Five unforgettable Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Hamilton vs Vettel to Ricciardo vs Verstappen

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The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has seen Baku get the street fighter tag and rightly so with many unforgettable races, so F1 Oversteer looks into five of its best moments to date.

Drivers have duelled on the public roads that make up the Baku City Circuit and that pass by Government House since 2016. Although the first time Formula 1 visited Azerbaijan saw the nation hold a European Grand Prix before renaming the race in 2017 to be after the country.

The change in name also brought about a change in mindset after Formula 1 teams adopted a cautious approach for the 2016 European GP. Yet a race weekend’s worth of data on public roads only raced on for the Azerbaijan GP helped F1 hold a more chaotic Grand Prix in 2017.

Chaos has continued ever since when Formula 1 has held an Azerbaijan GP, as well, with the streets of Baku providing a true challenge. It is one of the longest and fastest circuits on F1’s calendar packed tightly between walls and takes the pinnacle of motorsport to the Old City.

It even took until 2023 before any Formula 1 driver achieved multiple Azerbaijan Grand Prix wins as Sergio Perez secured the Mexican’s second victory with Red Bull. Nico Rosberg won on F1’s debut visit to Baku in 2016 and Daniel Ricciardo won the first Azerbaijan GP in 2017.

So, with that in mind, F1 Oversteer has looked into five of the most unforgettable moments and the best races that Formula 1 has so far seen take shape at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix…

Valtteri Bottas recovered from contact with Kimi Raikkonen to the 2017 Azerbaijan GP podium

The first Azerbaijan Grand Prix immediately yielded more drama than the 2016 European GP as Formula 1’s two Finns fought over second place from the start. But the raised inside kerb for Turn 2 pitched Valtteri Bottas into the side of Kimi Raikkonen, who even tagged the wall.

Bottas quickly found himself falling through the order with a front-right puncture and hit the pit lane for a new front wing. He was also at the back of the field but soon started to make a bit of progress as Renault’s Jolyon Palmer and Toro Rosso racer Daniil Kvyat retired by Lap 9.

Kvyat’s stricken car necessitating a safety car also played into Bottas’ hands as he caught up to the pack. Additional stoppages throughout the first half of the 2017 Azerbaijan GP aided his race further, too, before issues for teammate Lewis Hamilton put the podium in his sight.

No driver could rival the pace that Bottas set as he charged through the order, breezing past his competitors with the aid of DRS along Baku’s long main straight. He even reeled in Lance Stroll to steal second place, despite being 3.2 seconds off the Williams with three laps to go.

As Ricciardo picked up the pieces from his competitor’s woes to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Red Bull, Bottas swept around Stroll on the run to the chequered flag to settle the podium places in 2017. He charged into P2 at the final chance by a meagre 0.105 seconds.

Sebastian Vettel’s road rage at Lewis Hamilton’s ‘brake check’ at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP

While Mercedes saw Bottas benefit from the safety car for Kvyat’s stricken Toro Rosso early in the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it was not what Hamilton needed as the Briton led title-rival Sebastian Vettel out in front. It did, however, give both of the drivers the chance to pit.

Having fresh rubber at his disposal meant Vettel was ready to attack Hamilton at the restart. Yet the German was too keen to resume racing and rammed into the rear of his rival’s car at Turn 15. But having felt Hamilton brake-checked him, Vettel intentionally hit the Merc again.

Hamilton’s data trace showed he did not change his speed through T15 but Vettel was irked at his believed injustice, so pulled to the left before barging into his adversary. Vettel drew a 10-second stop/go penalty for dangerous driving, but the penalty would not help Hamilton.

A later red flag stoppage saw Hamilton decide to get out of his car while Mercedes worked on repairing the minor damage to his rear diffuser. Ferrari also replaced Vettel’s front wing during the stoppage. But Mercedes then failed to correctly re-insert Hamilton’s headrest.

Once racing eventually resumed, Hamilton’s headrest became loose and he tried in vain to push it back into place. Ultimately, Mercedes had to box the Briton to resolve the issue and it meant Vettel returned to the track just in front of his opponent – a position he retained.

Hamilton begged the Silver Arrows to issue team orders and make Bottas slow to ease his quest to re-pass Vettel. But with the Finn on a charge to the podium spots, the Stevenage-born star’s pleas fell on deaf ears. Hamilton finished only 0.212s from Vettel for P4 and P5.

