2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the Formula 1 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, was the fourth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Baku City Circuit on 29 April 2018.Adam Cooper, '2018 Formula 1 calendar revised as Chinese and Bahrain GPs swap', autosport.com, (Motorsport Network, 29/09/2017), https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/132087/2018-formula-1-calendar-revised, (Accessed 04/04/2018)
In qualifying, Sebastian Vettel took his third pole position of the season, after his teammate Kimi Räikkönen made a mistake near the end of his final flying lap while trying to go higher than sixth. Therefore, Lewis Hamilton qualified second, whilst Valtteri Bottas was third.
In the race, Vettel stayed in the lead ahead of Hamilton, but a couple of first-lap incidents resulting in the retirements of Sergey Sirotkin and Esteban Ocon put the race under the safety car until the end of lap 5. In the middle stages, Hamilton and Vettel both pitted whilst Bottas stayed out. On lap 40, Daniel Ricciardo rammed into the back of his teammate Max Verstappen, putting both drivers out of the race and deploying the safety car for a second time. Following an accident from Romain Grosjean three laps later, the safety car stayed out until the end of lap 47, when Vettel made a move on Bottas, but locked up at the first corner and fell behind Hamilton and Räikkönen. A lap later, Vettel was passed by Sergio Pérez, whilst Bottas hit a piece of debris and immediately suffered a puncture that forced him to retire from the race. Therefore, Hamilton took the lead and his first win of the season, while Räikkönen came home in second, and Pérez completed the podium to score 's first podium since the 2016 European Grand Prix.
==Background==
The F1 circus would head to Azerbaijan for the fourth round of the season, returning to the picturesque, if unpopular, Baku City Circuit. The circuit remained unchanged from its debut back in 2016, retaining the same mix of sharp 90° corners, long apex twists and the excessively long back straight.'FORMULA 1 2018 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/races/2018/Azerbaijan.html, (Accessed 19/04/2018) What had changed was the date of the race, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix taking over the position of the Russian Grand Prix as the final race before the European tour.
Elsewhere, there would be conformation of some of the technical specification for the season, with the FIA deciding to increase the maximum fuel allowance to 110 kg, up from 105 kg.'2021 power unit proposal, 2019 rule changes revealed', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 17/04/2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2018/4/2021-power-unit-proposal-2019-rule-changes-revealed.html, (Accessed 19/04/2018) The provision was made to reduce the perceived amount of "lift and coast" going on during races, although its impact would be questionable given that the engine limit was set to remain at three for the entire season. Other changes, which were agreed at a meeting between the FIA, the Formula 1 Commission, and the Formula 1 Strategy Group, included the separation of drive weight from the minimum car weight, and the need for drivers to use biometric gloves to aid any potential medical assistance.
Pirelli, meanwhile, would publish the available compounds for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, picking the second softest range of tyres they could supply.'AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX TYRE CHOICES', grandprix247.com, (Grand Prix 247, 18/04/2018), https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/04/18/azerbaijan-grand-prix-tyre-choices/, (Accessed 22/04/2018) In terms of compounds chosen there would be little variation between the teams, although Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc would share the title of having the "softest" selection, having chosen ten "ultra-softs", and just one "soft". The "hardest" choice had been made by , who had decided to pick a whole two sets of "softs" for Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz, Jr., and just seven sets of "ultras".
The Italian tyre manufacturers would also be revealed as the title sponsors for the returning French Grand Prix in June, amid a wave on sponsorship announcements by Formula One.'Pirelli becomes title sponsor of Formula 1 2018 Grand Prix de France', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 25/04/2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2018/4/pirelli-becomes-title-sponsor-of-formula-1-2018-grand-prix-de-fr.html, (Accessed 26/04/2018) The other major sponsorship deal came in the renewal of Singapore Airlines' contract to sponsor the Singapore Grand Prix.
Into the Championship and the dramatic conclusion to the Chinese Grand Prix proved to have an equally drastic influence to the Championship, with race winner Daniel Ricciardo shooting up into the top four. The Australian racer was still seventeen points of Championship leader Vettel, although the German had been reeled in by the pack behind ahead of the visit to Baku. Lewis Hamilton remained his closest challenger, nine points back, while Valtteri Bottas completed the top three a further five back.
In the Constructors Championship had moved a point ahead of rivals in Shanghai, despite the perceived superiority of the scarlet cars that weekend. Behind, moved back into third ahead of , who were being reeled in by the factory Renault squad, while had remained in sixth. were next ahead of and , while remained the only team yet to score.
