Formula One let itself down on Sunday following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku circuit after accredited photographers moved into the pit lane and, in doing so, blocked Esteban Ocon, the Alpine driver, from entering the pit lane briefly. It was a huge lapse in safety and the sport got lucky that no one was injured following the incident. Speaking following the race, Ocon said:
This is crazy. It could have been a big, big one today. It is definitely something that needs to be discussed.
Sunday’s race which was by no means a classic, was won by Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez, who came home ahead of Max Verstappen to give the Milton Keynes-based outfit their 25th 1-2 finish.
Charles Leclerc came home in third place just ahead of Fernando Alonso. Carlos Sainz came home in fifth place just ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll. George Russell finished the race in eighth place just ahead of Lando Norris and Yuki Tusnosda who rounded out the top ten. Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren came home in 11th place just missing out on a top-ten finish.
Alexander Albon came home in 12th place just ahead of the Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen. Pierre Gasly finished the race in 14th place just ahead of Esteban Ocon and Logan Sargeant.
Nico Hulkenberg, who started from the pit lane ended the race in 17th place having ended the event a lap down after a very late pit stop. Valtteri Bottas.
Ncyk De Vries and Zhou Guanyu retired from the race. Next up is the Miami Grand Prix next weekend.