Max Verstappen led a Red Bull 1-2 (F1.com)
The Red Bull pairing of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen ran the streets of Baku with a fairly comfortable double podium. Retirements from the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz gave Christian Horner's team a significant advantage in the championship.
In a weekend that showcased the ceiling of Red Bull Power Trains (as well as the floor of the Ferrari engines), it's no surprise to see a lot of formerly Honda-powered cars in the top 10 of the power rankings.
As usual, I added all the drivers' scores together to find the top 10 drivers for this particular race and on a season-long basis.
If you've forgotten, we take machinery entirely out of the equation and simply judge the drivers based on how well they did with the equipment they possessed.
Let's begin!
Leclerc has a mountain to climb to get back in the championship fight (F1.com)
1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Race Position: 1st
Score: 8.9
A year after a devastating tire failure robbed him of victory in Azerbaijan, Max Verstappen put together a very mature drive to take the checkered flag in 2022. For the second consecutive weekend, Verstappen's qualifying performance was disappointing, at least relative to his teammate Sergio Perez, but his race-day showing more than made up for his quiet Saturday.
Verstappen didn't make any wild overtakes or pump in many fastest laps. However, nobody was on his level on Sunday. Once he got past Perez, the Dutchman looked untouchable. He led home the field to take home the 25th victory of his F1 career, drawing him even with Jim Clark and Niki Lauda. We haven't seen Verstappen at his indomitable best this season, yet he still leads the Drivers' Championship.
2. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
Race Position: 5th
Score: 8.8
The AT03 really liked the Baku City Circuit, as the two AlphaTauri drivers looked competitive all weekend. Nevertheless, it was still shocking when Pierre Gasly came home in 5th place, nearly tripling his season-long point score. Gasly put together a mega lap to take P6 on the grid at the start of Sunday's race. You couldn't be blamed for thinking that Gasly would sink like a stone against faster cars like Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, but that didn't occur.
Gasly fought the two Mercedes for the majority of the race and looked to have an outside shot at P4 or maybe even a podium. Unfortunately, AlphaTauri decided not to pit the Frenchman during the second Virtual Safety Car period and Hamilton later got past Gasly with ease. However, P5 is still a very good result for the Faenza team that shoots them up to 7th in the WCC.
T3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Race Position: 2nd
Score: 8.7
Who is this man and what has he done with the real Sergio Perez? Typically known for his lacklustre one-lap pace and his brilliant tire management, Perez did the opposite in Azerbaijan. The Mexican was rapid in Saturday's qualifying, seeming to be the only driver who could challenge Leclerc for pole position. Unfortunately, a failure to get a tow left Perez to start P2 on Sunday, behind the Monegasque.
Luckily for Perez, he breezed past Leclerc at the start on Sunday. Leclerc's lock-up at Turn 1 gave 'Checo' the race lead. However, Perez failed the preserve his tires and his race pace fell off a cliff. This made it easy for Verstappen to get past on the main straight.
Though it's easy to say that Perez was hindered by Red Bull's order to not fight Verstappen, the fact is that Perez didn't have the pace to compete with his teammate. In fact, Charles Leclerc would have given Perez a run for P2 if not for his engine failure. Luckily for Perez, Leclerc's reliability issues gave the Mexican a pretty free second place. He is now the championship runner-up, just 21 points behind Verstappen.
T3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Race Position: DNF
Score: 8.7
This year is not even 1/3 over, but it's beginning to seem like it could be a year of "What could have been?" for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari. The Monegasque has now picked up 12 points in his last 3 races, when even I, a biased Max Verstappen fan, can admit that he likely should have gotten at least 51 points. Sadly, unforeseen circumstances are a part of F1 and Leclerc is finding that out the hard way.
Leclerc is writing his name in the history books for his qualifying performances. The Ferrari diver picked up his 6th pole in 8 races with a phenomenal lap on Saturday. However, a poor start on Sunday and a pit stop under the first VSC left him in 3rd place with a lot to do.
Despite that, Leclerc's lap times were rapid, especially considering he was on the hard tires. He would have pushed for at least P2 and maybe even the race victory. But engine issues plagued him yet again and the Ferrari started spewing plumes of smoke to deal Leclerc yet another blow in his title challenge.
Leclerc now has a shockingly poor pole conversion rate of 47%. It's all well and good being quick on Saturday, but if Leclerc can't find a way to translate that to Sunday, he'll be essentially handing the title to Red Bull.
5. George Russell, Mercedes
Race Position: 3rd
Score: 8.5
George Russell has been arguably the most impressive driver of 2022. He's the only driver to finish in the top 5 of every race (no other driver has finished in the top 10 at every race) and he is outperforming his distinguished teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
Though Mercedes' car isn't quick enough for Russell to pick up podiums of his own accord, every time one of the Red Bulls or Ferraris retire, the Briton is there to pick up the scraps. This is his third podium of the season and he is closing in on Leclerc for third place in the championship.
Mercedes haven't been able to deliver him the race-winning car he may have expected after his transfer from Williams, but there is no doubt that Russell is eliminating doubts about his driving ability.
6. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
Race Position: 6th
Score: 7.9
Vettel has been a breath of fresh air in the Aston Martin team. Since returning from COVID protocols to replace Niko Hulkenberg, the German has been pumping in very good race performances. Strangely, he is now just two points behind Daniel Ricciardo in the Drivers' Championship.
