Henry Roldán
The Azerbaijan GP street circuit brought nothing but joy for Red Bull Racing, a team that with a 1-2 on the podium takes a considerable lead not only in the Constructors’ Championship but also in the Drivers’.
After a race to forget on the part of Ferrari, Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez were the big winners on Sunday by getting the first two places in the race and establishing themselves as the 2022 season of Formula 1 leaders.
And if you missed the Azerbaijan GP for any reason, here at JefeBet we tell you 5 outstanding stories that the eighth race of the season left by.
What the Azerbaijan GP 2022 Left By
Max Verstappen’s Victory Cements His Position as the Championship’s Best Driver
While Charles Leclerc and Ferrari were aiming to cause problems for the reigning Formula 1 champion this season, Max Verstappen demonstrated at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he is more than capable of repeating last season’s feat.
After Leclerc’s retirement, the Red Bull Racing driver overtook his teammate Pérez and took the bull by the horns to never let it go. This was his fifth win of the season and in this way he consolidates himself in the Drivers’ Championship with 150 points, followed by Pérez with 129, and then by Leclerc with 116.
Ferrari’s Mechanical Failures Are Not Really Going Away
After the pole position achieved by Leclerc and the fourth place obtained by Carlos Sainz during qualifying, Ferrari hoped to close the gap with Red Bull this Sunday –something that was quite far from happening.
After Sainz’s early retirement due to a mechanical issue, things took a turn for the worse after lap 20, when Leclerc’s car’s engine failed, forcing him to exit the race before completing half of it.
Without scoring points in the Constructors’ Championship, much less in the Drivers’, Leclerc fell to third place in the competition and Red Bull Racing have already taken 80 points from Ferrari as the former have 279 points against the latter’s 199 units.
Sergio Pérez Solidifies His Position as One of the Best Drivers on the Circuit
Little by little, the Mexican Sergio Pérez has been earning the respect of many of his detractors with a truly impressive 2022 Formula 1 season.
“Checo” has not only been a great partner for Max Verstappen, but could become a threat to the Dutchman by only 21 points from first place after the second place achieved in the streets of Baku.
This was the third consecutive podium finish for Pérez and the fifth so far this season.
Lewis Hamilton Returns to the Top-4 at the Azerbaijan GP
It’s no secret to anyone that Lewis Hamilton’s season has been by far one of the most controversial of his career, not only because of the problems with the Mercedes car, but also because of some mistakes by the seven-time Formula 1 championship winner.
Despite the troubles that the vibration of his car produced in his back, he had a fantastic race in Azerbaijan and even had to be helped out of the car after the race.
Hamilton re-entered the Top-4 not only thus helping his team to finish 3-4 in the race, but also adding 12 points again, something he had not achieved since the Australian GP last April.
George Russell Stalks Charles Leclerc
With his third podium of the season, George Russell not only establishes himself as Mercedes’ number 1 for this campaign over Lewis Hamilton, but also stalks Leclerc in third place in the Drivers’ Championship.
The 24-year-old Briton picked up 15 points at the Azerbaijan GP to record 99 so far this season and to be located only 17 from the one from Monaco, which in the last races has come less after being as the leader of the competition during the beginning of the campaign.
