position. Up front, Ricciardo leads by 3.8secs from Stroll, keeping out of trouble. This is developing into a bit of a thriller.
Lap 35: I think we need a recap on how they stand here. It’s 1 Ricciardo, 2 Stroll, 3 Magnusson, 4 Ocon, 5 Bottas, 6 Alonso, 7 Vettel, 8 Hamilton. All sorts of cats among all sorts of pigeons here, and some big points hauls likely for outsiders.
Lap 34: Vettel comes out from the pits in front of Hamilton! But neither are well placed to win now – the Ferrari driver is seventh, Hamilton eighth, and Ricciardo has the lead. “A 10-second penalty is not enough for behaviour like that,” says Hamilton over the radio of Vettel’s behaviour. But it’s his headrest bother that has hampered him most here.
Lap 33: “We speak after – now, keep your head down,” Vettel is told in response to his question about his dangerous driving penalty. Vettel goes into the pit lane to serve his 10-second penalty. Making his way back up the field, the returning Hamilton advances into eighth.
Lap 32: Hamilton comes out in ninth position, with Vettel at present first – the German asking, faux-innocently, to his team “when did I do dangerous driving?”. Meanwhile, Ricciardo is second, Stroll third and Magnusson fourth. Ricciardo must fancy his chances here.
Lap 31: Hamilton is radioed to come in to the pit lane, his team having been instructed they have to pit – but Vettel gets a 10-second penalty for his earlier fracas with Hamilton! Swings and roundabouts for Lewis there then. Bottas makes his move on Sainz, and does manage it this time to take eighth position.
Lap 30: Ocon passes Sainz’s Renault to move into seventh place. Bottas tries to go with him but can’t quite manage it and stays ninth. Hamilton still leads, with his head rest apparently secure, but not definitely so. He’s 2.052 secs ahead.
Lap 29: Hamilton’s head rest has come undone, which could be a problem in this debris-strewn race. It’s a safety issue, which could cause him to be flagged. His radio team tell him of the problem and he manages to adjust it downwards, but not clip it down yet. Absolutely nothing is going smoothly for anyone in this race. But the Briton is still 2.3secs ahead of Vettel.
Lap 28: Almost unnoticed, Bottas has crept back up the field after his calamitous start, and is now in ninth place. Reports that the stewards are looking at the Force India and Ferrari teams for working on cars outside the pit lane’s fast lane.
Lap 27: It’s a big test for Alonso’s engine now, as his current sixth place puts him well placed to get McLaren off the mark. Hamilton’s lead is now 2.296 sec from Vettel.
Massa and Hulkenberg out
Lap 26: Massa does indeed come into the pits, and is informed that they’ll need to retire the car. Hulkenberg’s exit is confirmed too, after slamming into that wall. What a blow for Williams just as things were looking promising. His team-mate Stroll, however, is still looking good in fourth and has a podium chance here. It’s 1 Hamilton, 2 Vettel, 3 Ricciardo, 4 Stroll, 5 Magnusson.
Lap 25: Hulkenberg, having stormed into contention, then hits a wall. Massa complains that “it’s very difficult to drive” and will have to come in surely. All sorts of twists and turns in the chasing pack here. Hamilton still leads from Vettel.
Lap 24: Massa is struggling, and is overhauled by Hulkenberg, but it’s Magnusson who takes advantage to move into fifth. Hamilton leads by just over a second from Vettel out front.
Lap 23: Hamilton keeps a little back this time, but holds off Vettel, but the big burst is made by Ricciardo who zips through the inside past both Massa and Stroll into third. Brilliant move from the Australian. There had been some radio talk from Massa about “problems with the car” but nothing more at this point.
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The safety car leads the field back out
Here we go again, with the safety car leading the cars out. Hamilton leads from Vettel, with Massa, Stroll and Ricciardo making up the rest of the top five, lest you need reminding, and it’s been a while.
And another! It looks as if Ferrari have got Raikkonen’s back in business too, as the Finn is pushed through the pit lane. He’ll also be a couple of laps behind.
It looks as if Pérez could be rejoining the race after extensive work by his Force India team– he’s a couple of laps down, but might manage to muster a point or two.
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“This is ludicrous,” thunders Craig Hamilton. “Absolutely calamitous marshalling and poor race control!! The marshalls need to go on a training course! Poor conduct from Vettel too - hoping for a drive through and Williams podium!” Vettel could well be in trouble for that stramash with Hamilton. The incident has been reported.
The race will resume in 10 minutes.
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So, unexpectedly, time for a couple of mid-race emails. Of the Force India pair, Kevin Cassingham roars: “Revenge! Ocon may have a little smile after Perez not letting him through in the last GP.” Though perhaps not, as Ocon’s now back in 14th. Meanwhile, Ian Francis adds: “Lewis Hamilton wins Qualifying for pole”
The C4 cameras were just replaying that Vettel-Hamilton prang – “he just turned in and hit me,” deadpans Hamilton, though Vettel seemed mightily angry and responded by driving up alongside him and nudging him. There’s all sorts of tetchiness out there, and both Hamilton’s and Vettel’s teams are inspecting their cars for damage.
