“Expect the unexpected”, proclaimed the banners adorning the streets of Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. An entreaty that proved to be wishful thinking at best for all but the final moments of the race, when a near-disaster in the form of an astonishingly dangerous incident proved as entirely unanticipated as it was unwelcome.
Sergio Pérez might have taken the win for Red Bull but the meeting was marked by the sight of personnel gathered in the pit lane scattering in panic as Esteban Ocon’s car bore down on them, putting Formula One and the FIA’s safety procedures under enormous scrutiny.
