Scuderia Ferrari dominated this whole weekend right up to a few laps before the end and leaves Baku with second and fourth places for Kimi and Seb respectively. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned out to be a totally unpredictable race, with the Safety Car closing down the gaps and robbing the leader Vettel of victory, but handing Kimi a lifeline after he had started further back. After four rounds, Scuderia Ferrari leads the Constructors’ championship by four points, while Sebastian is second in the Drivers’ classification, four points off Hamilton.
In the end Seb tried to attack but overshot the corner and flat spotted his tyres, running behind Kimi with the Mercedes duo out in front. Yet that wasn’t the end of the excitement as Bottas got a right rear puncture off some debris, while Perez passed Seb and that’s how it ended.
Losing the win, a podium, and the lead in the championship in Baku through strategy and a late mistake, Sebastian Vettel concedes that is “how it goes some times.” The German was on course for the victory in Azerbaijan, comfortably ahead of the Mercedes drivers.
That, though, all changed when a late Safety Car handed Valtteri Bottas a free pit stop and the lead. Sebastian Vettel tried to attack him on the restart only to lock up and run wide. He fell to third and then fourth as his flat-spotted tyres meant he could not defend against Sergio Perz: “I’m happy I tried but not happy it didn’t work,” he said of his attempted pass for the lead – “I don’t think it was overly optimistic to jump on the inside but I was a bit trapped as I couldn’t see where I was in relation to Turn 1. Obviously I see Turn 1, we have a reference on the right but on the left there is hardly every reference. Once I jumped on the inside I locked up but I wasn’t overly late. I made it, just. Other than that I think it was a strong race and that’s how it goes some times.” – Sebastian Vettel concluded.
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