I hope you set your DVR's like I suggested. It was a long race that was well worth watching. It took awhile for the drama to show up, but Baku always seems to deliver a wacky up and down race. Furthermore, it was great to hear the communication between the FIA and the teams, as it's a new level of insight that takes place on the pitwall.
Red Bull Racing had the biggest roller coaster day. Max looked set to cruise to victory thanks to a brilliant defensive drive by Perez, only to have his tire fail just a few laps from the end. It was heart breaking, especially as that promoted Hamilton up to 2nd. On the standing restart, it was gut wrenching to see Perez have a terrible start and let Lewis get into P1 before turn 1, but we all know what happened and thankfully his Red Bull race car held on for a stunning victory.
Aston Martin really stood out in the race. Starting Stroll on the hard tires was a great strategy that was really working. Such a shame to see it fall apart due to tire failure. I think points were very likely. But how about Vettel? Another astonishing drive. Made some great moves in the race, even put pressure on Hamilton, and a well deserved 2nd place finish.
AlphaTauri finally was able to translate their good qualifying into a good race result. I should say great race result. We have to be happy for Gasly. When you consider what a driver does for their team, he is right up there with Max Verstappen. Hats off to Yuki, he was aggressive in the final laps, but fair and some great points for the young Rookie.
Ferrari had a difficult day and honestly it exposed the engine is still a weakness. Hamilton got passed Leclerc without DRS with ease. That was approximately a 15+ kph difference in straight line speed. That was in the opening laps when the batteries are still quite charged up even. It was evident again when Leclerc overtook Gasly down the straight, only to be repassed by Honda power before turn 1. Both drivers made mistakes on hard tires which didn't help their cause. 4th and 8th, honestly it could have been worse. On a positive note, they scored more points than McLaren.
McLaren has to be disappointed with their showing. With the Mercedes power pushing them through the streets of Baku, they really didn't make any moves. Their starting positions were obviously not ideal, but they didn't show much for race pace.
Alpine did not have the long run pace like I expected. Perhaps the car just couldn't get the hard tires to work. Alonso showed his crafty skills on the restart, some how finding his way into 6th place. A great result for what looked like a day that would have ended out of the points.
Alfa Romeo scored points in back to back races! They are the vultures on the grid. If there are any points to be scooped up, they will in a position to get them. Kimi, much like Alonso, had some crafty moves during the race. Well done to them.
Mercedes. OUCH. In the opening laps I got the impression that perhaps Mercedes pulled one over our eyes once again, as the car was fast... very fast. Especially down the straights where Hamilton's car was massively faster than the cars he was racing. If it wasn't for Hamilton making a mistake off the final restart, he would likely went onto win the race. There would be no way Perez could have passed the Mercedes on the straight without DRS. It's too bad that Bottas does not seem get the same equipment as Hamilton. His qualifying was compromised to help Lewis, and doesn't get the faster rear wing setup, and his engine power just doesn't appear the same either. I have to believe at this point Bottas is shut down and has no fire left being in the second seat at Mercedes.
Haas. 13th and 14th and Mazepin almost takes both cars out on the final straight of the final lap. In the end the both finished, and they finished ahead of Williams. So that's a fabulous result for the team and they must be happy.
Williams gave nothing to talk about. Sure they can catch our eye on Saturdays, but in the races they look terrible. If they don't start improving, they will be battling with the Haas for the rest of the season.
Driver of the Day: Sebastien Vettel. This was an easy decision today. Excellent tire management, excellent pace, excellent race craft, and an excellent result.
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