Hamilton wins chaotic Baku battle to lead title race

Defending world champion Lewis Hamilton claimed his first win of 2018 today and took over as leader of the title race when he triumphed in a dramatic, crash-strewn Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old Briton, who had struggled for outright pace, managed to steer his Mercedes through a chaotic race and capitalize on others' misfortunes to register his first victory in seven races and the 63rd of his career.

Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari looked set to turn pole position into a victory until a second Safety Car intervention left him lunging to pass Valtteri Bottas and locked up and ran off. Bottas then seemed sure to win, but suffered a sudden right rear puncture on his Mercedes after running over metal debris on the straight.

Hamilton flew past to return to the top of the podium "That was quite an emotional race, to be honest," said hamilton, who now leads the championship by four points from Vettel.

"Valtteri deserved to have the win and also Sebastian did a great job. I was very fortunate today so it feels a bit odd to me to be here."
- Red Bull wipe-out -
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