Force India teammates Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez collide at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP

The podium and potentially even a surprise race win was on the cards for Force India as the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix resumed after an early safety car. But the team’s hopes went up in flames at the second corner as then-teammates Esteban Ocon and Perez came to blows.

Ocon saw his chance to send a move down Perez’s inside into the left-hander at the start of Lap 20. But the raised inside kerb meant the Frenchman was unable to adjust his trajectory before squeezing the Mexican, with Ocon’s rear-right and Perez’s front-left tyres touching.

Both Force India cars plummeted down the order instantly as debris littered the circuit with Perez’s front wing shattering and Ocon controlling a puncture. Front wishbone damage also saw the team retire Perez’s car before the red flag gifted them a chance to repair his issues.

Perez ultimately re-joined the race upon the restart, albeit a lap down, but he also merited a drive-through penalty as Force India worked on his car in their garage instead of the pit lane. His race did not last much longer as Perez retired on Lap 39, while Ocon finished it with P6.

Red Bull teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen crash at the 2018 Azerbaijan GP

It was the true beginning of the end for Ricciardo as a Red Bull driver when the Australian’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix finished after contact with teammate Max Verstappen in 2018. It was one of the final acts that preceded Ricciardo deciding to leave for Renault after that season.

How Red Bull handled the fallout of the collision frustrated Ricciardo, who felt the team had sided with Verstappen despite the Dutchman being more at fault for causing the contact. He believed Red Bull rallied around Verstappen and the relationship was broken beyond repair.

The teammates initially traded places on Lap 35 as Ricciardo flew around the outside into T1 for P4, despite locking his front-left tyre. But Verstappen pitting second saw the Dutchman do the overcut and regain the place moments later, emerging right in front of the Australian.

DRS meant Ricciardo put Verstappen under instant pressure and the Dutchman desperately tried to break the slipstream along the main straight. But the Australian refused to accept a move was off the cards and flung his RB14 down the inside as Verstappen left the door ajar.

Having bought Ricciardo’s dummy threatening a repeat of his move from L35, Verstappen’s refusal to accept defeat saw him quickly change lines again to cover the inside to start L40. But it was far too late and left Ricciardo with no front downforce, forcing a double lock-up.

Ricciardo had nowhere to go once Verstappen changed his line in the braking zone and the Australian ploughed through his teammate’s rear end. It pitched the latter into a spin while leaving the former without a front wing. Both Red Bull racers would retire on the spot, too.

Max Verstappen lashes out after a tyre failure at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2021 Formula 1 season ended with Verstappen controversially beating Hamilton to the driver’s championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But F1 may have avoided the drama at Yas Marina if Verstappen did not crash after a puncture in the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen led Hamilton by just four points heading to Baku and looked set to stretch that advantage. The Red Bull driver stole the net lead of the race when pitting one lap after the Mercedes icon had boxed. Perez even snuck his Red Bull ahead of Hamilton after stopping.

But a safety car period eliminated Verstappen’s lead on Lap 31 after Stroll crashed his Aston Martin on the main straight. The Canadian smashed into the barriers at speed after suffering an apparent tyre failure. Verstappen then suffered his own apparent failure after the restart.

Perez failed to stay close to Verstappen at the restart and let his teammate streak clear with the lead of the 2021 Azerbaijan GP in his pocket on Lap 36. Yet the Dutchman’s day ended in a high-speed spin into the barriers at around 200 mph as Verstappen sought to see out L46.

Race director Michael Masi opted to red flag the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as well, to see that the marshals could clear the debris from Verstappen’s car and still allow for the race to finish under green flags with two racing laps to enjoy. He did not red flag it for Stroll’s crash.

The Azerbaijan GP also resumed with a standing start from the grid, with Perez on pole and Hamilton in P2. But the Briton had flicked his brake magic switch used to warm them on the formation lap, before locking up into Turn 1 sent the Mercedes hero to the back of the field.

Hamilton’s mistake came as little relief for Verstappen, despite the Red Bull star leaving the Azerbaijan GP with his championship lead intact. Crashing from the lead in a 200 mph spin after a tyre failure left Verstappen irate and kicking his stricken Red Bull in utter frustration.