Azerbaijan Grand Prix recognized as best stage of F1 this year
By Rashid Shirinov
Last weekend Azerbaijan once again proved its ability to host grand events at the highest level, and Formula 1 fans have confirmed this in the survey of F1 official Twitter page.
The results of the survey say that the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the best stage of Formula 1 this year.
As many as 43,419 people took part in the survey, and 68 percent of them voted for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Chinese Grand Prix took the second place with 14 percent of votes, followed by the Bahraini (11 percent) and Australian (7 percent) Grands Prix.
The races were ongoing on April 27-29 in the streets of the Azerbaijani capital Baku. As many as 20 drivers representing 10 teams, including such famous drivers as Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkönen, Fernando Alonso and many others, struggled for the first place in the Baku City Circuit.
In the final race, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes team came first, spending 1 hour 43 minutes and 44 seconds to overcome the distance of 306 kilometers. The second and third place winners Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari and Sergio Perez of Force India were late just for 2.5 and 4 seconds respectively.
In his recent interview with foreign media, Hamilton noted that the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the most difficult of his F1 career.
“It was probably the most difficult, challenging race that I can remember having. All the wind, particularly, really made it the toughest race. It was like a wet race, and you know how tricky those conditions can be,” the Briton said.
Hamilton took the lead in the race after his teammate, Finn Valtteri Bottas faced with failure near the end of the race. He was leading, but when two laps left before the finish line, his car’s tire got a puncture. Thereby, Bottas got out of the race.
Almost every F1 driver made mistakes during the race in Baku: Romain Grosjean, who accidentally touched a switch and hit the track barrier, Sebastian Vettel, who blocked his car tires in an attempt to outrun a Mercedes driver, newcomer Sergey Sirotkin, who slightly pushed an opponent, thus provoking a series of accidents, as well as many other racers.
As in previous years, the Grand Prix in Baku included not only exciting races, but also unforgettable entertainment. Tourists and fans enjoyed a wide range of cultural, sightseeing and entertainment programs, voicing their excitement with the excellent organization of the event in Baku.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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