F1 Azerbaijan GP Was a Masterclass in Speed, Strategy, and Skill

I tuned in to watch the 2024 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix expecting a decent race—y’know, not a boring one but nothing out of this world, either. What I ended up watching was one of the best F1 races in a good while, and here’s why: While we’ve witnessed several action-packed moments this season and in recent years, Sunday’s race was a 51-lap-long masterclass of speed, strategy, and most of all, monumental skill.

Whereas races in the past have had glimpses of excitement and nail-biting moments, they’ve typically led to the same results or predictable outcomes. Red Bull Racing’s recent downfall sprinkled a healthy dose of excitement, but even then, most Grands Prix have been limited to just a few spikes of excitement. Baku, however, was a marathon that forced millions of fans worldwide to sit on the edge of their seats. Frankly, I can’t remember the last time I saw three F1 drivers from three different teams running within a second or two of each other for an entire race.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took the lead away from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc with a mega pass on Turn 1, but that was just the beginning. The young Australian—only in his second F1 season—earned his paycheck by fending off a hungry Leclerc lap after lap after lap. The Monegasque racer made several aggressive moves that would’ve intimidated most other drivers, but Piastri kept his cool and expertly used the papaya-orange spear to shut the door.

The pinnacle of Sunday’s race has got to be when the TV feed showed Piastri and Leclerc drifting their F1 cars on their way out of Turn 16. Just look at that steering angle! Despite their teams’ requests to look after their tires, both racers were locked and loaded. I’m used to seeing these kinds of bumper-to-bumper chases in IndyCar or sports car racing or a spec series like the Mazda MX-5 Cup. But in F1? I’d have to go back decades to Kimi Raikkonen versus Lewis Hamilton at Spa in 2008, or Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher at Imola in 2005. I can also think of Schumacher versus Mika Häkkinen at Suzuka in 2001. These are perfect examples of two drivers at the top of their game fighting for supremacy for not just one corner or one lap, but an entire race.

Baku’s showdown was made even more exciting by the leading teams trying to get in each others’ heads. McLaren was actively trying to trick Ferrari into pitting to switch up their strategy. Likewise, Ferrari tried to pressure McLaren into pitting by radioing Leclerc and saying to “do the opposite of Piastri.” And then there was Checo Perez, who had finally rid himself of whatever had been haunting him this year and putting on a solid performance in third place. The skilled Mexican often got close to Leclerc throughout the race, gauging where around the street circuit he had a chance to pass, and where the Ferrari was stronger. About halfway through the race, it became evident that Perez was focusing on saving his tires to have a shot at the frontrunners in the closing stages.

As we now know, he had that shot and was getting ready to go for it, when Carlos Sainz joined the party and things went to hell in the run-up to Turn 2. It was a heartbreaking ending to an otherwise phenomenal performance.

In the end, McLaren and both of its drivers accomplished something that would’ve been completely unthinkable before the summer. While Norris wasn’t able to snatch the lead in the drivers’ championship in Baku, he was able to finish ahead of Verstappen and take a small bite out of the Dutchman’s advantage. And while Ferrari has had a rollercoaster year in terms of performance, Sunday’s show leads me to believe that Leclerc and even Sainz have solid shots at winning a few races this year.

Regardless, if every race from now until the end of the season is as exhilarating as Baku, I’ll be the happiest F1 fan in the land. Wouldn’t you?

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