Ferrari’s disastrous formative career has continued with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz forced to retire less than halfway through the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez overtook Charles Leclerc, who put the pole in the first corner, after a good start that allowed him to maintain his inside line. A lock for Leclerc also hurt him.
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Pérez already had a difference of 1.9 seconds with Leclerc after two laps completed, in a great start for the winner of the race.
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi received a 10-second penalty for a network violation after a team member touched his car when it was not allowed.
Daniel Ricciardo, who started 12th and was the top starter with hard tires with everyone ahead in the media, threatened teammate Lando Norris because of DRS on the main straight as soon as it was activated.
Max Verstappen, in third place, entered Charles Leclerc’s DRS rank on lap 5, but Ferrari – slower in a straight line – continued to hold Red Bull.
McLaren asked Ricciardo to step back and stop challenging Norris so they could overtake Esteban Ocon, 13th behind them.
“If this is his best pace, I have more,” Ricciardo told the team.
Daniel Ricciardo was told to slow down and stay behind Lando Norris after being in a second for long periods. Source: FOX SPORTS
In another disaster for Ferrari’s outfielder Carlos Sainz, he was forced to stop at turn 4 on lap 9 due to hydraulic problems and his career ended. The virtual security car has been deployed.
Leclerc played hard tires during the VSC, as did George Russell (fourth) and Lewis Hamilton, but the veteran finished behind Aston Martin’s Seb Vettel through the stops because he was held back in the pits.
The concern of those who stopped was that it was too early, given the warmer weather than expected, to make a clean run from a stop. Ricciardo was seventh, behind Norris and Fernando Alonso, still ahead, but ahead of Pierre Gasly and others.
Vettel tried to overtake Esteban Ocon for ninth, and he had made it clear, but he turned a corner and stopped towards the escape route.
Verstappen took the lead in Pérez’s race at the start of lap 15 thanks to the DRS, with Pérez telling him “don’t fight”, but Leclerc was closing in quickly knowing that if he approached, he could overtake them. at the end of the race via. a two-stop strategy.
Verstappen immediately took a three-second lead in the space of a lap, proving that he had the pace to justify taking the lead from his teammate. Perez went into breaststroke on lap 17 for hard, making a slow stop and fell in a battle with Russell for third place.
With all the cars struggling to overtake the Alpine Rapids in a straight line, Hamilton had to go into a corner to overtake Ocon for ninth place, but got the move on lap 19. Then Verstappen put his he pitted himself and fell on the track. second far behind Leclerc.
Ricciardo almost passed Norris on the first lap with the DRS, but clearly stopped just before he passed, and commentator Paul Di Resta called it “team orders.”
McLaren explained that Norris was allowed to stay in the lead to try to overtake Alonso, before Norris finally pitted and could not do so, leaving Ricciardo fourth but quickly passed by Gasly as he feared.
Leclerc’s engine exploded entering the main straight on lap 21 forcing him to retreat.
“Problem problem. Engine. It’s gone. No, no, it’s done,” he said.
Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu became the third retreat on lap 23 due to a technical problem.
Ricciardo was overtaken by Hamilton for fifth on lap 26 as the Australian tried to extend his first stage in the hard, hoping for a safety car later in the race.
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