2018 F1 Azerbaijan GP — Hamilton snatches victory as Bottas retires with a puncture

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix took place over 51 laps at the Baku City Circuit on 29 April 2018. Accidents, debris and Safety Car periods repeatedly disrupted the order. Mercedes had looked set to take Valtteri Bottas to the finish in the lead, but a late puncture changed the outcome once again.

Lewis Hamilton eventually won in 1:43:44.291, with Kimi Räikkönen second, 2.460 seconds behind, and Sergio Pérez third, 4.024 seconds behind the winner. Pérez secured a podium for Force India, while team-mate Esteban Ocon retired in an accident, leaving the two sides of the team with very different results.

Bottas was still leading late in the race when he ran over debris and suffered a rear-tyre puncture. He retired after completing 48 laps. Hamilton inherited first place. Sebastian Vettel had also had a chance of victory, but a lock-up in a heavy braking zone left him fourth at the finish, unable to recover a podium place.

On lap 40, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen collided while fighting for position, eliminating both Red Bulls. The team had allowed its drivers to race freely, and their fierce exchanges had included several contacts before the final collision took them both out. With the Safety Car deployed, they lost a valuable opportunity to score constructors’ points.

During the Safety Car period, Romain Grosjean lost control while warming his tyres and hit the wall. Nico Hülkenberg had already retired, while Ocon and Sergey Sirotkin had also been eliminated in incidents. Only 13 cars finished the race. Pérez, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso held their positions amid the chaos to finish in the top seven.

Sauber rookie Leclerc finished sixth to score the first points of his Formula 1 career. Alonso was seventh and Lance Stroll eighth. Stoffel Vandoorne finished ninth and Brendon Hartley tenth, taking one point for Toro Rosso and scoring his first Formula 1 point.

Debris and Safety Car periods in the closing stages compressed the strategic window into a very short time. Bottas lost the victory, while Hamilton claimed his first win of the season. Pérez’s podium rewarded Force India in a chaotic race, while the collision between the Red Bulls became its most costly turning point.

The table below follows Formula 1’s official final classification and lists the finishing order, time gaps and points for all 20 drivers. Thirteen drivers completed all 51 laps. Bottas, Grosjean, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Ocon and Sirotkin were listed as retirements, while Magnussen also received a ten-second time penalty.