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| Red Bull Racing Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo of Australia, second placed Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, third placed Williams’ Lance Stroll celebrate and Red Bull Racing’s chief engineer Pierre Wache celebrate on the podium. |
Red Bullโs Daniel Ricciardo won a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, with Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel finishing fourth after being penalised for swerving into rival Lewis Hamilton who came home in fifth.
Hamiltonโs Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas finished second after overcoming a first-lap collision with Ferrariโs Kimi Raikkonen, while Canadian teenager Lance Stroll was third for his first podium after being pipped on the line by Bottas.
Ferrariโs Vettel got a 10-second stop-go penalty, which saw him drop from second to ninth, after he steered into race leader Hamilton under safety car conditions after a red-flag stoppage.
โNothing happened, did it?โ Vettel said to Sky Sports. โHe brake-checked me as well, so what do you expect? Iโm sure he didnโt do it on purpose but for sure it was not the right move.
โI got damage, he risked damage,โ added the German. โAfter the incident, we were side by side, I raised my hand and showed him that I wasnโt happy with that.โ
Vettel reacted incredulously when he learned of the 10-second penalty on lap 32, while Hamilton, whose hopes of victory were later ended when he had to pit due to a loose head rest, complained over his radio that the sanction was insufficient.
โI donโt really care about (what happened),โ Hamilton responded. โItโs done and dusted and we move on.
โI think itโs just not driver conduct. Itโs dangerous driving and to get a 10-second penalty for thatโฆ
โI donโt need to say anything else.โ
CRAZY RACE
Vettel leads the overall standings on 153 points ahead of Briton Hamilton on 139 and Finlandโs Bottas with 111.
Australian Ricciardoโs first victory since he won the Malaysian Grand Prix last year lifted him to fourth on 92.
โI canโt really believe it,โ said Ricciardo. โIt was a crazy race. We knew the podium was a chance after the restart, then we heard of the problems with Lewis and Seb.
โ(I didnโt think Iโd win) for all my money, but this was the race we expected last year, all the safety cars and chaos. We had to stay out of trouble and certainly pulled it off today.โ
The 18-year-old Strollโs previous best had been a ninth-placed finish on home soil earlier this month, but he kept his nerve under pressure to become the youngest Formula One driver to make the podium in his maiden season.
The anticipated Mercedes dominance was tested early on when Bottas came off the kerb and collided with Ferrari rival Raikkonen, forcing both Finns into the pits.
While Raikkonen was ultimately forced to retire later in the race, Bottas staged a remarkable comeback, emulating his fine performance on the Sochi street circuit to battle back to a podium position before overhauling Stroll on the line.
Force Indiaโs Esteban Ocon finished sixth, equalling his career-best performance, although he may rue missing out on the podium after clashing with Mexican team mate Sergio Perez, whose retirement ended his 37-race streak of consecutive finishes.
Ricciardoโs Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen, the pacesetter during practice on Friday, was forced to retire for the fourth time in the last six races with engine trouble on lap 11 after the Dutchman attempted to attack Perez and take third.
