RIAN TRIUMPHS AT AZERBAIJAN GP IN SAUBER!

In another unforgettable Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Rian claimed his first win of season for KICK Sauber, holding off a dramatic late charge from Dunce’s Ferrari and Jordan’s VisaRB to stand atop the podium once again...


Season 10 champion Rian drove a masterful race, taking advantage of the chaos around him and capitalizing on penalties and damage affecting the front-runners. Dunce showed consistent form once again for Ferrari, securing crucial points to keep his title hopes alive. Jordan, who led much of the race for VisaRB, had to settle for third after a late penalty, though he again finished ahead of title leader AA_Mejg’s Alpine, tightening the championship battle with only three races left.

AA_Mejg ended a tough day in fourth, nursing heavy damage in the closing stages. Rollie kept up his strong momentum with Aston Martin, finishing just one tenth behind Jordan. NaeDangerDavid, in the Haas, had strong pace but after an incident with Mamoodev's Mercedes, had to settle for sixth in the track he picked himself.

Mercedes’ Mamoodev fought back from mid-pack trouble to take seventh while reserving for Tarkan, while Bhavish in the Williams made a good climb to eighth from 17th on the grid. Teammate Rothnz delivered solid points with a ninth-place finish, making it a strong day overall for Williams. Aston Martin’s Tvoje_mamkacz rounded out the top ten despite a tricky race, having to have 6 pit stops.

Ferrari’s Javinwain kept things steady for eleventh, just ahead of McLaren’s Sir_Ibbo, who brought home twelfth after a late push. Keon, in the Haas, crossed the line in thirteenth after a long strategic battle. Alpine’s Endru crashed out dramatically on the final lap but was classified fourteenth, salvaging some points despite a race that had promised more.

From there, the list of DNFs began. Crunchypancake’s Red Bull suffered from early damage and was forced to retire, as was TSCRacing's McLaren after a rear puncture due to debris. Selecta’s Mercedes also saw an early end, after promising flashes of pace, triggering an SC to bring many back to the race. Season 9 champion Cajoco reserved Gordini after a very long while, struggled to find rhythm before retiring as well, and Dan in the other KICK Sauber and Inginne’s Red Bull rounded out a rough day for the backmarkers.

Rian’s smart and calculated drive means he now jumps to 11th in the WDC standings with 62 points, matching Keon. Meanwhile, at the top, AA_Mejg maintains the lead with 228 points, but Dunce (183) and Jordan (180) are closing in fast, ensuring a thrilling finale to Season 18. On the Constructors' side, Alpine still leads with 348 points, but Aston Martin and Ferrari aren't far behind.

Reflecting on his win, Rian shared:

“Yea haha it feels good to be back on the top step, I didn’t think it would happen this season as the other guys are just so quick. Qualifying wasn’t great, I had little to no practice and no clue how to utilize the ERS for the qualifying lap but to end up getting P5 I was very happy with. I felt a lot more comfortable in the race and could settle into a bit of a rhythm although it was a bit chaotic from start to finish.
I was happy to sit back and let the guys ahead fight and hope something worked in my favour, which it did — Jordan getting the 10-second penalty, Endru having to double stack multiple times and Mejgs having big damage. I knew I had to get Mejgs as quick as possible after the last safety car and I knew I could create a gap because this track with damage is very difficult to keep the pace. Endru was right there on the last lap but made an unfortunate mistake and DNF’d and then it was just about not making a mistake myself and bringing it home.”

Round 8 of Season 18 will be next Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, another %100 length race aligned with the real F1 calendar.

As always, huge thanks to our legendary commentator Ironghost:

https://www.youtube.com/live/LlnA_Pjp988?si=jt_pf3cSTXomn66o



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