WILLIAMS picked up their first Formula 1 points of the season in a thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Lance Stroll finished eighth for the Grove-based team in Baku, ending their three-race barren run in 2018.

While teammate Sergey Sirotkin was forced to retire on the first lap after a collision with Force India’s Esteban Ocon at turn two, the Canadian, who started tenth, picked up four points.

Carlos Sainz finished fifth for Enstone-based Renault, but Nico Hulkenberg was unable to make it four points-scoring finishes in a row.

The German locked up and crashed into the wall on lap 12.

Romain Grosjean endured an interesting race for the Banbury-prepared Haas, climbing to seventh after starting from the back of the grid, only to spin out under the safety car. Teammate Kevin Magnussen was 13th.

World champion Lewis Hamilton won the race, benefiting from a Sebastian Vettel mistake, a collision between the two Red Bull cars and a puncture for Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.