Lewis Hamilton creates history as Lando Norris receives BIZARRE instruction - Things you may have missed from Baku

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Netherlands, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Hamilton creates history as Norris receives BIZARRE instruction - Things you may have missed from Baku

GPFans takes a look at some of the stories which slipped under the radar in Azebaijan

Kevin McKenna

Monday 16 September 2024 09:57

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Oscar Piastri once again proved he is the real deal after producing a flawless drive to secure a second Formula 1 victory.

The Australian pulled off a stunning pass on pole-setter Charles Leclerc shortly after the pair had made their solitary pit stop, and he showed maturity beyond his years to keep the Monegasque at bay despite coming under severe pressure throughout.

F1 RESULTS TODAY: Dramatic race ends with HUGE crash as championship lead changes

Article continues under video

A dramatic late collision between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez knocked both drivers out of the race with two laps remaining as they battled for the final podium spot, which was music to the ears of George Russell who stole in to clinch an unexpected third.

Elsewhere, Lando Norris drove superbly to finish ahead of championship rival Max Verstappen - despite starting from 15th - to chip away at the three-time champion's advantage at the top of the standings.

With so much drama unfolding in front of our eyes, it would have been easy to miss some stories which snuck under the radar.

Fortunately, GPFans had it covered.

Lewis Hamilton finished ninth after a disappointing day

Records keep coming for Hamilton

It may have been another disappointing day at the office for Lewis Hamilton, who just scraped into the points, but at least the Brit can take some consolation in the fact that he passed another milestone on the streets of Baku.

The seven-time world champion has now clocked up over 100,000km in F1, and in doing so, became just the second driver - after Fernando Alonso - to achieve the feat.

At least that's something to celebrate. Right?

Another milestone reached ✅

Lewis Hamilton has now raced 100,000 kilometres across his Formula 1 career ?#F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/JhS2U4Rbpo
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 15, 2024

Russell gets revenge after pre-race blow

While Russell got the better of his team-mate on the track, he came off second best in a bizarre pre-race incident between the pair.

As part of their final preparations before the action got under way, both drivers took part in a Mercedes team warm-up in the paddock.

But what should have been an routine ritual took an unexpected twist, as Russell was struck in the face by a resistance band which had slipped from Hamilton's grasp.

Fortunately for Russell, he was the one who had the last laugh when the chequered flag was waved.

Lewis and George bringing the chaotic energy to the pre-race warm-up ?? pic.twitter.com/MV3oGJWaaa
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) September 15, 2024

Frosty trip home

Russell's third-place finish looked a pipe dream midway through the race, after being caught up in a bit of traffic behind... Alex Albon?

The Williams racer put in a fine performance to take home six crucial points for his team, and it's hard to argue that it wasn't deserved.

At one stage, he had Russell, Verstappen and Norris all backed up behind him as the trio tried to force their way to the front of the grid.

They did all get through eventually, but with Albon seemingly intent on single-handedly scuppering the chances of his three close friends, it could be an interesting flight home given the quartet are rumoured to be travelling together...

Andrea Stella was thrilled to see McLaren go top of the constructors' standings

There's a Stella on your shoulder, Lando.

Norris had enough to worry about as he tried to fight his way back from 17th, so asking him to imagine an image of his team boss popping up on his shoulder was likely more of a hindrance than a help.

But that was the rather peculiar message delivered to the two-time race winner over team radio, as they encouraged him to look after the car.

"Imagine Andrea [Stella] on your shoulder saying: 'zero wheelspin every exit'," was relayed to the McLaren star on lap 40 as he worked his way through the field.

Terrifying stuff.

Norris played a key role in securing the victory for Oscar Piastri

Norris offers a helping hand

Despite their emergence as the biggest challengers to Red Bull's constructors' title this season, all hasn't been rosy at McLaren.

Controversy surrounding team orders has been a frequent topic of conversation in recent months, with incidents in Budapest and Monza overshadowing what should have been two days of celebration.

While Norris is the man in the hunt for the drivers' title, he was forced to play second fiddle to his team-mate on Sunday afternoon, but there was no murmurs of discontent on this occasion.

With Piastri in the pits, Norris did everything in his power to keep a rampant Perez at bay, and allow his colleague to exit in front of the Mexican and hold on to his lead.

Isn't it nice when everyone just gets along?

Charles Leclerc couldn't find a way past Piastri

Ferrari left red-faced

Credit where it's due, Ferrari certainly put up a fight.

With Leclerc's attempts to unsettle Piastri proving to be fruitless, it was left to his team to resort to some dark arts in a bid to force a mistake.

But their attempt to lure Piastri into an unplanned pitstop fell flat on its face, with McLaren refusing to bite on the suggestion that Leclerc was coming in to change his tyres.

It all let to a rather comical moment, as both drivers cruised past the pit wall shortly after before turning their attention back to the task at hand.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lando Norris George Russell Charles Leclerc Oscar Piastri