FORGET Formula One, this was more like Wacky Races — with Sebastian Vettel playing the role of Dick Dastardly.
The Azerbaijan GP was one of the most incident-packed races in years with crashes, bust-ups, three safety cars… it was even stopped with too much debris on the track from all the crashes.
A crazy event won by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who was running in 19th at one point, while Valtteri Bottas was second despite being plumb last and a lap down after his first-lap crash with Kimi Raikkonen.
Williams rookie Lance Stroll completed the podium in a thriller after being pipped to second place by Bottas as they crossed the line.
But the most controversial talking point was when Vettel was given a ten-second penalty for ramming Hamilton at Turn 16 when the safety car was deployed.
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Until now, the two had been chummy. Well, you can forget all that — this is outright war.
It was not just Vettel and Hamilton who had a ding-dong, as this race turned into a demolition derby.
The drama began as early as the first lap when Bottas clattered into Raikkonen’s Ferrari, damaging the Finn’s Mercedes and forcing him into an early pitstop.
There were also fights between Force India duo Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez after they crashed into each other.
The two had a flare up in Canada and there will certainly be some strong words at their Silverstone HQ this week. The two Toro Rosso drivers almost ran into each other as tempers boiled over at Red Bull’s B team.
And there was also contact between the two Sauber drivers with Marcus Ericsson left seething by his team-mate Pascal Wehrlein.
Despite all the chaos, this looked like it was going to be a routine win for Hamilton, who had started on pole.
The Brit looked in control out in front with Vettel lacking the power to match his lap times and the three-time world champion set about building up a nice gap.
But that was wiped out when the safety car was deployed as marshals recovered Daniil Kvyat’s stricken Toro Rosso.
At the restart, Hamilton made a clean getaway before he was reeled back in following a second safety car.
This time, Vettel clattered into the rear of Hamilton’s vehicle before then using his Ferrari to turn into the British ace’s Mercedes, venting his frustration in the process.
The flashpoint earned Vettel a ten-second penalty yet Hamilton, who was still in first place, suffered his own bad luck.
His headrest came loose on lap 29 and at stages he was driving at 210mph with one hand on the steering wheel while he tried to slot it back into place.
But the 32-year-old could not correct the problem and was forced into an unscheduled pitstop on lap 31 for his mechanics to fix the problem.
That dropped him down the grid and, to rub salt into the wound, despite serving his penalty Vettel was able to leapfrog Hamilton and return to the track ahead of him.
The German held on despite a late fightback from Hamilton, who came home in fifth place, while Vettel’s fourth slot means he now has a 14-point lead over his rival in the standings.
Fernando Alonso’s ninth-place earned McLaren their first points of the season while unlucky Jolyon Palmer suffered more misery as his Renault engine blew up after just seven laps.
The Brit was one of seven drivers who did not finish, including Max Verstappen, who has now retired in four of the last six grands prix.
However, his Red Bull team-mate Ricciardo was delighted by his unlikely victory — his first since the 2016 Malaysian GP — and celebrated on the podium with his famous shoey — drinking champagne out of his racing boot.
Ricciardo said: “It was a crazy race. I had an unplanned stop because I had debris in the brakes and we had to clean it out.
“Did I expect to win it? No! We had to stay out of trouble and it paid off . . . I was just giggling like a little school boy.”
Bottas, who had a storming comeback, pipped Stroll for an equally unlikely second place after his smash with Raikkonen.
He added: “It was a crazy race. There was so much happening. I was a lap down and during the safety car, I came back.
“It shows you should never give up, and I got my head down and really enjoyed it and had fun.”
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