Wayne Lumbasi
Verstappen extended his F1 championship lead by winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. That was his fifth victory of the season following yet another Leclerc early retirement.
Red Bull Racing once again, with brilliant team strategy, proved why they are the best in business. Both its drivers Verstappen and Sergio Perez completed a 1-2 finish on the streets of Baku followed by Mercedes AMG Petronas’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively.
Ferrari had the worst nightmare as both of its drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc retired due to mechanical issues.
Verstappen’s win of the season tightened his grip on the drivers’ standings with Perez now moving into second, 21 points behind, while the luckless Leclerc slipped to 34 points adrift.
It was a memorable day for Red Bull who are now 80 points clear of Ferrari in the constructors’ championship ahead of round nine of the season in Montreal next week.
As for Ferrari their habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory through a combination of questionable strategy or unreliability issues is beginning to look potentially fatal for their title ambitions.
