Ferrari's pain was once again Red Bull's gain.
As Ferrari sustained a disastrous double DNF day, the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez sprinted away for a 1-2 finish through the streets of Baku at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Mercedes driver George Russell rounded out the podium in third.
Here's a deeper dive into what you need to know from Sunday's Azerbaijan GP:
FERRARI'S SELF-INFLICTED WOES PERSIST
Leclerc has been sparkling on Saturdays this season qualifying on pole six times including the past four races.
If only his Sundays were similar. Despite those four consecutive poles, Leclerc has been unable to convert any of them into victories — although more often than not through no fault of his own.
This time Leclerc's engine blew up with plumes of smoke emerging from the rear of his vehicle on Lap 20. It's the second time in three races Leclerc had to bow out while comfortably in the lead after engine failure three weeks ago in Spain ruined what was looking like a sure win. Leclerc's demeanour after the race was telling; he didn't appear frustrated but rather defeated as he was practically at a loss for words.
Should Ferrari swap engines again Leclerc would incur a grid penalty, although that would be a small sacrifice if it meant getting his car across the finish line.
Leclerc's exit followed Carlos Sainz's early retirement due to hydraulic problems. The poster boy for consistency last year, Sainz now has three DNFs to go along with his four podium results in 2022.
It's not just the Scuderia Ferrari team alone as their problems are also extending to the teams they supply engines. Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu and Haas' Kevin Magnussen also dropped out of the race due to engine failures.
Ferrari have to do something — anything — to stop these self-inflicting wounds before they fall any farther.
RED BULL PICKS UP MAX-IMUM POINTS
Without no one to challenge them, Verstappen and Perez cruised drama-free to the finish line. Sure, there's always the risk anything could happen — see last year's race where Verstappen had unexpected tire failure — but Red Bull didn't squander the golden opportunity presented to them.
Perez, coming off of a victory in Monaco, qualified one place ahead of Verstappen in P2, however, the championship leader overtook his teammate on the track and scored his fifth victory of the season. For what it's worth, Perez snatched the bonus fastest lap point late in the race.
Verstappen also surpassed Sebastian Vettel for most podiums by a Red Bull driver with 66. That's quite a remarkable achievement considering Vettel won four consecutive driver's championships from 2010-13, but it speaks volumes about how Verstappen arrived as a force winning in his first race with Red Bull in 2016 and has remained a consistent contender ever since.
Verstappen cushioned his championship lead while Perez leapfrogged Leclerc for second in the standings.
HAMILTON BACK IN BUSINESS
The driver of the day honour went to Lewis Hamilton, and was well deserved as the Mercedes driver suffered significant back pain from all the "porpoising" his car did bouncing along the bumpy street course straightaways. My back was even hurting just watching him struggling to get out of his car and clutching the halo safety device for support.
The problem stems from the floor of the car generating aerodynamic grip — one of the new rules and regulations introduced this year to tighten up the field and increase competitiveness on the track. We've seen porpoising affect several cars through the season but Mercedes have been the most vocal about expressing concern for drivers' safety and might have to figure out the solution on their own though.
SOME PRAISE FOR THE VETERANS
Daniel Ricciardo has been taking a lot of flack lately for his subpar performance, so credit where credit is due as he put his McLaren back into the points finishing P8 — one spot ahead of teammate Lando Norris — and his best result since his home Australian GP in April. That should also put Ricciardo in good spirits heading into Canada where he captured his first career GP victory in 2014.
Speaking of former Red Bull drivers in need of kudos, Vettel finished P6 in his Aston Martin for his best result during a full F1 race since last year's Azerbaijan GP when he came second. If not for an early gaffe, Vettel could have finished as high as P4 as he held track position over Hamilton. (Yes, Vettel was P5 in Belgium a year ago but that race consisted of only two laps behind a safety car due to wet weather.)
Finally, some praise for Fernando Alonso, who held off the McLaren pair to finish P7 for Alpine. Alonso, who made his debut at the 2001 Australian GP, surpassed Michael Schumacher to set the record for the longest F1 career at 21 years, three months and eight days (and counting).
FUNNIEST MOMENT
Duct tape really does fix everything. AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda had rear wing issues and was shown the rare black-and-orange flag — indicating a mandatory trip to the pits for repairs.
How exactly was his team going to fix a malfunctioning DRS flap? With duct tape, of course.
Not sure if that'll fly with the FIA but consider this "Liked by Pierre Gasly" ... and Red Green.
UP NEXT
F1 returns to Montreal for the first time since 2019 for next Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. Perhaps it'll do Ferrari good as they've won 14 times on Canadian soil including 11 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Hamilton is the defending race winner, however, a lot has changed since 2019 — mainly, Mercedes no longer being the dominant powerhouse.
