Verstappen wins Azerbaijan GP

Max Verstappen has won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Ferrari have had a double retirement.

Sergio Perez capitalized on Charles Leclerc’s slow getaway and took over the race lead. Carlos Sainz tried to pass Max Verstappen for P3, but the attempt was not successful.

Nicholas Latifi was given a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for starting grid infringement. One of his mechanics touched the car when it was not allowed.

Verstappen started putting pressure on Leclerc. However, the Dutchman was not able to make a pass. Furthermore, Perez’s advantage over Leclerc was at the 2-second level.

Carlos Sainz retired from the race on lap 9 due to a mechanical issue that certainly was a big upheaval for Ferrari. Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Most of the field, including Leclerc, went on to have a pit stop. At the same time, Red Bull duo stayed out.

Sebastian Vettel went off the track during his battle with Esteban Ocon for 9th place. The German dropped down to P12.

Verstappen passed Perez for the lead on lap 15 and was more than 2 seconds ahead by the end of the lap. Perez was told not to fight via team radio.

Perez had hit pit stop 2 laps later. Though it was not quick, the Mexican rejoined right in front of George Russell. He remained behind Verstappen after his pit stop.

The day went from bad to even worse for Ferrari. Leclerc suffered an engine failure and retired from the race.

Guanyu Zhou was told to retire the car. The Alfa Romeo driver was frustrated, but went to his garage.

On lap 25, Vettel passed Ocon at the same spot he made a mistake earlier and got to P8.

Kevin Magnussen became the fourth Ferrari-powered car to retire from the race due to a mechanical issue. He stopped the car at sector 2, triggering Virtual Safety Car. Red Bull used this opportunity to change tires for Verstappen and Perez.

Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo had long opening stints and had their mandatory pit stops during VSC.

Yuki Tsunoda was running in the top 6. However, he had an issue with the rear wing. He was forced to have a pit stop to fix it.

Nicholas Latifi was penalized again – 5-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags.

Verstappen was unreachable until the end of the race and went on to win the Azerbaijan GP. Perez was second, making it a 1-2 finish for Red Bull. Russell completed the podium and continued his streak of top 5 finishes.

Results of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP: