2017 F1 Round 8, Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race: Ricciardo wins amid chaos as Bottas pips Stroll for second

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix ran for 51 laps, with Ricciardo winning in 2 hours 03 minutes 55.573 seconds. Hamilton started from pole. Bottas and Räikkönen made contact at Turn 2, after which Bottas pitted with a puncture, fell to the back and at one stage was a lap down.

Kvyat stopped with a car failure, prompting the first safety-car deployment on lap 13. After racing resumed, Ocon and Pérez collided, and debris brought the safety car back out. Verstappen and Palmer also retired early with car problems.

Hamilton slowed during a safety-car period. Vettel believed he had braked too sharply and subsequently ran into the back of the Mercedes. The pair then made wheel-to-wheel contact as they ran alongside each other. The stewards gave Vettel a 10-second stop-go penalty, costing him the initiative in the fight for victory.

Debris on the track prompted a red flag on lap 22. After a 23-minute suspension, the cars resumed behind the safety car. Teams used the stoppage to repair damaged cars. Pérez and Räikkönen returned to the track, but both eventually retired.

After the restart, Hamilton was forced to pit because his headrest had come loose, losing his previous advantage. Vettel rejoined after serving his stop-go penalty, while Hamilton also lost his position among the front-runners. The repeated interruptions continually changed tyre strategies and track position.

Ricciardo had made an early pit stop after debris entered a brake-cooling duct and had fallen as low as 17th. After the restart, he passed cars ahead in succession and took advantage of Hamilton’s stop and Vettel’s penalty to move into the lead. He secured Red Bull’s first win of the season, while Stroll held a podium position.

Bottas closed the gap in the final stages and passed Stroll on the outside just before the finish line on the last lap, taking second by 0.105 seconds. The 18-year-old Stroll claimed his first F1 podium. Vettel finished fourth, Hamilton fifth and Alonso ninth, scoring McLaren’s first points of the season.

The table below gives the official final classification and points. Only 13 cars finished the race, with several other drivers retiring because of collisions or mechanical failures.