Max Verstappen won the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan for the first time, ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to increase his lead in the World Cup; Charles Leclerc retired from the lead with an engine failure after Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz suffered the same fate; George Russell third for Mercedes
Last updated: 12/06/22 14:33
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Charles Leclerc suffered an engine failure on the 20th lap in Baku
Charles Leclerc suffered an engine failure on the 20th lap in Baku
Max Verstappen led Sergio Perez to one or two Red Bulls at the Azerbaijani Grand Prix after Ferrari suffered a disastrous afternoon in which Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz withdrew with engine damage.
After encountering different strategies after the virtual safety car caused by Sainz’s withdrawal in the ninth lap, Verstappen and Leclerc seemed ready for another tough battle to win, but the other Ferrari suffered the same fate when it took the 20th lap.
From there it was a march to Red Bull, with Perez taking the first turn after crossing Leclerc off the line, unable to keep up with Verstappen’s pace on the streets of Baku.
With the victory, Verstappen extended its lead in the World Cup to 21 points, as Perez, who took an extra point to determine the fastest lap time, overtook Leclerc for second and Monegasque another 13 points behind. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull’s lead over Ferrari increased to 80 points.
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Max Verstappen crosses the finish line to win first place in the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan
Max Verstappen crosses the finish line to win first place in the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan
George Russell kept his record for finishing in the top five of each race during his debut season at Mercedes, securing another podium as his teammate Lewis Hamilton battled back pain caused by his bouncing car to climb to fourth place.
Pierre Gasley was fifth for AlphaTauri and Sebastian Vettel was sixth for Aston Martin. Both Alpine drivers scored points with Fernando Alonso seventh and Esteban Ocon 10th, while Daniel Ricciardo took the lead in a long racing duel with his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to finish ahead of the Briton eighth.
As if seeing the retirement of their own cars wasn’t bad enough, there was what seemed to be about engines for Ferrari-powered cars by Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Zhou Gunayu of Alfa Romeo.
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Max Verstappen overtook his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and ranked first in the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan!
Max Verstappen overtook his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and ranked first in the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan!
The result was that Leclerc failed to turn pole position into a victory for the fourth consecutive race, with the Ferrari driver now running five races without a win, although he often seemed to have enough speed to beat the Red Bulls.
It was Leclerc’s second withdrawal from the lead with an engine failure in three races, with a strategy error between them in Monaco after he lost his position to the Red Bulls there.
Leclerc’s hopes of ending the series on Sunday were dashed after he passed Perez off the line and nearly lost another place to Verstappen after a heavy block in the first corner.
Despite Red Bull’s higher speed in a straight line, Leclerc managed to keep Verstappen in the early stages, while Sainz’s hydraulic damage in the ninth lap led his Ferrari teammate to embark on a virtual safe car, which it seems to have displaced it. to a two-stop strategy.
Verstappen stayed out and quickly closed Perez to take the lead, as the Mexican was ordered by the team not to “fight” with his apparently faster teammate. Perez’s lack of pace was somewhat surprising after a brilliant performance last time in Monaco and an impressive performance during training and qualifying in Baku.
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Max Verstappen overtook his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and ranked first in the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan!
Max Verstappen overtook his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and ranked first in the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan!
Leclerc regained the lead when Verstappen faced off in the 18th lap, and their different strategies seemed to create an intriguing battle. Only two laps later, however, the smoke began to come out of the rear of the Ferrari engine, leaving the distracted pilot to make his way to the pits.
From there, Verstappen conveniently extended his advantage over Perez, with a later virtual safety car caused by Magnussen’s retirement allowing Red Bull to stop both cars with fresh tires, as they eliminated the chance of repeating last year’s race in the event of a breakdown. the tire saw the Dutchman withdraw from command.
GP of Azerbaijan: Race result1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull (fastest lap) 3) George Russell, Mercedes4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes5) Pierre Gasley, AlfaTauri6) Sebastian Mastantilan () , Alpin8) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren9) Lando Norris, McLaren10) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
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