(Motorsport) It was a disastrous day for Ferrari as both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s F1-75 suffered engine failure and were forced to retire, resulting in Verstappen and Perez finishing in first and second place respectively at the Baku City Circuit. The victory for the reigning champion means that Verstappen is 21 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez, but the Mexican did manage to get a point for the fastest lap. As for Leclerc, the Monegasque is 13 points behind while the situation looks bleak for Ferrari in the Constructors Standings as they are 80 points behind Red Bull.

Mercedes’ George Russell had another impressive race, having secured a top 5 position at every Grand Prix in his debut season for the Silver Arrows so far. The 24 year old finished in third place while Lewis Hamilton endured a painful race due to porpoising but managed to finish fourth. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly finished fifth while Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was sixth. Both the Alpine drivers also managed to secure points with Fernando Alonso in seventh place and Esteban Ocon tenth. Daniel Ricciardo managed to get a much needed positive result as he finished above his teammate Lando Norris in eighth place. 

To add to Ferrari’s misery, Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and Zhou Gunayu’s Alfa Romeo also encountered engine-related issues and it was no coincidence that both the car engines were also supplied by the Italian manufacturer. It seems like a theme of this season where Charles Leclerc finishes on pole position during qualifying but fails to translate that performance into the race itself, either due to technical problems, strategy or plain bad luck. The Monegasque has gone five races without a win now, despite having arguably the fastest car. A title challenge at this rate would be impossible and Ferrari may have to be content with finishing second in the Constructors Standings and Leclerc finishing third in the Driver’s Championship.

Azerbaijan GP: Race Result

1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull (fastest lap)
3) George Russell, Mercedes
4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
5) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
6) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
7) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
8) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
9) Lando Norris, McLaren
10) Esteban Ocon, Alpine

Also read: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner refutes Jos Verstappen criticism