debtFormula One produced some nail-biting battles at the front at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but following a thrilling battle between Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, two of the sport's newest contenders made can't-miss impressions that suggest the future of F1 looks very bright.
In a fascinating race in Baku, Piastri beat Leclerc and Lando Norris made a strong comeback to pass Max Verstappen from 15th on the grid to move up to fourth place and keep his F1 title hopes alive. He and Piastri helped McLaren to take the lead in the constructors' championship for the first time in a decade, while dramatic crashes between Red Bull's Sergio Pérez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz brought an energetic afternoon to a close.
But they weren't the only ones who lit up the race in Baku. Argentina's Franco Colapinto and Britain's Oliver Bearman were competing in only their second Grand Prix. Both had crashes during the preparation weekend but showed composure and skill to get through the race and put in some impressive driving on Sunday. They didn't make the headlines, but they did make a splash.
Colapinto finished eighth for Williams and Behrman 10th for Haas, both impressive performances on the very demanding streets of Baku.
Colapinto's performance is perhaps more remarkable, given the circumstances. After the team summarily fired underperforming Logan Sargent just a few weeks earlier after the Dutch Grand Prix, the 21-year-old was snapped up by Williams and made his debut at the final race in Monza, finishing 12th on his debut.
Sargent was left out of the team mainly because he had crashed so many times. Williams was rebuilding and couldn't afford any damage. There must have been a sense of deja vu and anxiety when Colapinto crashed at Turn 14 on the first practice session in Baku. He was specifically brought in as a driver who wouldn't make what he later described as “a rookie mistake”.
But he picked himself up and returned, qualifying impressively in ninth place and then keeping his cool in a complicated and tough race. After dropping out of the top ten, he fought his way back up to claim tenth place on merit, before crashing with Pérez and Sainz and dropping him to eighth.
Williams trusted him to keep the car intact and score points, and when it mattered he delivered on both counts, becoming the first Argentine to finish in the top ten since Carlos Reutemann in 1982.
Teammate Alex Albon's seventh place gave Williams a double points finish for the first time since the 2023 United States Grand Prix and propelled Alpine to eighth in the constructors' championship. Colapinto called it a dream come true and Williams must feel the same way.
Bareman was equally impressive. The 19-year-old had already made a name for himself at Ferrari when he deputised for Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier this year, but this was his first race for the Haas team he will join full-time next season. He was filling in for Kevin Magnussen, who was serving a one-race suspension, and in a car far from the Ferrari he was in for his first race.
He too had to overcome an incident in the final practice session when he overcooked at the first corner and hit the barrier, limiting his running, especially on the soft tyres, and dropping him down a qualifying position that could have narrowly cost him a place in Q3.
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By Sunday, Bareman, showing a racing brain and maturity far beyond his years, had overcome the predicament: the team had asked him to hand over to faster teammate Nico Hulkenberg early in the race because they hadn't realised he hadn't pushed his rear tyres in enough and were concerned about his inexperience with how quickly F1 tyres degrade.
Once informed he was free to race, he made further progress. He matched Hulkenberg's time and led Lewis Hamilton for 23 laps before the seven-time champion caught up with him in the final 10 laps. He held on up the order and passed his teammate, who was concerned by damage sustained in a crash late in the race and a delayed reaction to the green flag afterwards. That was enough to place him 12th and 10th at the chequered flag after Pérez and Sainz retired.
Bearman became the only driver to score points in two different cars in the first two races, a pleasantly under-the-radar achievement, but most importantly he proved once again how quickly he can adapt, pick up speed and learn as the race progresses. As a Ferrari Academy driver, his aim is to race for the Scuderia, but what was clear in Baku is that he has a huge asset at Haas next season.
Colapinto's future is uncertain – he will not be at Williams with the team having already confirmed Albon and Sainz as drivers for next year – but the young Argentinian has seven more races to prove himself in the paddock and there is still a seat open at Sauber in 2025. If he continues to perform at this level, his late-season cameo could turn into a full-time job.
