That was an incredible, incredible race! The most exciting I can remember since probably Brazilian GP 2012. Certainly since Bahrain 2014.
A mere four weeks ago, Ferrari looked supreme, dominating Mercedes. Things have turned around in the last two races, Mercedes back well ahead of Ferrari, in terms of sheer pace. Or so it looked like in qualifying. Lewis nailed that lap. Absolutely smooth, it looked slow, but it was over a second faster than a Ferrari. But it wasn't going to be plain sailing on Sunday. Oh, no, not even close!
Never give up
If there was one thing to learn from today, it was - Never give up! It's so obvious that the podium finishers echoed the same sentiment.
When the race leader crossed the line to start Lap 3, Valtteri Bottas was trundling around on his very first lap - over one lap down! He fought back up, all the way to second. What an incredible drive - just kept his nose clean, kept at it, while everyone's race was falling apart.
By Lap 6, Daniel Ricciardo had to make an emergency pit stop to clear his brake duct. He was second last on Lap 7. Two hours later, he won the race!
And what a race it was.
Stroll comes of age
Stroll has been the butt of all jokes. The rich kid whose billionaire family paid for the racing seat. Others accused Williams of Verstappen/Red Bull/teenage-prodigy envy. After a horribly unfortunate start to the season, Stroll proved his mettle last week, finishing in the points in Canada.
But today, his drive was simply sublime. This is the Formula 3 champion that we were told about. This is a true Formula 1 driver. It shows just how much confidence does. I can't wait to see what Stroll does next. He was the driver of the day - that proves that he has grown on the fans.
He was in second place till the last 0.1 seconds. Yes, that's how much Bottas pipped him by, right at the finish line! That's basically imperceptible for a race that ran 2 hours.
Vettel has a meltdown
All that "mutual respect" spiel goes down the drain. These are two of the most arrogant drivers on the grid. It was only a matter of time things exploded, and it certainly happened today.
Vettel claims Hamilton brake tested him, causing him to run into the back of the Mercedes. We'll see when the telemetry is out. But what followed was downright absurd - I even LOLed.
Vettel drew next to Hamilton like a madman and basically ran into the side of him! What was that about?! Truly bizarre.
The championship rivals hit trouble
Equally bizarre was Hamilton's headrest coming loose. Never seen that before! Being at the pinnacle of automotive engine does mean things are put together with very little tolerance.
At the very moment Hamilton came into the pits to get the headrest replaced, Vettel got a 10 second stop-go penalty.
First and second down to seventh and eighth - race on!
Lost opportunities
I know, it's irrelevant to get into ifs and maybes when it comes to motor racing. But you gotta feel for the Force Indias. When Vettel
With Vettel and Hamilton out of the picture, the Force Indias could have been first and second! I do think Daniel would have passed them at some point, but they had a real chance with their straight line speed advantage. Certainly, it would have been a double podium.
Terrible luck for Kimi, Max and Felipe - they could have easily finished on the podium or won the race.
Cars come back from the dead
The red flag meant Perez, Ocon and Raikkonen made their way back to the grid after having retired. Pretty incredible job by the mechanics. Even with the red flag, they really turned those cars around fast.
Speaking of dead - finally, finally, points for McLaren and Alonso!
There's going to be quite a fallout - the drama will continue. I wonder where we'll be in two weeks' time in Austria. Can't wait!
All images from Formula1.com.
ALO team radio about winning the race get me laughed so hard. After retirement he can be succesful stand-up comedian ;)
Lol, classic! The commentators are so dimwitted, they didn't get the joke ;)
Go Ferrari Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not Ferrari's day, at all!
Wow!
I love Ferrari
Very cool! I always loved racing. New follower here.
Very fast!
I totally agree with you about Stroll. Nobody in f1 can be there just because he paid for it. They all are good drivers. Bottas once more proved that he has Kimi like cold Finnish blood.
Open wheel racing his every kids dream, two cars to drive 200 miles an hour… What's not to love!
