Following each race weekend this season, theScore's editors will offer their takeaways. We continue with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Red Bull in cruise control
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez drove to their third one-two of the season in Baku, while both Ferrari drivers had to retire. The outcome blew open the title fight, and Red Bull can say thanks to an unexpected ally for it: reliability.
"Shit happens," Verstappen said of Charles Leclerc’s retirement, according to Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf. "It happened to me too and is part of racing. After that, it is important as a team to ensure that it does not happen again."
The Milton Keynes-based side has outclassed Ferrari in all phases recently. It won Imola and Miami on race pace. Monaco was a stroke of strategy. And in Barcelona and Baku, Red Bull proved to be the more reliable team.
Results over last 5 races
| Driver | Points | Wins | Podiums |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verstappen | 125 | 4 | 5 |
| Perez | 99 | 1 | 4 |
| Sainz | 50 | 0 | 2 |
| Leclerc | 45 | 0 | 1 |
It's earned five straight wins, four by Verstappen and one by Perez. With an 80-point lead in the constructors' standings, it's looking like Red Bull's main concern will come from within its garage. After all, Verstappen has a new closest rival in the drivers' title with Perez jumping Leclerc.
It's unknown how Red Bull will handle an internal title fight if it reaches that point. Publicly, it's been said that both drivers can challenge for the title. Perez has out-qualified Verstappen on three occasions this year, but he's struggled to match the reigning champion in the race. Like in Barcelona, Perez was told not to fight Verstappen for the lead Sunday, but he didn't object on this occasion due to the pace differential. He said afterward it was "the right call."
"We don't have anything on paper, but if you look at the performance, there is a difference. Max has shown it on the asphalt," Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said.
Though Red Bull will be the first to tell you how fast things can change, the team's cards appear to bode well going forward. The gap in the constructors' standings is growing every race, while the same holds true for Verstappen's lead in the championship. And with Ferrari in crisis, Mercedes still miles off the mark, and Perez improving, Red Bull and Verstappen have planted themselves in the driver's seat. - Daniel Valente
Ferrari cracking under pressure
Remember when Ferrari, led by the ascendant Leclerc, looked to have the upper hand in the title battle while Red Bull struggled with early-season reliability issues? Yeah, that feels like an eternity ago.
What had the makings of a potentially momentous season for the Scuderia is quickly turning into a shambles. As has often been the case in recent years, Ferrari's worst enemy isn't another constructor or driver. It's Ferrari.
Another promising weekend went up in smoke, quite literally, in Azerbaijan, as both Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz were out of Sunday's race within 20 laps. Sainz suffered a hydraulic issue on Lap 9. Meanwhile, Leclerc, who was overtaken off the line by Perez before using a shrewd pit stop under the VSC to eventually regain the lead, was thwarted by a faulty power unit on Lap 20.
"I am more than frustrated, obviously," a despondent Leclerc said almost immediately after vacating his smoking F1-75.
Leclerc, understandably, appears exasperated. He's doing everything he can. The 24-year-old has grabbed pole position, often in spectacular fashion, in each of the last four races. However, he hasn't won any of them, twice retiring - in Barcelona and now Baku - and having a likely victory in Monaco wrecked by his team's poor strategic choices.
Inferior race pace. Mistakes on the pit wall. Unreliable engines. If it isn't one thing, it's another right now for the Italian outfit.
Worse yet, a pair of Ferrari's customer cars retired Sunday, too, with Guanyu Zhou's Alfa Romeo and Kevin Magnussen's Haas both failing to reach the checkered flag. And now, they have just seven days to identify and fix those problems before the lights go green for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
"Today's result is hard to accept," Sainz said.
"For one reason or another, it's been complicated to build a strong momentum so far this season. However, we are a very strong team, and I have absolutely no doubt we have the ability and determination to come back stronger. There is still a long way to go this year. On to Canada." - Gianluca Nesci
Mercedes getting results despite issues
There's been no shortage of bumps in the road for Mercedes this season - and we're not talking about the porpoising - but a three-four finish in Baku is another encouraging sign that things are moving in the right direction.
