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Lewis Hamilton needs help disembarking after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Photo:
IMAGO/Simon Galloway / IMAGO/Motorsport Images
Red clear lap:
Ferrari currently has the fastest Formula 1 car – at least on one lap.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the sixth time in eight races.
But what's the use of this series if things don't go well in the race?
On the ninth lap, Carlos Sainz coasted to a halt with a hydraulic problem on the street circuit in Baku.
Eleven laps later Leclerc got it too.
The Monegasse was in the lead when its engine burst.
Ferrari has been waiting for a win since the third race of the season in Australia.
The World Cup race slips away from the Scuderia.
The race result:
It was a comfortable afternoon for Max Verstappen.
The world champion once again benefited from Ferrari's problems and won in Baku ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez and Mercedes driver George Russell.
Read more about the race here.
Like an old man:
"My back is killing me." Halfway through the race, Lewis Hamilton sounded like he'd rather talk to his doctor than his race engineer.
Anyone who saw the Mercedes driver drag himself out of his car after the race knew that he hadn't exaggerated.
His team continues to struggle with so-called bouncing, the permanent vibration of the car, which is increasingly endangering the health of the drivers.
"I prayed the race would be over soon," Hamilton later said.
With fourth place, he still achieved the second-best result of the season.
Team boss Toto Wolff had already apologized for the car's problems during the race.
'Sorry about the back.
We'll solve it,' said Wolff.
Hamilton's back hopes for a quick solution, next Sunday it's on in Montréal.
Sportswashing:
Formula 1 follows the money, i.e. the initial fee, that has been known for years.
If you drive in Saudi Arabia or Qatar, if you want to drive in Russia, then the criticism can be heard loudly.
The race in Sochi was removed from the racing calendar after the start of the war in Ukraine.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, on the other hand, was held for the seventh time this weekend and it seems to be the norm now.
Therefore, it should be said at this point: No Formula 1 races should take place in the country of the autocrat Ilham Aliyev, in which members of the opposition are imprisoned and which is ranked 154th worldwide for press freedom.
Excitement at Haas:
What's next in Formula 1 with Mick Schumacher?
This question occupies many motorsport fans, not only in Germany.
Schumacher is still waiting for his first World Cup point, most recently he was more in the headlines because of various accidents.
Haas team boss Günther Steiner rejected criticism of his management style before the race on the Sky TV station.
Steiner had counted his driver out because of the high repair costs.
Now the Italian claimed that the media was trying to stir up unrest in his team.
"The division of the team from the outside is not good for Mick," said Steiner.
At the eighth race of the season, Schumacher had no chance at all, more than 14th place was not possible.
Oldie Alonso:
In Baku, the name of Mick's father Michael Schumacher kept coming up.
Since this weekend he has lost another record.
Since his last race in 2012, the seven-time world champion has been the driver who has been in Formula 1 the longest: 21 years and three months.
Michael Schumacher has now been replaced by Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard completed his first Formula 1 race 21 years, three months and eight days ago.
He can only beat himself:
when Leclerc had to park his Ferrari, Verstappen had a free ride.
In the middle of the race, the Dutchman was the only one who could consistently go under 1:48 minutes.
When the lead over Pérez had grown to almost ten seconds, Verstappen's race engineer reported over the pit radio: "You know what it's like to lose a race here." A little reminder of 2021, when Verstappen was in the lead with a puncture was passed behind.
The 24-year-old should therefore minimize the risk and drive more slowly.
However, that's not Verstappen's thing.
He stayed at the limit, haggling over lap times over the radio and shortly before the end even had time to tease his team about alleged brake problems.
»Friends«, »Peace«, 6th place:
When the Azerbaijani national anthem sounded before the race, Sebastian Vettel repeated his political message.
As on Saturday, he wore a T-shirt with the words "Friends" and "Peace" written in Russian.
The German is committed to an end to the war in Ukraine - and then achieved his best result of the season with sixth place.
A slightly better position might have been possible for Vettel, but after a duel with Esteban Ocon on lap 13 he missed the apex of the third corner and had to take a small detour.
With a total of 13 championship points, Vettel is now in 14th place in the championship.
Red Bull hastens:
After this weekend, the result lists also show that it will be difficult for Ferrari to win the Formula 1 world championship for the first time since 2007.
Verstappen is now 150 points ahead of Pérez (129) and Leclerc (116).
In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull's lead (279 World Championship points) over Ferrari (199) is even greater, mainly due to Sainz's weakness.
