Who has the most F1 Azerbaijan GP wins?
Every Azerbaijan GP has had a different winner so far
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Charles Leclerc, 2022 Azerbaijan GP
The Azerbaijan GP is a fan favorite on the F1 calendar. The street race grew to become one of the most exciting races of the season. The race is held on the Baku Street Circuit in the capital city of the transcontinental nation. The track is 6km or 3.7 miles long with 20 corners and a long main straight. This circuit has become a stable part of the sporting calendar despite being canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Formula 1 first raced on the Baku City Circuit in 2016, albeit under the European GP banner. This race was won by former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg who went on to win the championship that season. Fans did not well receive the first iteration of a GP in Baku, as the German driver had an easy cruise to victory. Although in later years, things changed drastically.
Since 2017, the circuit has hosted the Azerbaijan GP and given fans entertaining and chaotic races. The viewers have been treated to amusing incidents, such as the ‘dangerous driving’ by Sebastian Vettel in 2017 and even Lewis Hamilton locking up at the safety car restart in 2021. So far, every single iteration of this race has seen a different winner. This article takes a look into those 5 Azerbaijan GP winners.
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The 5 Azerbaijan GP winners
Daniel Ricciardo (2017)
The 2017 Azerbaijan is remembered as perhaps the most chaotic race of the season. Daniel Ricciardo started the race from P10 and managed to avoid the first-lap collision between Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas. Although the 33-year-old was forced to pit on Lap 6 to remove debris from his brakes, forcing the Australian driver to P17.
Multiple restarts during the race allowed Ricciardo to make his way through the field. On Lap 22 as the two Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon collided with even Raikkonen getting a puncture, a red flag was called. After the restart, Danny Ric was in P5 and straightaway passed the two Williams cars to get up to the podium position.
Soon, Lewis Hamilton pitted to fix a loose headrest, and Sebastian Vettel was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty. This allowed the Red Bull driver to inherit the lead of the race. Daniel then cruised his way to the chequered flag. As he brought home the team’s first win of the 2017 season at the Azerbaijan GP. Ricciardo celebrated this win with the iconic ‘shoey’ with Lance Stroll getting his first shot at this rather peculiar way of drinking.
Lewis Hamilton (2018)
After an exciting race the previous season, hopes were high for the 2018 Azerbaijan GP. Mercedes and Ferrari were closely matched, with Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton starting from the front row. Despite a clean start, the race was filled with incidents like Fernando Alonso driving back to the pits with virtually a single working tire. The top 3 drivers, Vettel, Hamilton, and Bottas, were separated by a gap of 10 seconds.
The British driver lost out massively after Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen collided on the main straight, leading to a safety car. The other Mercedes of Valtteri got a virtually free pitstop under the safety car and kept his lead. Since both Vettel and Hamilton had pitted before the safety car period. Lewis overtook the Ferrari for second place after Sebastian locked up trying to take the lead.
However, disaster struck at Lap 49 of the race after Valtteri suffered a puncture on the main straight. The Finnish driver was forced to retire, gifting the lead to his teammate. Hamilton had a safe drive, with Raikkonen and Perez coming second and third, respectively. Perhaps a way of redeeming his lost win the previous season.
Valtteri Bottas (2019)
After losing out on the race win from the lead in 2018, Valtteri Bottas was adamant about finally winning the Azerbaijan GP. The Finnish driver clinched pole position and started alongside Hamilton as Mercedes locked out the front row. Bottas managed to fend off his teammate at the start and was ahead of the other Mercedes after the first round of pitstops.
Valtteri regained the lead on Lap 31 as Charles Leclerc finally went to the pits. Despite several incidents, such as Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat retiring from the race after a collision, Bottas seemed unchallenged for the win. Lewis tried to fight his teammate for the race but couldn’t match the Finn.
Subsequently, Valtteri crossed the chequered flag in first place and won the 2019 Azerbaijan GP. Certainly, a deserving win after Bottas’s drive that day and his bad luck the previous year. Hamilton came second with a gap of 1.5 seconds to the lead. The Silver Arrows got their fourth 1-2 finish of the season and solidified their lead over the rest of the grid.
Sergio Perez (2021)
The 2021 season is remembered for the action-packed title fight between Hamilton and Verstappen. However, Azerbaijan GP surprised the fans yet again with an unexpected result. Sergio Perez started from P7 for the race and moved up to P4 after a clean start. At the same time, Hamilton took the lead in front of Charles Leclerc. As the Ferrari dropped down the order, Max Verstappen and Perez jumped up to P2 and P3, respectively.
Despite a delayed pitstop due to a failed wheel gun, Checo managed to overcut Lewis. The Mexican driver remained second for a major half of the race. After Verstappen’s tire failed on the main straight, the Dutchman was out of contention. This called in a red flag. Sergio carried the hopes of Red Bull as the sole car that could stop Lewis Hamilton from winning the race.
Subsequently, Perez stayed in the lead after the restart as Hamilton locked up into the escape road. As such, the 33-year-old was free to bring home the car in first place as he won the 2021 Azerbaijan GP. Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly achieved surprise podiums as they finished second and third, respectively.
Max Verstappen (2022)
Max Verstappen was eager to finally claim his win in the streets of Baku after an unlucky encounter in 2021. However, the Dutchman could only qualify P3 behind Leclerc and Perez. The 25-year-old overtook his teammate for the lead on Lap 15 after Leclerc’s stop. Sergio’s slow stop further helped increase Max’s lead. A few laps later, Charles retired from the race due to an engine issue.
From that point forth, Verstappen had an easy Sunday drive as he finished 20 seconds ahead of his teammate. The 25-year-old gave consistent and quick lap times that the competition couldn’t match. A dominant win that should’ve come a year earlier for the Dutchman. Perez finished second with the Mercedes of George Russell rounding up the podium.
Thus, that lists the five different winners of the Azerbaijan GP. Every iteration of this race has seen a new winner so far. However, it remains to be seen whether the 2023 race will see a new winner, perhaps in the form of Fernando Alonso or even George Russell. Or if the Red Bull domination will continue as the Austrian team looks to win its fourth race in the streets of Baku.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2363 Articles Published)