===Entry list===
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor	Chassis 	Engine	Model 	Tyre
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport	 	W09 EQ Power+	 	M09 EQ Power+	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport	 	W09 EQ Power+	 	M09 EQ Power+	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	SF71H 	 	062 EVO 	
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	SF71H 	 	062 EVO 	
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 	 	RB14 	 	TAG Heuer 	
33 	Max Verstappen 	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 	 	RB14 	 	TAG Heuer 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	Sahara Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM11 	 	M09 EQ Power+	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	Sahara Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM11 	 	M09 EQ Power+	
18 	Lance Stroll 	Williams Martini Racing 	 	FW41 	 	M09 EQ Power+	
35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	Williams Martini Racing 	 	FW41 	 	M09 EQ Power+	
27 	Hülkenberg 	Renault Sport Formula One Team 	 	R.S.18 	 	R.E.18 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	Renault Sport Formula One Team 	 	R.S.18 	 	R.E.18 	
28 	Brendon Hartley 	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 	 	STR13 	 	RA618H 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 	 	STR13 	 	RA618H 	
8 	Romain Grosjean 	Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-18 	 	062 EVO 	
20 	Kevin Magnussen 	Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-18 	 	062 EVO 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL33 	 	R.E.18 	
2 	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL33 	 	R.E.18 	
9 	Marcus Ericsson 	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 	 	C37 	 	062 EVO 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 	 	C37 	 	062 EVO 	
source	source 	source 	source 	source 	source	source 	source
==Practice Overview==
===FP1===
===FP2===
===FP3===
===Practice Results===
No 	Driver 	Team 	FP1 	 	FP2 	 	FP3 	 	 	 	 	 	
No 	Driver 	Team 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	 	 	 	 	
2 	Stoffel Vandoorne	 	1:47.967	19 	1:45.288	19 	1:45.505	18 	 	 	 	 	
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	1:44.277	2 	1:42.795	1 	1:44.861	12 	 	 	 	 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	1:46.513	10 	1:44.127	11 	1:43.091	1 	 	 	 	 	
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:46.861	15 	1:42.864	2 	1:43.493	3 	 	 	 	 	
8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	1:46.856	14 	1:44.425	13 	1:45.261	15 	 	 	 	 	
9 	Marcus Ericsson 	 	1:47.073	17 	1:46.042	20 	1:45.910	19 	 	 	 	 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	1:46.492	9 	1:44.712	15 	1:44.905	13 	 	 	 	 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	1:45.075	3 	1:44.142	12 	1:43.936	6 	 	 	 	 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:46.465	7 	1:43.700	6 	1:44.763	11 	 	 	 	 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	1:46.875	16 	1:44.940	16 	1:45.218	14 	 	 	 	 	
18 	Lance Stroll 	 	1:46.590	11 	1:44.459	14 	1:44.123	8 	 	 	 	 	
20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	1:47.434	18 	1:43.977	9 	1:43.958	7 	 	 	 	 	
27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	1:46.749	13 	1:44.091	10 	1:45.456	17 	 	 	 	 	
28 	Brendon Hartley 	 	1:46.747	12 	1:45.051	18 	1:46.186	20 	 	 	 	 	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	1:45.237	5 	1:43.814	7 	1:44.220	9 	 	 	 	 	
33 	Max Verstappen 	 	1:45.559	6 	1:42.911	3 	1:43.519	4 	 	 	 	 	
35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	 	1:46.480	8 	1:45.007	17 	1:44.534	10 	 	 	 	 	
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	1:45.200	4 	1:43.603	5 	1:43.452	2 	 	 	 	 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	 	1:48.741	20 	1:43.834	8 	1:45.432	16 	 	 	 	 	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	1:44.242	1 	1:43.570	4 	1:43.569	5 	 	 	 	 	
Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos 	Time 	 	Pos 	Time 	 	Pos 	Time 	Grid
1 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	4 	1:42.762 	 	6 	1:43.015 	 	1 	1:41.498 	1
2 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	3 	1:42.693 	 	2 	1:42.676 	 	2 	1:41.677 	2
3 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	 	7 	1:43.355 	 	3 	1:42.679 	 	3 	1:41.837 	3
4 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	 	5 	1:42.857 	 	10 	1:43.482 	 	4 	1:41.911 	4
5 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	 	2 	1:42.642 	 	4 	1:42.901 	 	5 	1:41.994 	5
6 	7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	1 	1:42.538 	 	1 	1:42.510 	 	6 	1:42.490 	6
7 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	 	6 	1:43.021 	 	5 	1:42.967 	 	7 	1:42.523 	7
8 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	 	12 	1:43.992 	 	8 	1:43.366 	 	8 	1:42.547 	8
9 	27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	 	10 	1:43.746 	 	7 	1:43.232 	 	9 	1:43.066 	14*
10 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	 	8 	1:43.426 	 	9 	1:43.464 	 	10 	1:43.351 	9
11 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	 	15 	1:44.359 	 	11 	1:43.585 	 	 	 	10
12 	35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	 	 	14 	1:44.261 	 	12 	1:43.886 	 	 	 	11
13 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	13 	1:44.010 	 	13 	1:44.019 	 	 	 	12
14 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	 	11 	1:43.752 	 	14 	1:44.074 	 	 	 	13
15 	20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	 	9 	1:43.674 	 	15 	1:44.759 	 	 	 	15
16 	2 	Stoffel Vandoorne 	 	 	16 	1:44.489 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	 	17 	1:44.496 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	9 	Marcus Ericsson 	 	 	18 	1:45.541 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715	107% time: 1:49.715
NC 	28 	Brendon Hartley 	 	 	19 	1:57.354 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19†
NC 	8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	 	20 	no time 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20†
Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source:
