Throwback: Red Bull’s Ricciardo‑Verstappen Collision at the 2018 Azerbaijan GP

On March 25, 2018, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix erupted into chaos, culminating in a dramatic collision between Red Bull teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. The incident not only ended both cars’ races but also set off a chain of events that handed Lewis Hamilton an unlikely victory and saw a teenage Charles Leclerc score his maiden F1 points.

Why it matters:

• Intra‑team rivalry exposed – The crash highlighted the dangers of unrestricted teammate battles and forced Red Bull to rethink its internal racing policies.
• Safety implications – A high‑speed gearbox impact underscored the risk of aggressive DRS moves on narrow street circuits.
• Championship ripple – Hamilton’s win narrowed his points deficit, while Valtteri Bottas’s puncture demonstrated how debris can instantly reshape a race outcome.

The details:

• Opening‑lap chaos
  • Kimi Raikkonen clipped Esteban Ocon at Turn 3, sending Ocon’s Force India into immediate retirement.
  • Sergey Sirotkin’s contact with Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg after Turn 2 caused double tyre punctures and triggered an early safety‑car period.
• Lap 40 Red Bull showdown
  • Ricciardo, on DRS with a slipstream advantage, attempted a late over‑take on Verstappen down the main straight.
  • He mis‑judged the braking zone, slamming into Verstappen’s gearbox; both cars spun into the run‑off, ending their races.
• After‑effects
  • Valtteri Bottas, leading by over a second, ran over debris from the Red Bull wreck on the pit straight, suffering a puncture that dropped him to the pits.
  • Lewis Hamilton inherited the lead and secured the win, narrowing his championship gap.
  • Charles Leclerc, starting 13th for Sauber, climbed to sixth, scoring his first points and becoming the first Monegasque driver to do so since 1950.

The big picture:

The Azerbaijan incident became a cautionary tale for Red Bull, reinforcing the need for clear team orders and disciplined DRS use. It also showed how a single crash can flip a race, turning a dominant Mercedes‑powered performance into a surprise victory for Hamilton. For Leclerc, the race marked the start of a meteoric rise that would soon land him at Ferrari, while the debris‑induced Bottas puncture reminded teams that track cleanliness remains a critical safety factor.