F1: Red Bull make the most of Ferrari misery – Gulf Digital News

F1: Red Bull make the most of Ferrari misery – Gulf Digital News

Analysis of Verstappen's win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, brought to you by Bahrain International Circuit

In its relatively short history, the Azerbaijan Grand prix has created a reputation for a chaotic and action-filled race. The street circuit nature of the track inevitably punishes driver errors, with an appearance of the safety car pretty much guaranteed. However, unlike some tight street circuits, there are also plenty of overtaking opportunities, not least at turn one, which follows a mammoth 2km main straight.

Throughout the early part of the weekend, it was very clear that this would be another Red Bull vs Ferrari affair. In qualifying, it was Charles Leclerc who continued his Saturday form, qualifying first, delivering his sixth pole in eight races.

The concern for Ferrari, however, was that their qualifying pace does not always translate into Sunday, and with the 2km straight favoring the Red Bull straight line speed advantage, you would not have wanted to predict a winner for this one. Carlos Sainz qualified fourth, with the Ferrari cars sandwiched between Perez in second and Verstappen in third.

As has emerged in the last few races, Perez seems to have a renewed vigour to his driving and certainly does not seem to