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Red flag
Lap 22: The red flag is out – the race is stopped and the cars are called back to the pit lane. Trolleys, mechanics, pit teams scurrying about everywhere. So, I think we need a recap over who stands where amid all this, now that five drivers have been forced out. It’s 1 Hamilton, 2 Vettel, 3 Massa, 4 Stroll, 5 Ricciardo, 6 Hulkenberg, 7 Magnussen, 8 Alonso. Some points for McLaren at last?
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Raikkonen and Pérez out
Lap 21: The safety car is out yet again, unsurprisingly given the kerfuffling that just happened. Raikkonen’s rear wing looks knacked completely as he comes into the pits, where he is also joined by Perez, who is also out – what a disappointment after a fine drive until then. Up front Hamilton leads from Vettel, Massa, Stroll and now Ricciardo, would you believe.
Lap 20: Drama as the safety car comes in. A brilliant Force India attack from Perez and Ocon on Vettel is undermined when the two come together, and Vettel, who had suffered a mild prang with Hamilton just before, is still second, and now Massa is third and Stroll is fourth. Suddenly, Williams are the beneficiaries. Amid all that, Hamilton still leads.
Lap 19: The safety car prepares to come in
Lap 18: The safety car abides still as the debris is frantically dealt with and the cars weave about in efforts to deal with tyre temperatures. Hamilton, the leader, is again complaining about the speed of the safety car. “Too slow,” he harrumphs.
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Lap 17: Wouldn’t you know it? The safety car is back again, as a result of debris coming off Raikkonen’s car. It’s all very frustrating. Magnussen is also having problems with tyre temperatures. Amid the flurry of movement that preceded it, Ocon has advanced to fifth from Raikkonen in sixth.
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Lap 16: The safety car comes in, and Hamilton roars ahead, but Vettel is caught off his guard by Perez who attacks hard for second, but Vettel hangs on in there. Perez is having a cracking race.
Lap 15: While the safety car continues , here’s a recap on how they actually stand amid all the technical bother and debris: 1 Hamilton, 2 Vettel, 3 Perez, 4 Raikkonen, 5 Massa, 6 Ocon, 7 Stroll, 8 Hulkenberg, 9 Magnussen, 10 Ricciardo. Bottas is back at the bottom in 17th.
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Lap 14: Stroll does make a pit stop now, as they all continue behind the safety car, the deployment of which has deprived him of the advantage and momentum he did have. “The safety car is too slow, it’s dangerous for us,” Hamilton laments. “We can’t get temperature into the tyres as it is.” And just to to confirm the departures from the race, Verstappen joins Kvyatt and Palmer on the DNF list.
Lap 13: Hamilton goes into the pits, as does Vettel, taking advantage of the safety car period. Perez and Raikkonen join them. Is this going to be a two-stop race after all? Verstappen looked as if he was going to chuck it all in when he pitted but is persuaded to stay put for now. Unusually, Lance Stroll does not pit – possibly the only driver in the top 10 not to do so.
Lap 12: Poor old Max Verstappen – it looks as if he’s out of this, which also deprives us of what was looking like a nicely tasty battle for third with Perez. Hulkenburg also has debris-related trouble.
And the safety car is deployed, presumably for Kvyatt’s halt.
Lap 11: Verstappen’s now in trouble, bemoaning “an issue with the engine” as he drops right back, and he falls back to seventh as Ocon overhauls him.
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Lap 10: Verstappen attacks Perez into T1 and T2 but the Mexican holds him off well to stay in third. Ricciardo, having been forced to pit early, nudges up the back of the field into 13th. While Dani Kvyatt has come to a grinding halt around T1. Hamilton still leads from Vettel.
Lap 9: Alonso overhauls Ericsson smartly to move into 12th – he’s driving with aggression and guile so far. The top three remains as you were, with Hamilton, leading from Vettel and Perez.
GAINS AND LOSSES: TOP TEN (LAP 3/51)
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2017
NOT SHOWN: BOT ⬇️18#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/Xbl5myS68c
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Lap 8: The luckless Jolyon Palmer has reported smoke out of his car, and he trundles towards the pit lane, a miserable end to his weekend. Hamilton on the other hand has just set another fastest lap to open up a four-second lead on Vettel.
Lap 7: Vettel begins to pick up the pace in second place, while Marcos Eriksson seems to be struggling on his hard tyres, as we get confirmation that the early Raikkonen-Bottas incident has been reported but no action warranted. Ricciardo has rejoined the race.
Lap 6: Ricciardo’s stop was to clear some debris, which had clearly been visible in these early stages on this tight street circuit. It’s 1 Hamilton, 2 Vettel, 3 Perez, 4 Verstappen, 5 Raikkonen, 6 Masa
Lap 5: Hamilton extends his lead to 3.1secs, already looking comfortable and extending his lead. Daniel Ricciardo also makes an early stop.
