Max Verstappen cruised to the win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, maintaining the trend of the race producing a new winner every time it has been held. The win is Verstappenʻs fifth of 2022 and 25th of his career, tying him with Jim Clark and Niki Lauda on the all-time wins list. Verstappen now leads teammate Sergio Perez in the standings 150–129.
Perez moved into the lead at the jump but wound up second with a bonus point for fastest lap in what was a stellar day for Red Bull. The team now leadʻs the constructorʻs standings 279–199 over Ferrari.
Mercedes also enjoyed a solid day with George Russell continuing his run of consecutive top-five finishes by grabbing a podium finish of third. His team welcomed him to the paddock by calling him Mr. Consistency. Lewis Hamilton took the fourth spot but struggled to get out of the car afterwards, looking troubled by a back undone by heavy porpoising. Still, the points haul kept Mercedes in reach of Ferrari as they have accumulated 161.
Pierre Gasly earned his first best finish of the season by taking fifth. In what has been a terrible run, the result is both a glimmer of hope and a specter of unfulfilled promise. Sebastian Vettel also put together a stellar drive – even with a spin on lap 13 – and crossed the line in sixth, his best of 2022.
Fernando Alonso backed up his seventh-place finish in Monaco with another seventh-place finish. Daniel Ricciardo earned just his second points-paying finish of the year by taking eighth, with teammate Lando Norris hounding him to the line and ending in ninth.
Esteban Ocon slotted in 10th, giving Alpine two pointʻs paying positions in what has been a challenging season so far.
The Race
From the moment the lights went out, Verstappen appeared to be an afterthought. Sergio Perez pipped Charles Leclerc for the lead the order seemed to fall into a procession. Perez had gapped Leclerc by over two seconds by lap five. Carlos Sainz endured a hydraulic…
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