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This year's Azerbaijan GP was probably one of the mellower races the track has seen since its debut. There were no crashes, no safety cars, no stoppages and in general, there wasn't much drama on the track apart from the shocking retirements of some major players in the championship. Overall, Baku was not as mean-spirited as it has been in the past.
While Max Verstappen and Red Bull maximized their weekend, it wasn't smooth sailing for everyone. Like everything else in life, there are always winners and losers once a race has run its course and in this piece, we will take a look at the winners and losers of the Azerbaijan GP.
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Winners and losers of the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP
Winner
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen is still not entirely comfortable with the Red Bull RB18 in qualifying. So much so that his teammate Sergio Perez beat him in qualifying. Before the start of the Azerbaijan GP, the reigning world champion found himself in a very peculiar situation. He was outqualified for two races in a row by his teammate, an occurrence which has not taken place since 2008.
F1 pundits lauded Sergio Perez for what he was able to do in the car. At the end of the Azerbaijan GP, however, Max Verstappen, who was third at the start of the race behind both Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, found himself taking the chequered flag after dominating his teammate and watching Charles Leclerc retire from the race. Verstappen holds a 21-point advantage in the championship and is the man to beat currently.
Loser
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari is on a losing streak. After the Italian team's strategic blunder in Monaco, Charles Leclerc fans found themselves heartbroken once more as the Monegasque was forced to retire at the Azerbaijan GP.
The Ferrari driver has now scored four pole positions in the last four races, but has been unable to convert any of them into a win. He currently finds himself 34 points behind Verstappen. Red Bull is running away with the championship and he will need all the support he can get from his team to get things back on track.
Winner
George Russell
Despite having a low-key race, George Russell managed to bag his third podium at the Azerbaijan GP. The Briton is known as 'Mr Consistency' for a reason: he turns up every weekend and extracts the best out of the car.
In the process, he has been able to rack up a seven-race winning streak against seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. There's been too much noise around Mercedes' pace and its experimental setup, but what seems to be getting missed is that the team might just have uncovered another star driver that appears to be filling the shoes of Lewis Hamilton in a way that not many would have imagined possible.
Loser
Ferrari powered teams
Despite seeing their fortunes change for the better earlier this season, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Haas were in for a rude shock at the Azerbaijan GP. Haas and Alfa Romeo were mysteriously off the pace at the Azerbaijan GP, while Ferrari, after scoring its customary pole position, suffered a double DNF.
To make matters worse, its title rival Red Bull scored a 1-2, which is the true definition of the word 'disaster'. To add to this, Haas and Alfa Romeo were nowhere in qualifying and appeared to lack any kind of competitive pace. The DNFs for Magnussen and Zhou hurt the teams, but what hurt more is the lack of competitiveness, especially with Canada next week.
Winner
Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin saw a Q1 elimination at the Spanish GP. However, Aston Martin seems to have unlocked something in its car since then. If not for the mistake he made while trying to overtake Esteban Ocon, Vettel had the potential to finish in a position higher than what he did in the Azerbaijan GP.
What's astounding is the rate of progress that Aston Martin has shown. If the team can keep this up, it might just end up climbing the pecking order. A positive weekend for both the driver and the team.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton
One can sympathize with Lewis Hamilton after watching him in extreme pain and having difficulty moving after the race. Despite the pace the car showed, the bouncing was worse than it had ever been. This was especially tough for the seven-time world champion, who complained about having a stiff back during the race.
Now, for his performance, it was the third race in a row where Lewis Hamilton was outqualified by his teammate and the seventh race where he was outraced. It's starting to look bad for the Briton to get shown up like that against his new teammate. All in all, Hamilton needs to get things back on track after a painful Azerbaijan GP.
It will be interesting to see who will be smiling after the Canadian GP next Sunday, on June 19, 2022.
Also Check Out :-F1 Standings 2022