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Lap 4: It’s Hamilton 1, Vettel 2 and Pérez 3. Raikkonen’s done well to clamber back to fifth. Further back, Alonso and Wehrlein come together on the same turn 2 that Bottas and Raikkonen did earlier, but Alonso has space to get clear
Lap 3: Hamilton opens up a two-second lead over Vettell. Bottas comes back out with soft compound tyres, but there’s questions about whether he has more bodywork damage. He’s a lap down on the front-runners.
Lap 2: Bottas has just entered the pit lane now – giving an indication of just how distant it is. There’s also a bit of debris floating about, prompting a yellow flag. Hamilton still leads from Vettel
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Lap 1: Bottas has dropped right down the field, in all sorts of bother – he needs a front wing and tyres, and that looks like one contender right out of it. Raikkonen looks like the innocent victim having been hit by Bottas there. Perez is up to third and Massa has moved up to sixth. Hamilton leads from Vettel.
Lights out!
Hamilton gets away in front, Raikkonen and Bottas make contact though after the second turn. Vettel nips into second!
By the way, air temperature is 27 degrees Centigrade, track temp 47 – it’s hot out there, but much of the track is in shade.
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Fernando Alonso is embraced ostentatiously on the track by his manager, Flavio Briatore, the presence of the Italian sparking inevitable speculation about Alonso’s future, not least because Briatore tweeted a picture of himself with Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda on Friday. Wolff insisted it meant nothing.
“Wow, who would have thought the first lady of Azerbaijan was Michael Jackson,” quips John Phaceas.
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Anthem time: It’s a long, warbly one. Ten minutes to the off.
Irrelevant celeb watch: Mariah Carey is trackside with her young son. “I love everybody, I’m here to support everyone,” she babbles to Lee McKenzie.
More relevantly, here’s a reminder of how they line up:
30 MINS TO LIGHTS OUT🚥
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2017
Here's a reminder of how things stand
There could be quite a shake-up in just over two hours' time🤔#AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/4WyyXKEbxl
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Some bite-sized pre-race thoughts from the contenders: Lewis Hamilton tells Lee McKenzie that he “feels great” and is buoyed by the news that his best friend’s had a baby – “It’s a fresh day, a new start,” he beams.
Sebastian Vettel is exuding calm too, despite having to make an engine change and asked whether that means he’ll be down on power? “Not really,” he replies, “it wasn’t what we wanted, the engine has served us well in the past but it’s just another one. Here you can pass, not like Monaco, and you’ve got a long straight, but you know it’s never easy.”
Valterri Bottas, Hamilton’s team-mate, is also upbeat about the circuit: “Here overtaking is possible, if you have the pace. We’re here to fight for the win, we’re allowed to race together.” Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo is looking “for a mistake-free race” after his woes in qualifying and is aiming to “crack into that top six early”, while Lance Stroll, who performed excellently to qualify in eight, chirps: “It all fell into place yesterday, I really enjoyed this track, and it felt good in the car.”
Some non-F1 related pre-race reading for you – here’s Richard Williams on the joys of the Le Mans 24 hours:
“Welcome to the oilfields, welcome to Azerbaijan,” roars Eddie Jordan in one of his now-traditional portentous voiceover intros to Channel 4’s coverage, glossing over some of the more problematic aspects of the country’s economics and politics.
Meanwhile, F1’s official Twitter feed brings the bantz:
It's raining in Baku* ☂️
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2017
Team race strategies being torn up as we Tweet#AzerbaijanGP #F1Baku 🇦🇿
*Not really pic.twitter.com/OZIqMo72Qk
It’s bright and sunny, of course.
Afternoon everyone. And welcome to our coverage of the eighth grand prix of the season, one that could well see things get that bit tighter at the top of the world championship standings, if Lewis Hamilton’s imperious last-lap drive for pole on Saturday is anything to go by. For all that Hamilton had bother trying to find the right grip on the hard rubber of Baku’s street circuit in practice on Friday, his performance in qualifying reminded us that while tyres may be temporary, class is permanent. “It was a perfect lap,” he chirped yesterday.
Right behind him on the grid though is Valtteri Bottas, who’s been a revitalising, youthful presence in F1 this year and who was second in Canada a fortnight ago and is seeking a second victory of the season after his superb maiden triumph in Russia in April.
This Mercedes showing makes today’s race a tough’un for Sebastian Vettel, whose 12-point lead could be seriously whittled away after he could only manage fourth in qualifying. With his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen a place ahead of him on the grid in third, another Ferrari-Mercedes ding-dong is in prospect on Baku’s streets today.
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani capital’s street circuit is likely to prove demanding once again for the underpowered engines of poor old McLaren, who are beginning to acquire the permanent “fallen giant” status that football fans of a certain age talk about when they go misty-eyed over how mighty Wolves, Blackpool or Preston used to be. Will they get their first points of the year today? With Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne taking grid penalties, it’s a big ask.
Lights out: 2pm BST.
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