Ricciardo wins hectic Azerbaijan grand prix
Daniel Ricciardo took victory in Baku after late pit stops for both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastien Vettel.
Lance Stroll took his maiden podium, but Valtteri Bottas snatched second from the rookie as they took the chequered flag.
Multiple safety cars disrupted the race. The second, to clear debris from an earlier collision, caused controversy when Hamilton and Vettel came together. Vettel accused Hamilton of brake testing him and came alongside the Mercedes driver to show his frustration. He hit Hamilton before falling back behind the race leader.
Red flags were brought out so marshals could better clear the debris, and the field was brought back into the pits. When the race restarted, Hamilton’s headrest appeared to be loose. He tried to secure it without pitting, but couldn’t make it stick. He pitted, handing the race lead to Vettel.
Vettel was forced to pit the following lap for a 10 second stop go penalty, earned for “dangerous driving” when he hit Hamilton. He emerged from the pits just ahead of Hamilton, a backmarker separating the two.
That put Daniel Ricciardo in the lead of the race. After starting 10th, he was forced to pit early due to debris. Incidents ahead of him promoted the Red Bull driver up the field and into fifth by the time the race was restarted after the red flags.
Ricciardo sailed past the two Williams drivers in a single move on the restart, promoting him to third and in the perfect position to benefit from the drama ahead.
Valtteri Bottas had an equally exciting race. The Mercedes driver collided with Kimi Raikkonen at the start of the race and dropped to last after a nose change. Benefiting from trouble ahead, he slowly made his way up through the order. In the final stages of the race, Bottas was more than five seconds behind Stroll in second, but quickly set about catching the rookie. He took the fight for second to the flag, snatching the position in the very last second.
Vettel and Hamilton took fourth and fifth.
Force India had looked set for a strong result, the pair just behind Vettel and Hamilton when the leaders came together. But the pair collided after one driver clipped a kerb, and both were forced into the pits. Sergio Perez temporarily retired from the race due to damage, but was able to rejoin the pack after the red flags.
Ocon took sixth, ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz.
Kimi Raikkonen was also temporarily retired when he ran over debris and punctured a tyre. He damaged the floor of his car as he returned to the pits, but Ferrari was able to replace the floor during the red flags. He retired again later, as did Perez.
Fernando Alonso took McLaren’s first points of the season with a ninth place after starting the race 19th. The McLaren driver enjoyed a strong battle with Sauber early in the race, but found himself defending against Vettel and Hamilton later on.
Jolyon Palmer was the first retiree. The Renault driver, who has struggled all weekend, was slow on track. He tried to pit, only to stop in the pit lane. Daniil Kvyat was the next o retire, stopping on track. The incident was cleared under yellow flags.
Max Verstappen retired soon after. He had been battling with Perez for what was then third place, but an engine problem caused him to slow and he stopped on track, bringing out the safety car.
Felipe Massa was the final driver to retire. He looked set for a podium finish after the race restarted, but a broken damper caused him to slow and drop down the order. He pitted to retire.
Pascal Wehrlein took 10th, ahead of team mate Marcus Ericsson and Stoffel Vandoorne.