Written by Vyas Ponnuri
An air of calm ensued over the Land of Fire, as McLaren's Oscar Piastri continued his dream run in 2024. The Australian won Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the front row of the grid. While his first in Hungary was fraught with a tinge of controversy, there's no doubt his second win was truly one to savour to the fullest.
In striking similarities to Hungary, Piastri did start from the front row, and pit earlier compared to his rivals for victory. Baku too resembled Hungary in some regard, with the inherent difficulties to overtake around both tracks.
The circuit's best overtaking zone was at the end of a long straight, into turn one. While Piastri was able to execute a stronger start in Hungary, he has shown in the past, his bravery and fearlessness to make moves on any driver. Cue Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz around the outside of the sweeping left-hander of turn six in Austria. Or on teammate Norris in Hungary and Monza, both on lap one.
The same went for his latest masterpiece. A slow pit stop and difficult tyre warm-up phase for Charles Leclerc ahead allowed Piastri to pit and emerge right behind the Monegasque. As the McLaren trailed the Ferrari heading onto the main straight on lap 19, Piastri appeared closer, but still just out of range to pull off an overtake.
But it's almost as though late Dive-bombs are a feature of Australian racers. In true Daniel Ricciardo fashion, Piastri pulled off a sensational pass into turn one.
Even Piastri was uncertain if his move would stick, describing it as a '50-50' move post-race. Team principal Andrea Stella too expressed his surprise, almost wondering as though both drivers would end up in the run-off area. Such was the risky nature of the move, with a barrier awaiting either driver at the exit of turn one if any driver put a foot wrong or went even a metre deep into the braking zone.
Yet, the Melbourne native put in a risky, yet calculated move, one that would prove crucial to his chances of victory on the day. It was a crushing blow to the Ferrari that had looked dominant all weekend long, and left the team in red on the backfoot.
But, let's backtrack for a second to look at just how dominant Leclerc and Ferrari had been around the streets of Baku. Leclerc had taken the last three poles around the track. Although he'd failed to convert any of them into victories, there's no doubt he had the skill and mastery around the streets.
The Ferrari SF-24 had proven class of the field in the hands of the seven-time Grand Prix winner in qualifying, once again. As always, Leclerc knew just how to tame the streets of Baku.
The Ferrari racer has always proven to be phenomenal when it comes to driving right on the edge to extract the maximum from any race car at his disposal. He'd done it in Monaco earlier, he had done it in Baku before, and this year was no different.
Dancing the Ferrari around the 90-degree corners in the first sector, Leclerc balanced caution with aggression on his all-important pole position lap in Q3. Getting oh so close to the outside barrier at turn seven, he then threaded the needle through the narrow castle section between turns eight and eleven.
The Monegasque once again flirted with the walls heading into the tricky, downhill left hander of turn 15. A corner that had caught him out on Friday morning, he had nailed the corner to perfection when it mattered.
Once again, he flew past the start/finish line, stopping the clocks 0.321 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Piastri in second. It was Ferrari and Leclerc at the forefront once again, but race day would pose a different ask. Could Leclerc finally take his first Baku win? Only time would tell.
As the Ferrari racer got off the five red lights cleanly, Piastri held firm in second, ahead of the ensuing Sergio Perez.
Despite being close to Leclerc, he would never have the overspeed to pass the pole-sitter in his 16-lap first stint. Staying too close, in the turbulent air of the Ferrari early on meant Piastri had chewed through his tyres much quicker. Thus, he eventually fell away, as Leclerc opened up a six-second gap soon after.
However, Leclerc's slower pit stop, and difficulty to warm up the C3 compound of tyres, which was the white-ringed hard tyres, and a slow out-lap meant this was Piastri's chance to snatch the incentive.
He was helped in large part by teammate Norris, who played the team game to slow Perez down in the twisty middle sector, allowing Piastri to focus on attacking ahead rather than defending from the Mexican behind.
Once Piastri pitted, he emerged much closer to the Ferrari ahead. With McLaren traditionally quick on the hard tyres, he homed in on the red car ahead. Even if he was just a touch further behind, the one-time race winner's control on the brakes ensured he made the corner, once again just millimetres from the barrier on the exit of turn one.
There was still plenty of the race to play out, though, and Piastri's next task would be to remain cool and calm in defence. Even one minor misstep, one brush with a barrier from the Australian would have seen him lose the lead, or worse, out of the race.
But Piastri's maturity and collected nature helped him continually fend off attempts from the Ferrari behind to overtake. The McLaren racer's smart decision to brake late and defend the inside line into turn one always put Leclerc in a risky spot. The Monegasque was always drawn into a low-percentage overtake around the outside, something he wasn't enticed into doing.
The 23-year-old didn't put a foot wrong on Sunday, even around the tight Azerbaijani circuit. Having used up too much of his tyres in the first stint, he was vary of the same on the hard tyres. All he had to do was wait for Leclerc's rubber to drop off in performance, much like Piastri's in the first stint.
Several close moments later, and one iconic scene of both drivers drifting out of turn 16, this would follow. Leclerc's tyres 'hit the cliff' four laps from the end, as he dropped out of DRS range from the McLaren ahead. Piastri then eased into a three-second lead with ease.
A ten-second winning margin doesn't tell the full story of the sheer pressure he had to withstand all race. A cool, calm, and collected head at the wheel, Piastri's patience and collected demeanour was the defining factor in Sunday's race.
Perhaps it's why he described the win as his best in the sport, while manager Mark Webber was left speechless, dubbing it "The best drive I have ever seen him pull off." It's why so many sporting figures from across the world, including cricketers, NBA stars, and other racers across motorsport expressed their delight on Piastri's success. Game recognises game, they say.
Known to resemble the famous Iceman, Kimi Räikkönen, with his calm attitude and his soft-spoken nature on social media or on the racetrack, there's no doubt Piastri will emulate the Finnish racer and, in the words of NBA's Joel Embiid, become a future world champion one day. Papaya rules or not.
Another special chapter had been written in what is turning out to be a truly special season, and there's no doubt you do not want to miss the upcoming round in Singapore this weekend. F1's traditional night race takes place between 20th and 22nd September this year. Do tune in to see how the tale of the 2024 Formula One season unfolds!
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