** Hülkenberg was given a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.
*† Hartley and Grosjean failed to set a time within the 107% rule, but were given permission from the stewards to race. Grosjean was later given a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	51 	1h 43m 44.291s	2 	25
2 	7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	51 	+2.460s 	6 	18
3 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	51 	+4.024s 	8 	15
4 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	51 	+5.329s 	1 	12
5 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	 	51 	+7.515s 	9 	10
6 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	51 	+9.158s 	13 	8
7 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	51 	+10.931s 	12 	6
8 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	51 	+12.546s 	10 	4
9 	2 	Stoffel Vandoorne	 	51 	+14.152s 	16 	2
10 	28 	Brendon Hartley 	 	51 	+18.030s 	19 	1
11 	9 	Marcus Ericsson 	 	51 	+18.512s 	18 	
12 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	51 	+24.720s 	17 	
13 	20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	51 	+40.663s* 	15 	
14 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	48 	Puncture 	3 	
Ret 	8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	42 	Accident 	20 	
Ret 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	39 	Collision 	5 	
Ret 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	39 	Collision 	4 	
Ret 	27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	10 	Accident 	14 	
Ret 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	0 	Collision 	7 	
Ret 	35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	 	0 	Collision 	11 	
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:
** Magnussen was given a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision.
==Milestones==
*Second Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
*Stoffel Vandoorne's 25th entry (24th start).
*Kimi Räikkönen's 275th start (277th entry).
*First points for Charles Leclerc and Brendon Hartley.
**Leclerc becomes the first Monegasque driver to score a point since Louis Chiron at the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix while Hartley becomes the first New Zealand driver to score a point since Chris Amon at the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix.
*Lewis Hamilton's 63rd victory.
**Hamilton has now won races in 12 consecutive seasons, second only to Michael Schumacher's record of 15 straight seasons.
*Eighth career podium for Sergio Pérez, breaking the record for podiums by a Mexican driver that he previously shared with Pedro Rodríguez.
==Standings==
Lewis Hamilton's surprise victory in Baku meant it was the Brit who left the Azerbaijan capital at the head of the Championship, overhauling Sebastian Vettel by four points. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had moved back into third ahead of Valtteri Bottas, while Daniel Ricciardo dropped back to fifth. Fernando Alonso retained sixth ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, while Sergio Pérez, Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll and Brendon Hartley all added their names to the board.
Into the Constructors' Championship and had smuggled the lead away from , although their advantage over the German squad was just four points. were slipping away in third, while remained in fourth, just a point ahead of engine suppliers . had shot up the table to sixth, while remained at the foot of the table despite their first points finish of the season.
 
Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	70 	1
2 	Sebastian Vettel 	66 	1
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	48 	2
4 	Valtteri Bottas 	40 	1
5 	Daniel Ricciardo 	37 	1
6 	Fernando Alonso 	28 	
7 	Nico Hülkenberg 	22 	
8 	Max Verstappen 	18 	
9 	Sergio Pérez 	15 	6
10 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	13 	2
11 	Pierre Gasly 	12 	2
12 	Kevin Magnussen 	11 	2
13 	Charles Leclerc 	8 	3
14 	Stoffel Vandoorne 	8 	3
15 	Lance Stroll 	4 	3
16 	Marcus Ericsson 	2 	3
17 	Esteban Ocon 	1 	3
18 	Brendon Hartley 	1 	2
Constructors World Championship	Constructors World Championship	Constructors World Championship	Constructors World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	114 	1
2 	 	110 	1
3 	 	55 	
4 	 	36 	
5 	 	35 	
6 	 	16 	3
7 	 	13 	1
8 	 	11 	1
9 	 	10 	1
10 	 	4 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2018 Grands Prix
Category:Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Azerbaijan