Dylan Bettencourt
Both Ferraris were forced to retire due to engine failures in Azerbaijan at the Baku Grand Prix, handing Red Bull an easy victory.
Max Verstappen took full advantage when Carlos Saiz suffered a hydraulic issue on lap nine which forced the Ferrari driver to retire.
The Dutchman then had Charles Leclerc in his sights but it was going to be a tough task to overtake him on the unforgiving Baku circuit – but then the Ferrari engine failed on lap 20 and Leclerc retired.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was leading the Baku Grand Prix but his teammate Verstappen quickly closed the gap and took the lead of the race.
Verstappen ended the race as the winner, earning his 25th career win and 62nd podium finish, breaking the record for the most podiums as a Red Bull driver.
This is also his first win at Baku, becoming the sixth different winner at the Grand Prix that is yet to see anyone win it twice.
The Ferrari disaster continued as Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu also suffered a technical problem and was called into the pits to retire the car.
The Italian issues did not end there as Haas, who use Ferrari engines, suffered the same fate as Kevin Magnussen’s engine also failed.
Red Bull have won the last five Grand Prix’s with Verstappen winning four of those, extending their gaps at the top of both the constructor and driver standings.
Red Bull have not won the constructor title in nearly a decade but it looks increasingly likely that they will steal that crown from Mercedes this year.
However, the Baku Grand Prix was not without issues for the leading team as Verstappen again had Drag Reduction System (DRS) failures for the third consecutive race.
As the race drew to a close, the current champion was instructed to not use the DRS as the team could not repair it from the pitlane.
The Ferrari failure allowed Mercedes to gain points in the constructor race as George Russel finished third, preserving his record of finishing in the top in every race of the season thus far.
His teammate Lewis Hamilton finished one spot behind him in fourth.
Next up for Formula 1 is the long trip to Canada for the Montreal Grand Prix next Sunday.
Image source: @BleacherReport
