TheMekanic17 won Baku's D1 race from P6, finishing 0.111 seconds ahead of Rochamoya. The result gained five grid positions and replaced Jeddah's 0.275-second finish at the top of the IMS closest-finish table.
The top five after Baku placed TheMekanic17 and Rochamoya first, TheIceman729 and Darth Ussh second on 0.275 seconds, and TheMekanic17's Season 1 Abu Dhabi finish third on 0.438. The new record was not only narrow; it gave the same driver two of the first three entries.
Winning narrows the D1 gap by only two points
TheMekanic17 scored 30 points against piastrigoat's 28, reducing the championship difference from seven after Jeddah to five after Baku. piastrigoat remained first on 172; TheMekanic17 left the winner's position on 167 and still second in the table.
Four rounds produce three different lead states
piastrigoat led by 12 after Portugal, TheMekanic17 led by 11 after Texas, piastrigoat led by seven after Jeddah and by five after Baku. Two consecutive lead changes had given way to pressure without another reversal.
Red Bull wins D1; Ferrari wins the round
Ferrari scored 207 BOTT points across Baku, 25 more than Red Bull's 182, with two wins, four podiums and seven top-five finishes. Red Bull supplied the D1 winner, but Ferrari left with a 302-point season advantage over it, 1293 to 991.
Brazil came next with the D1 fight at its smallest gap since piastrigoat reclaimed first place. Baku rewarded TheMekanic17 with the race result and the record; it stopped five points short of returning the championship lead.