It's the cornering speeds that are insane, and the braking. Road cars can get up to 200 mph too, but to go around a corner at 150 - that's crazy!
fast and furious as the crowd screams wild
Intense race. Ofc I was devastated when Bottas torpedoed Kimi and ruinded his race but nevertheless and exciting afternoon
Ah, a Kimi fan! Mwoah back at you.
To be fair, it was a racing incident. Were it any other circuit contact would have been avoided, but in a street circuit there's no place to go. That particular kerb at Turn 3 is pretty sharp too.
ooooooh baby .................. what a finish $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Thank you for the break down of the race!
Never give up ! Awesome !
love racing. thanks for the post. great article and love the pics
I'm so glad F1 is interesting again. Great post!
Well, last year was intense too! But yes, it's good to have another team in the mix, fighting at the front. That said, this race was epic, definitely the most exciting in a while.
lol I'm not going to lie I've never been to a sports car race, after reading your post I think I want to go. I just felt your excitement talking about the guy stroll I think. About him never giving up that's what life's about never giving up, pushing forward till you accomplish your goals. The guy was in dead last you were saying look at him coming back to win it. That's what hard work, drive, and perseverance does it turns losers to winners. People will laugh, put you down, and try to make you quit but be like Stroll. Never quit no matter if your in last; work and the win is in sight. Thanks friend I really felt the enthusiasm here; I will try to get out to one of these events thanks to you. Dope Post 🙏🙏
All that's good, but do note that most people who start last stay last. So never give up, but also it's important to have some perspective :)
Keep going no matter what, that is the key cheers 🙏🙏
I really miss rosberg, but if verstapen join ferrari or Mercedes, He will have a very good career, sorry instead I intend not to estimate redbull.
Red Bull will be a winning team again sooner rather than later. They have incredible talent backed up by an equally incredible budget. They have already made a lot of progress and there's no doubt they'll be on par with Ferrari and Mercedes by the end of the year. The next year could very well be Red Bull's.
Maybe redbull want to make verstapen the next vetel. I hope redbull great the next year
Wow India has formula 1 pilots? Didn't know that. I am thinking of a trip to Baku. Is it really soooo hot there that the brain melts down, or is it still ok?
Actually, that's the team's name - Force India. Their drivers are Mexican and French. There are no Indian drivers right now, but there have been a couple in Formula 1 in the past.
funny story, Team India without Indians. If they had at least native americans :))
As for Baku, yeah, it's hot out there! That's why they hold a race in the late afternoon. In most places it's around 1 PM.
love racing. beautiful ferrari @liberosist
Great post and unbelievable race! I was live in Melbourne in 2011, it was freaking amazing and the best part was I got in for free because of this nice Security guard.... It was so great and soooo loud....
Nice! Current Formula 1 cars actually much quieter than the ones in 2011.
Good to know! I had no earplugs and it was just too loud...
Well done mate! There's so much to be said after this race... The social media was exploding. I wish we have at least one more race like this by the end of the season.. Here's my collection of some of the funniest reactions before, during and after the race. https://steemit.com/sports/@steemfluencer/the-2017-f1-azerbaijan-grand-prix-social-media-best-reactions
As someone said: The race got the Madonaldo Seal of Approval LOL
Lol, Maldonado Seal of Approval! Don't forget the guy dominated, qualified on pole and won a race once :)
I will never forget that ! :D The guy is cool.. but .. he just needed more time to get used to things..I think
Had I been chief steward on Sunday, Vettel would have got the black flag. Hamilton would have got a 5 spot grid penalty for the next race. Punishment needs to be punitive enough to cause aa driver not to carry on such shenanigans. Both drivers were not good sports, at all
Had I been chief steward on Sunday, bith Vetterl and Hamilton would have continue racing with 10 to 20 spots grid penalty for the next race. But what actually happened also made the race interesting.
Formula 1 in the new era has lacked excitement however Baku was one of the most thrilling race in recent times. If more races were like this the fan base would increase in numbers.
It's good to see this happen in such a great sport.