Perez records the smallest Baku win margin, Vettel is the only driver to score in every Baku race and the Haas drivers record their best F1 results. Here’s a statistic from each driver’s 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend!
LEWIS HAMILTON
After qualifying on the front row for a fourth consecutive appearance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton failed to score in Baku. This was the first time in 55 race starts that Hamilton failed to score. It marked the first time that Hamilton failed to score in a race which he has started since his retirement at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix, as well as the first time he has finished a race but in a position outside of the points since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. This was Hamilton’s first fifteenth place finish in Formula 1.
VALTTERI BOTTAS
Valtteri Bottas qualified in tenth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. That equalled his worst qualifying result since joining Mercedes. He also qualified tenth at the 2018 Australian and Belgian Grands Prix. Bottas recorded Mercedes’ worst qualifying result in Baku since Lewis Hamilton crashed out in Q3 and qualified tenth in 2016. In the race, Bottas failed to score.
MAX VERSTAPPEN
Despite qualifying in the top three for a fifteenth consecutive race and leading for much of the race, Max Verstappen crashed out just a handful of laps before the end of the Grand Prix. He equalled Daniil Kvyat as the driver with the most retirements at Baku City Circuit, this being his third at the circuit. Despite not finishing, Verstappen maintained the championship lead and recorded the Fastest Lap of the race – the 70th time a Red Bull driver has done so.
SERGIO PEREZ
Sergio Perez claimed his second Grand Prix victory, becoming the fifth different driver to win in five races at Baku City Circuit. He also became the fifth different driver to win a race with the Red Bull team. Perez claimed victory by 1.385 seconds – the smallest win margin seen to date in Azerbaijan. Perez’s victory marked the first time that Honda power has won two consecutive F1 races since the 1992 Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix.
DANIEL RICCIARDO
After crashing out in Q2, Daniel Ricciardo qualified thirteenth. It marked his worst qualifying result at Baku City Circuit and his second consecutive Q2 exit at the circuit. The Australian finished the race in ninth place, marking the first time he has finished a race in Azerbaijan since his victory in 2017.
LANDO NORRIS
Lando Norris recorded McLaren’s best-ever Azerbaijan qualifying result with sixth place, but was demoted to ninth on the grid following a red flag infringement. In the race, Norris scored points for the eleventh consecutive race. Finishing in fifth, Norris has now finished in the top five in five of the first six races of the season.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL
After missing out on Q3 by only 0.029 seconds, Sebastian Vettel recorded Aston Martin’s first podium finish in Formula 1. Vettel recorded his 122nd top three result; his first since the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. With Lewis Hamilton finishing outside of the points, Vettel is now the only driver to have scored in all five races at Baku City Circuit.
LANCE STROLL
Lance Stroll crashed out in qualifying and crashed out again in the race. He recorded his first retirement since the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, and the race became the third in Baku which one of Team Silverstone’s cars failed to finish.
FERNANDO ALONSO
Fernando Alonso reached Q3 at Baku City Circuit for the first time. He qualified in ninth place, equalling his best Saturday result of the season so far. It was the first time since the Bahrain Grand Prix that Alonso out-qualified his team-mate. The Spaniard’s ninth place equalled the Enstone team’s best qualifying result at Baku City Circuit; Nico Hulkenberg qualified ninth for Renault in 2018. Finishing the race in sixth place, Alonso recorded his first top six finish since the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. It’s Alpine’s best result of the 2021 season to date.
ESTEBAN OCON
Qualifying in twelfth place, Esteban Ocon failed to reach Q3 at Baku City Circuit for the first time. He was less lucky in the race, retiring after only three laps following an engine issue He recorded his first retirement since the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Ocon’s DNF makes 2021 the fourth Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a row in which at least one of Team Enstone’s drivers has retired.
CHARLES LECLERC
For a second race weekend in a row, Charles Leclerc took pole position. It was the ninth pole position of his career and he became the fifth driver to take pole in the five races at Baku City Circuit. Leclerc had never previously qualified above tenth place at the track. The Ferrari driver finished in fourth place. It was his third fourth place finish of the 2021 season. The last time that the polesitter finished in fourth place was the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix – a race for which Leclerc was also on pole.
CARLOS SAINZ
With fifth place, Carlos Sainz recorded his best ever Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying result. His previous best was tenth place, recorded in 2018. Sainz is still yet to out-qualify a team-mate at the circuit. He went on to finish the race in eighth place, making this the fourth consecutive Azerbaijan Grand Prix in which he has scored.
PIERRE GASLY
Pierre Gasly qualified in fourth place, equalling the best qualifying result of his career. The Frenchman also qualified fourth at the 2019 German Grand Prix and the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. This was the first time Gasly has reached Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. On Sunday, Gasly recorded the third podium finish of his career. Finishing in third place, Gasly has now stood on every step of the Formula 1 podium.
YUKI TSUNODA
After reaching Q3 for the first time in his career, Yuki Tsunoda recorded the best result of his Formula 1 career with seventh place. It was the best result for a Japanese driver in F1 since Kamui Kobayashi finished sixth at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
KIMI RAIKKONEN
Kimi Raikkonen lost his 100% Q3 appearance record at Baku City Circuit, but scored his first point of the 2021 season on Sunday. It was the first time Raikkonen scored since the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as well as the second consecutive Azerbaijan race in which he has finished tenth.
ANTONIO GIOVINAZZI
Antonio Giovinazzi was the second driver to crash out in Q1 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He was classified 20th in the session. It was the first time he has qualified last since the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – a race in which he went on to score points. He was not quite so lucky in Sunday’s race, where he finished eleventh.
MICK SCHUMACHER
Mick Schumacher recorded his best F1 result to date with thirteenth place. It marked the fifth consecutive race at Baku City Circuit in which a Haas driver has finished thirteenth. Schumacher moved up to seventeenth in the Drivers’ Championship as a result of his thirteenth place finish.
NIKITA MAZEPIN
Finishing in fourteenth place, Nikita Mazepin recorded the best result of his Formula 1 career to date. He also became the first Russian driver to finish a Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit.
GEORGE RUSSELL
Despite his team having to change his power unit ahead of qualifying, George Russell continued his record of reaching Q2 at every race so far in 2021. Fifteenth place matched his worst qualifying result of the year to date. This was the third consecutive race that Russell has qualified in that position. Russell failed to finish the race, stopping at the pit entry ahead of the restart.
NICHOLAS LATIFI
Nicholas Latifi recorded his second-best qualifying result of 2021 with sixteenth on the grid, and equalled his second-best race result of the year with sixteenth place. It was the second time Latifi has finished in the position he started this season.
Read more statistics from the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in our Post Race Statistics article!
