Sergio Pérez emerged victorious from a chaotic end of the Azerbaijani Grand Prix after Max Verstappen suffered a late puncture from a high-speed tire and Sir Lewis Hamilton made a rare mistake, finishing 15th.
It was the Mexican driver’s second career victory in Formula 1, after the Sakhir GP last year, and his first in his new Red Bull colors.
After a tumultuous Monaco GP it looked more like this, with incidents throughout the race and excitement until the end.
Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin was second (after qualifying 11th) and Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri third. Poleman Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Lando Norris had another good race to finish fifth.
Hamilton snatches defeat from the clutches of victory
Damage limitation looked good for Hamilton until the last two laps of the race.
After struggling during practice, the driver and his Mercedes-AMG team performed a miracle in qualifying, performing a very low-drag setup that saw Hamilton grab second place on the grid.
He passed Leclerc for the lead in the third lap and, although he subsequently lost P1 to Verstappen after a slow pit stop, he was at least ready for a podium, behind the two Red Bulls.
Verstappen’s tire burst and the ensuing red flag and then restarting the race meant he was tied for a chance to win.
But it was not to be another Hamilton miracle, as he accidentally flipped a brake switch for the start of the final two-lap sprint to the flag, causing his front tires to lock up after passing Pérez on restarting the race. race. . He slipped on the rescue route, recovering to finish 15th.
Hamilton teammate Valterri Bottas had another weekend to forget. After his appalling luck in Monaco, Bottas was nowhere to be found in Azerbaijan, qualifying 10th and finishing 12th.
The next race takes place on a more traditional circuit: the Paul Ricard in France. Mercedes must hope that they can turn things around after the last two disastrous races. They are now catching up to Red Bull which is not a position they are used to.
Red bull looks good
Verstappen was understandably angry with his tire problems, but he remains at the top of the drivers’ standings, and the team and driver are now in charge of the championship. Verstappen looked comfortable all weekend – although he qualified third, it was only a matter of time before he led the race. And when he did, it felt very easy to him, working fine in his window.
And with Peground Coming on the song, Red Bull can finally maximize their tactical situation in every race, with two drivers mixing it up at the tip. In previous years, the weaker driver in the second car meant Verstappen was effectively fighting Hamilton with one hand tied behind his back. Now, however, Red Bull is looking good. Ironically, this is just as Mercedes struggles for Bottas to play an effective supporting role for Hamilton.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-07 08:31:25
