This last weekend, we got to witness the thrill of the Baku Circuit at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It was, perhaps, the most surprising race of the season so far, even more twisted than the Monaco Grand Prix that took place two weeks ago.

On Saturday at the qualifiers, Charles Leclerc claimed pole position, for the second time in a row after finishing first. Lewis Hamilton finished in second place while close rival Max Verstappen came third. As usual, it looked like we were going to get the usual Hamilton – Verstappen rivalry, but that was very much short-lived.

Verstappen, who overtook Hamilton for the lead, crashed his car after his left-rear tyre exploded, forcing him to angrily retire from the race. By the time the race restarted, with just five laps to go, Sergio Perez, who started at P6, was the driver with the lead with Hamilton trailing behind. Unfortunately, it was not going to be Hamilton’s Sunday either as he forced an error that saw his lead drop, finishing at 15th place. This was the first time since 2018 that Hamilton would end a race without gaining any points.

Perez’s win marked Red Bull’s second straight win of the season, increasing their lead on the Constructors Championship as they are almost 30 points ahead of Mercedes. The Driver’s Standing remains almost the same as both Verstappen and Hamilton failed to gain any points.

Sebastian Vettel made his first podium for Aston Martin while Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly finished third. Leclerc, who had the advantage of pole position finished at fourth place, which is far better than his fate at the Monaco GP. Perez had a good day as he claimed his second F1 victory and is also the first driver, besides Max Verstappen, to win a race for Red Bull after Daniel Ricciardo last did it in 2018.

Written by: Leon Osamor