As the championship chances dwindle for Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen is there to take advantage.
Max Verstappen increased his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship by winning the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan, where the Red Bull team earned a one-two finish, while Leclerc and his Ferrari did not finish the race due to an engine problem.
Leclerc started from pole position on Sunday but immediately lost the race lead to Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez on the first corner. The Ferrari driver reclaimed the lead with the help of a good pit stop strategy as the cars were subject to a speed limit, while the two Red Bulls remained on track.
The Monegasque seemed to have reached his cruising speed towards victory when his vehicle began to spit smoke, on the 20th lap of the Grand Prix scheduled for 51. He had to return to the pits, where he was forced to retire for the second time in three races.
” It hurts. We really have to see to it so that it does not happen again, said Leclerc. I can’t find the exact words to describe how I feel, but it’s absolutely disappointing. »
Verstappen had passed Perez a few laps before Leclerc’s problems and the defending champion raced to a fifth victory this season, more than 20 seconds ahead of his team-mate.
The victory comes a year after Verstappen appeared to be heading for victory in Baku, before one of his tires blew and sent him into the wall with three laps to go. He again had some problems at the end of the course, when he warned his team that the car reacted strangely to braking, but he was able to reach the finish line.
“We can never recover this race from last year, but today we had a lot of pace. We were able to manage the tires well to gradually catch up and overtake to take the lead, explained Verstappen. We were also a bit lucky with the retirement (of Leclerc). I still think that our car was very fast today and that we would have closed the gap. »
George Russell, on Mercedes, completed the podium, ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Perez, winner of this race last year, said Red Bull had made the right decision in asking him not to fight Verstappen, saying he had struggled to manage his worn tires.
Ferrari had a terrible day, as Carlos Sainz Jr. was also unable to cross the finish line, as were Zhou Guanyu’s Alpha Romeo and Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, both cars powered by Ferrari engines.
It is the first time since the 2020 Italian GP that the two Ferrari cars have been forced to retire.
This Ferrari lethargy comes at a time when Red Bull seems to have sorted out all its problems. Verstappen and Perez also had engine problems forcing them to retire in Bahrain, the first GP of the season and first race with Red Bull engines.
Verstappen now has a 21-point lead at the top of the standings ahead of Perez, while Leclerc has slipped to third, 34 points behind the Dutchman.
Seven-time champion Hamilton has complained of back pain caused by Mercedes’ tendency to porpoise at high speeds. He also had a hard time getting out of the vehicle after the race, protecting his lower back.
“We will definitely make changes,” team boss Toto Wolff said after the race.
Quebecer Lance Stroll was unable to take his Aston Martin to the finish line, but his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, finished sixth, behind the Alphatauri of Pierre Gasly.
Fernando Alonso (Alpine) contained the two McLarens of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris to finish seventh. His teammate, Esteban Ocon, completed the top-10.
“It’s a shame we had to retire the car,” Stroll said in a statement. The engineers saw that the car had a vibration problem, so they asked me to go back to the pits. We don’t know exactly what this issue is yet, so we’ll have to work on the car over the next week.
“Sebastian has proven that our car is capable of keeping pace, so let’s hope we can find the problem before the Canadian GP at home, which I’m really looking forward to taking part in. »
Canadian Nicholas Latifi (Williams) finished in 15th place, one lap behind Verstappen.