Mercedes' success continues to come from its ability to finish races while its competitors deal with reliability issues. The reigning champions trailed Ferrari by 62 points after the Miami GP. Three races later, the team is now heading to Canada only 38 points back of second.
George Russell has become Mr. Consistency, snagging his third podium on the season. He remains the only driver in 2022 to secure a top-five finish in all eight races. The 24-year-old moved within 17 points of Charles Leclerc for third in the drivers' standings.
"You've got to take the positives from every single situation," Russell said. "We've been in the top five every single race with a car that's probably not always deserving of that, so as a team, we have fully maximized it. I can't think of any event that we probably could've scored higher. That's been brilliant from that side. We just keep on getting the points on the board, but ultimately, we need some more performance."
Lewis Hamilton clearly benefited from Ferrari's misery, but he deserves major credit for even finishing the race after the porpoising from his car caused issues with his back. Hamilton has been vocal about the struggles with his car all weekend - and for the better part of the season, really - and was heard over the team radio on Lap 29 saying, "My back is killing me." He very slowly got out of the car after the race and was in noticeable pain during interviews.
As anyone in their late 30s can attest, back injuries are no joke.
"(I was) biting down on my teeth through the pain and just adrenaline (got me through)," Hamilton said. "I can't express the pain that you experience - particularly on the straight here - and you're just praying for it to end. But we're in such a good position still. Third and fourth is a great result for the team. ... Once we fix this bouncing, we'll be right there in the race, but we're losing at least a second (per lap) just with the bouncing."
It'll be interesting to see where Hamilton is at physically heading into another fast street track in Montreal in a week. Toto Wolff said Hamilton's back is bad enough that there's a risk he could miss the Canadian GP. Wolff also called Hamilton's car a "shitbox." Mercedes will need to weigh how it sets up its car to better correct the porpoising, even if it means sacrificing pace.
Other drivers have complained about their cars bouncing, so this issue isn't exclusive to Mercedes. That being said, Ferrari and Red Bull have set up cars in a way that limits porpoising.
Lando Norris said he believes the issue has been resolved in his McLaren. However, Daniel Ricciardo said his car was awful to drive this weekend, adding it's on Mercedes to adjust.
"I'm not complaining. We have some porpoising and some bouncing, but it's what you have to deal with," Norris said. "It's the trade of trying to gain performance. We can quite easily go lower to gain performance but have more porpoising - we think where we're at is the correct amount.
"I'm sure the Mercedes could have a much stiffer floor and raise the ride height, and it will be much nicer for them, but they obviously just don't want to lose performance. I don't think there's anything to complain about. People need to find ways of fixing it themselves." - Brandon Wile
What’s next for Gasly?
Pierre Gasly saved his best performance of the year for Baku, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
On paper, Gasly's fifth-place finish is AlphaTauri's highest result of the year. But, the true significance came in Gasly's poise after learning last week that his slim chance of a Red Bull promotion next season was no more following Sergio Perez's two-year extension.
It's hard not to feel gutted for Gasly, though the French driver had no hard feelings on the deal, calling it a "logical" move earlier.
Gasly has demonstrated incredible consistency and maturity since being demoted to the Red Bull sister team midway through the 2019 season. However, it's rather obvious that he's outgrown his role as the leader of the AlphaTauri unit.
"We're F1 drivers, we're here to fight for wins, poles, championships, that's what drives me every day," Gasly said Friday. "That's why I'm pushing myself beyond my limits every single time."
The problem is that Gasly is under contract with Red Bull through 2023. While the point finishes and occasional top-five results are great for his resume, Gasly has more than earned an opportunity for a second chance with a top team.
When that chance will come remains to be seen. Red Bull may have closed the door on Gasly's return, but his consistent performances should surely open up other opportunities. - Valente