Ferrari had another nightmare race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz suffered untimely retirements less than halfway into the race as reliability issues continue to haunt the Prancing Horse cars.
Leclerc’s latest DNF saw him lose more significant ground in the title race as reigning world champion Max Verstappen led a resurgent Red Bull to another one-two finish.
Meanwhile, Mercedes newcomer George Russell once again finished on the podium as he continues to outperform teammate Lewis Hamilton this season.
Read on below as SBOTOP shares some key takeaways from the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Leclerc title hopes suffer big blow with Baku retirement
Charles Leclerc’s once-promising championship prospects are now under serious scrutiny following another disappointing outing in Baku. After missing out on a likely win in Spain due to engine failure and losing his lead in his home Grand Prix in Monaco due to Ferrari’s faulty strategy strategy, Leclerc was once again left to rue his car’s reliability as engine failure caused him to retire just 20 laps into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Teammate Carlos Sainz had also retired earlier on Lap 9 due to a hydraulic issue.
Leclerc’s Azerbajian Grand Prix 2022 odds looked strong as he grabbed pole position for the sixth time this season. And while he was passed by Sergio Perez on Turn 1, a shrewd pitstop during the virtual safety car after Sainz’s retirement had him looking in good shape.
Unfortunately, though, Leclerc’s comeback bid was dashed as his car lost power and he had to retire from the race.
The two Ferrari drivers have now suffered five retirements through the first eight races of the season, with Leclerc’s two DNFs in his last three races seeing him drop from the drivers’ championship lead to third, 34 points behind Max Verstappen.
Based on his fine performances in qualifying, Leclerc clearly has the pace to compete with Verstappen. But unless Ferrari fix their reliability issues in a hurry, Leclerc won’t stand much of a chance to win the championship if he doesn’t have a car that can get to the chequered flag on a consistent enough basis.
Ferrari won’t have much time to fix their cars as they only have a week to prepare for the next race, the Canadian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, Red Bull starting to run away at the top
Speaking of Verstappen and Red Bull, they had their own reliability issues early on in the campaign as he retired a couple of times in the first few races. However, Red Bull have seemingly remedied those reliability problems and are now firing on all cylinders.
Verstappen made Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022 news when asked about Leclerc’s situation, pointing out that the bad luck had merely ‘evened out’ after he had to deal with his own issues earlier in the season. Red Bull have resolved those early hiccups, and the Dutchman has now begun to run away at the top.
Verstappen’s win in Baku is his fourth in the last five races as he has reclaimed control of the drivers’ championship. Teammate Sergio Perez has also been terrific of late and has leapfrogged Leclerc for second in the standings.
With Lewis Hamilton clearly out of the running for the title and Leclerc suffering from his reliability issues, the path is clear for Verstappen to successfully defend his F1 title. While there’s two-thirds of the season left to go, Verstappen should find himself in a decent spot if he can continue his current form.
George Russell continues to outperform Hamilton
While he may not be in title contention, George Russell is still having an outstanding debut season with Mercedes. The 24-year-old finished third in Baku as he kept up his impressive record of being the only driver to finish in the top five in all eight races this season.
Russell has been clearly Mercedes’ top driver thus far, outperforming seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is 37 points back in the drivers’ standings.
Hamilton battled through some significant back pain in Baku as he went on to finish fourth, his best performance since Australia. However, the 37-year-old has simply not had the pace this season as Russell has had him beat in terms of overall consistency.
It’s disappoint to see Hamilton, who came so close to claiming a record eighth world title last season, now being reduced to second-driver status on Mercedes. But that’s just the reality at the moment with Russell simply outracing Hamilton.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FORMULA 1 STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