Baku may have been Seb's finest performance of the season. He qualified an excellent P9 at a track he seems to really enjoy. With Lance Stroll struggling to get to grips with the newly revamped Aston Martin, Vettel is proving that the car is more than a green tractor. Or maybe Seb is just so good that he can even compete in a green tractor.
A lock-up while attempting to pass Esteban Ocon's Alpine cost him a chance at P5, but 6th place is worthy of praise for Vettel.
7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Race Position: 4th
Score: 7.8
It was tough to see Hamilton struggling so much as a result of the heavy porpoising on the W13. He looked like he could barely move after a whole race of bumping. Toto Wolff even suggested that there was a chance that Sir Lewis could skip the Canadian Grand Prix to heal his back.
Considering Hamilton's struggles were so evident during the race, P4 is a pretty admirable result for the Mercedes driver. Unfortunately, the twilight of Hamilton's career isn't wielding race wins, so it's the little victories that count. Hamilton was behind his teammate for most of the weekend, but that shouldn't cause him shame, considering Russell's form.
At the end of the day, a 12-point haul will go a long way for the German manufacturer.
8. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Race Position: 7th
Score: 7.6
Alonso is quickly turning into a menace in the paddock and on the circuit. Just a fortnight after holding up most of the field in Monaco, Alonso used Alpine's incredible pace to defend effectively and pick up his second consecutive 7th place finish.
The skinny rear wing that Alpine chose for Baku meant that Alonso was the quickest of all drivers in the speed trap. Unfortunately, he couldn't take full advantage of that straight line speed. Some were speculating that the Spaniard could make it as high as P5 on the grid after qualifying.
The wily veteran seems to be content doing his own thing these days, so nobody knows if Alonso was pleased with P7, but in the judges' opinions, it was enough for him to make the top 10 of the power rankings.
9. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
Race Position: 13th
Score: 7.5
P8 was a deserved reward for Yuki after his impressive Saturday performance. As I mentioned earlier, AlphaTauri looked like one of the quicker cars all weekend long. It seemed as if the Japanese sophomore was going to be back in the points to deliver two cars in the top 10 alongside Pierre Gasly.
Unfortunately for Tsunoda, the rear wing of his vehicle couldn't handle the strain and it seemed to snap in half. The AlphaTauri pit crew hastily applied tape to give Tsunoda a chance to finish the race. However, once the black-and-orange flags were waved for Yuki, his chances of a points finish seemed to be dead and buried. Despite that, he sneaks into the top 10.
T10. Lando Norris, McLaren
Race Position: 9th
Score: 7.2
McLaren had a weird vibe after their team orders created an awkward dynamic between Lando Norris and the pit wall. Though Lando finished behind his teammate at the flag, he was quicker and could have pipped Danny Ric for P8 if he had been a bit more "rebellious."
Yet again, the Briton outqualified his more experienced teammate, proving that Norris was more at ease with his McLaren on the streets of Baku.
While we were all happy to see Ricciardo in P8, any rational person would agree that Norris would have had the measure of his fellow McLaren driver, if not for some sketchy strategy and botched pit stops.
T10. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
Race Position: DNF
Score: 7.2
Heartbreak for the Chinese rookie. Baku looked like it could have been one of the best weeks in Zhou Guanyu's professional racing career, as he was running comfortably in the points and outperforming his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
The Alfa Romeo wasn't a quick racing car in Azerbaijan, as proven by Bottas' struggles, but Zhou seemed to be continuing his trademark style of steadily consistent performances on Sunday.
Sadly for him, a hydraulics issue meant that Zhou had to pull into the pits and retire the car. It's a third mechanical-related DNF for Zhou, which may have explained his frustration on team radio after his unlucky retirement.
JUST MISSED OUT
Albon nearly conjured a result for Williams (F1i.com)
Despite finishing ahead of his teammate for the first time in over a month, the judges felt that Daniel Ricciardo would have finished behind Lando Norris if team orders didn't get in the way at McLaren. However, a respectable 8th place finish in Baku should hopefully boost the Aussie's confidence ahead of the Canadian GP, at the circuit where he picked up his first ever F1 victory.
After a slight dry spell, Alex Albon was quite decent around Baku. He was close to the points scoring finishes and he finished 98 seconds ahead of his teammate. While it wasn't the Albon brilliance that we have seen at times this season, it was a pretty solid drive that gave us a reminder of what the Thai driver can manage when he's clicking.
THE OVERALL STANDINGS
Pierre Gasly made the cut this week in the overall standings (F1i.com)
1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Season Average: 8.9
Last GP: 1st
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Season Average: 8.7
Last GP: 2nd
3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Season Average: 8.3
Last GP: T-3rd
4. George Russell, Mercedes
Season Average: 8.2
Last GP: T-3rd
5. Lando Norris, McLaren
Season Average: 7.6
Last GP: 6th
6. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
Season Average: 7.5
Last GP: 5th
7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Season Average: 7.4
Last GP: T-7th
8. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
Season Average: 7.3
Last GP: 9th
9. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Season Average: 7.2
Last GP: T-7th
10. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
Season Average: 7.0
Last GP: NR
Comments
Post a Comment