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Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2018

A Strategic Analysis of a Chaotic Race

Race Overview ๐Ÿ‘‡ View Results ๐Ÿ†

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Race Overview

The Event

The 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 29 April 2018, at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan. It marked the 4th round of the 2018 Formula One World Championship and the second running of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as a championship event.

Location & Circuit

The race took place on the Baku City Circuit, a temporary street circuit renowned for its long straights and tight, historic section through the Old City. The circuit length is 6.003 km (3.730 miles), with the race covering 51 laps for a total distance of 306.049 km (190.170 miles).

Championship Context

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel led the Drivers' Championship by nine points over Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes held a slender one-point advantage over Ferrari heading into the weekend.

Race Context

Scheduling & Tyres

The race date was moved forward to avoid conflicting with Azerbaijan Republic Day centenary celebrations. This shift also impacted the Formula 1 calendar, with the French Grand Prix filling the vacated June slot. Pirelli selected the soft, super-soft, and ultra-soft tyre compounds for the event, anticipating high-speed action.

Weather Conditions

The race day was characterized by cloudy skies. Fortunately, adverse weather conditions did not play a significant role, allowing the race to proceed without the need for intermediate or wet-weather tyres.

Qualifying Session

Pole Position Battle

The qualifying session was intensely competitive. Sebastian Vettel secured pole position for Ferrari with a lap of 1:41.498. Kimi Rรคikkรถnen, his teammate, made a mistake on his final flying lap, preventing him from challenging for pole and ultimately starting sixth. Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes qualified third but set the fastest lap of the race during the Grand Prix itself.

Grid Penalties & Incidents

Several drivers faced grid penalties. Nico Hรผlkenberg and Romain Grosjean received five-place grid drops for unscheduled gearbox changes. Brendon Hartley and Romain Grosjean failed to meet the 107% qualifying requirement but were permitted to race by the stewards. These incidents, coupled with the tight competition, set the stage for a dynamic grid.

Qualifying Classification

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Q1 Q2 Q3 Grid
15Germany Sebastian VettelFerrari1:42.7621:43.0151:41.4981
244United Kingdom Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:42.6931:42.6761:41.6772
377Finland Valtteri BottasMercedes1:43.3551:42.6791:41.8373
43Australia Daniel RicciardoRed Bull Racing-TAG Heuer1:42.8571:43.4821:41.9114
533Netherlands Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-TAG Heuer1:42.6421:42.9011:41.9945
67Finland Kimi RรคikkรถnenFerrari1:42.5381:42.5101:42.4906
731France Esteban OconForce India-Mercedes1:43.0211:42.9671:42.5237
811Mexico Sergio PรฉrezForce India-Mercedes1:43.9921:43.3661:42.5478
927Germany Nico HรผlkenbergRenault1:43.7461:43.2321:43.06614a
1055Spain Carlos Sainz Jr.Renault1:43.4261:43.4641:43.3519
1118Canada Lance StrollWilliams-Mercedes1:44.3591:43.58510
1235Russia Sergey SirotkinWilliams-Mercedes1:44.2611:43.88611
1314Spain Fernando AlonsoMcLaren-Renault1:44.0101:44.01912
1416Monaco Charles LeclercSauber-Ferrari1:43.7521:44.07413
1520Denmark Kevin MagnussenHaas-Ferrari1:43.6741:44.75915
162Belgium Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren-Renault1:44.48916
1710France Pierre GaslyScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda1:44.49617
189Sweden Marcus EricssonSauber-Ferrari1:45.54118
107% time: 1:49.715
โ€”28New Zealand Brendon HartleyScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda1:57.35419b
โ€”8France Romain GrosjeanHaas-FerrariNo time20b
Source:

Notes: a Nico Hรผlkenberg received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. b Brendon Hartley and Romain Grosjean failed to set a Q1 time within the 107% requirement and raced at the stewards' discretion. Grosjean also received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

The Race Unfolds

Startline Chaos

The race began with immediate contact. Sergey Sirotkin's car made contact with Fernando Alonso and Nico Hรผlkenberg, resulting in punctures for Alonso and Sirotkin. Simultaneously, Sergio Pรฉrez struck Rรคikkรถnen's Ferrari, causing damage that necessitated a pit stop. Esteban Ocon retired on lap 1 following contact with Rรคikkรถnen. The incidents involving Ocon and Sirotkin on track triggered the first safety car of the race.

Safety Car Periods

The initial safety car period allowed several drivers to pit for repairs or tyre changes. After the restart on lap 6, the race settled briefly before Nico Hรผlkenberg crashed out on lap 11. A major turning point occurred on lap 40 when Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo collided while battling for fourth place, forcing both to retire and bringing out the second safety car. This incident was deemed unacceptable by team boss Christian Horner and resulted in reprimands for both drivers.

Late Drama & Punctures

The second safety car period bunched the field, and leaders pitted for fresh tyres. On lap 43, Romain Grosjean crashed under the safety car, extending the caution period. Upon the restart on lap 48, race leader Valtteri Bottas suffered a tyre puncture, forcing his retirement. In the same lap, Sergio Pรฉrez capitalized on Sebastian Vettel's error after his lock-up, passing him for third place.

Race Results

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
144United Kingdom Lewis HamiltonMercedes511:43:44.291225
27Finland Kimi RรคikkรถnenFerrari51+2.460618
311Mexico Sergio PรฉrezForce India-Mercedes51+4.024815
45Germany Sebastian VettelFerrari51+5.329112
555Spain Carlos Sainz Jr.Renault51+7.515910
616Monaco Charles LeclercSauber-Ferrari51+9.158138
714Spain Fernando AlonsoMcLaren-Renault51+10.931126
818Canada Lance StrollWilliams-Mercedes51+12.546104
92Belgium Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren-Renault51+14.152162
1028New Zealand Brendon HartleyScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda51+18.030191
119Sweden Marcus EricssonSauber-Ferrari51+18.51218
1210France Pierre GaslyScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda51+24.72017
1320Denmark Kevin MagnussenHaas-Ferrari51+40.663115
1477Finland Valtteri BottasMercedes48Puncture3
Ret8France Romain GrosjeanHaas-Ferrari42Accident20
Ret33Netherlands Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-TAG Heuer39Collision5
Ret3Australia Daniel RicciardoRed Bull Racing-TAG Heuer39Collision4
Ret27Germany Nico HรผlkenbergRenault10Accident14
Ret31France Esteban OconForce India-Mercedes0Collision7
Ret35Russia Sergey SirotkinWilliams-Mercedes0Collision11
Source:

Notes: 1 Kevin Magnussen had ten seconds added to his race time for causing an avoidable collision.

Championship Standings

Drivers' Championship

Pos. Driver Points
1United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton70
2Germany Sebastian Vettel66
3Finland Kimi Rรคikkรถnen48
4Finland Valtteri Bottas40
5Australia Daniel Ricciardo37

Constructors' Championship

Pos. Constructor Points
1Italy Ferrari114
2Germany Mercedes110
3Austria Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer55
4United Kingdom McLaren-Renault36
5France Renault35

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Wikipedia page

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