Valtteri Bottas fronted a fourth consecutive Mercedes 1-2 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, taking victory on the streets of Baku in what was a strategy-driven race.
Bottas, who started from pole position, secured a strong start from the front row of the grid to maintain first place at the end of the first lap, holding off a series of attacks from team-mate Lewis Hamilton from Turns 1-3.
Running on the Soft compound tyre, Bottas pitted at the end of lap 12 for a set of Mediums, rejoining in fourth place while Hamilton inherited first.
A subsequent pit stop for Hamilton one lap earlier, in turn, handed eighth place starter Charles Leclerc the lead, the Monegasque driver using the alternate strategy by starting on the more durable Mediums to fight through the field.
As Vettel and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen pitted soon after, Bottas quickly moved into second, running in the net-lead of the race, closing in on Leclerc by setting fastest lap after fastest lap, overtaking the leading Ferrari on lap 31.
Remaining out in front, Bottas held off a late-race charge from Hamilton, taking the chequered flag at the end of lap 51 to claim victory for Mercedes, fronting a 1-2 finish for the German marque and reigning champions.
Vettel experienced a lonely race in third, unable to challenge Mercedes in Baku while Verstappen took fourth as the sole finishing Red Bull, with team-mate Pierre Gasly retiring from sixth place in the second half of the race.
After pitting on lap 34 and later at the end of lap 47, Leclerc was unable to challenge the leading pack on the Softs, losing time during a late Virtual Safety Car period following Gasly's retirement, having a final shot at taking the fastest lap of the race – a feat that the 21-year-old achieved.
Racing Point's Sergio Perez took a strong fifth place while Carlos Sainz Jr came out on top in the McLaren camp, fronting a 7-8 finish for the Woking-based team with Lando Norris scoring four points.
Lance Stroll returned to the top 10 in the second Racing Point by taking ninth while Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen fought from the pit lane to the top 10 after getting disqualified from qualifying, securing one point.
By winning in Azerbaijan, Bottas has reclaimed the lead in the Drivers' Championship, now sitting on 86 points while Hamilton trails his team-mate by one point with Vettel occupying third, 35 points adrift from the top of the table.
Taking a fourth consecutive 1-2 finish – a feat that no other team has achieved to date – Mercedes leads the Constructors' Standings with 173 points while Ferrari remains the Silver Arrows' nearest challenger with 99 points. McLaren leads F1's midfield battle with 18 points, one point ahead of Racing Point in fifth.
