Fastest lap: Max Verstappen
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2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Pirelli confirm teams not to blame for Baku tyre failures following investigation
- “Tyres should not explode like that” says Villeneuve as Pirelli prepares to reveal findings
- Why Alonso is able to enjoy F1 more now than when he left
- Penalty for Safety Car error was just one of Latifi’s frustrations in Baku
- Perez credits Albon’s contribution to his first win for Red Bull
Chaitanya
6th June 2021, 15:23
It was a bit boring until Stroll brought out safety car.
Dave
6th June 2021, 15:34
A great summary of the race in one short summary!
Balue (@balue)
6th June 2021, 17:44
Completely disagree. It was great until the safety car ruined what could have been a classic race. Now it’s just another safety car race.
GeeMac (@geemac)
7th June 2021, 6:28
Indeed, it was a great race all the way through, there was a good battle up front, the Aston Martins were boh out there on odd strategies and it was good watching them play out…and then there was the drama at the end. A great race all round.
f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
6th June 2021, 15:24
Lol lets see what excuse lewis fans have for him this time
Patrick (@paeschli)
6th June 2021, 15:26
Based on the comments here it’s Red Bull throwing the championship away due to Verstappens mistakes LMAO
Davethechicken
6th June 2021, 15:27
I am not a Ham fan but the “brake magic” was on at the restart. It wasn’t a simply driver braking too late.
Awesome by Seb, great to see him on the podium.
Wonderful!
notZack
6th June 2021, 15:28
Not a Lewis fan, but Anthony Davidson hinted just now in post-race that it might have been part-mechanical.
Given that he does work with Merc, his words probably hold a lot more merit than a horde of fans.
Tom
6th June 2021, 15:35
Nice try, but it was a complete bottle job from Hamilton. Some of the worse driving from him this year shows just how much that cars been carrying him.
Swifty
6th June 2021, 15:39
Please. Watch some history and grow up.
You’re obviously new to the sport.
Humb S (@humb)
6th June 2021, 17:31
Greetings. Apparently hadn’t carried Rosberg nor Bottas as much as had carried Hamilton, I mean, they always come in pairs, it seems somebody does a better job extracting the juice from it.
And concerning the failure: there’s a thread in this site about it, we’re expecting your thoughts on the matter on it as well. Don’t you worry, still a mistake from him, but I don’t believe it is as shameful as you wanted it to be.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
6th June 2021, 15:34
@f1osaurus is writing a script as we speak
His narrative about how Hamilton is flawless and Verstappen is error prone is truly in the mud
Harry B
6th June 2021, 15:42
Let’s see who wins the championship. #saved.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
6th June 2021, 15:47
@kingshark
This one is hard to script even by Spielberg. I think he will disappear till Lewis’s next win.
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
7th June 2021, 6:15
@kingshark Thanks for the rent free place in your head man!
What do you want me to write? The script that shows how Verstappen was going to get pole and win every race if he had the fastest car? 6 races of those and he has one pole and 2 wins. Ah well. Bit of an anti climax.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
7th June 2021, 19:42
@f1osaurus
Not sure what your obsession with qualifying is when a grand total of zero points are awarded on Saturday. The only thing that matters is Sunday, and Hamilton has had three disasterclasses already.
Imola – a mistake identical to Vettel at a Germany 2018, only saved by the red flag
Monaco – in a car capable of pole position, he qualified 7th and finished there. Embarrassing.
Baku – a mistake that cost him 25 points and a race win
Hamilton at the moment is driving quite literally at Vettel 2018 levels. He’s averaging a disasterclass in 50% of the races so far.
Indeed, almost everyone universally rates Verstappen above Hamilton this season, even the British media themselves.
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/nubte3/azerbaijan_gp_media_ratings/
Yesterday was literally the first time all season where Perez finished ahead of Bottas. Mercedes has been the fastest car by a margin so far this season. Baku was the exception, not the rule.
Mercedes have the fastest car and Hamilton has been luckier than Verstappen, and yet Verstappen is still beating Hamilton. That just shows how much better Verstappen really is.
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
8th June 2021, 12:45
@kingshark It was you delusional Verstappen hooligans who kept claiming that Verstappen would get pole and the win easily if he just had the fastest car.
So far only one pole and 2 wins out of 6 weekends where he had the fastest car. So yeah. Embarassing.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
8th June 2021, 16:11
@f1osaurus
Lmao keep telling yourself that if it helps you cope better
So far Bottas has finished ahead of Perez 3-1 in races where both drivers finished. Mercedes is the best car.
Verstappen is beating Hamilton with an inferior car despite also having worse luck. That is reality
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
9th June 2021, 13:21
@kingshark Yeah you can keep lamely denying it, but more people agree with me than with you.
No one was impressed that Verstappen won a race. While the majority of people here understood that Hamilton put in a great effort to beat Verstappen.
Kingshark (@kingshark)
9th June 2021, 16:06
@f1osaurus
The fact that Hamilton makes his own races more complicated than they should be by constantly getting outsmarted by Verstappen on starts and restarts (Imola, Portugal, Spain) is not exactly evidence of Mercedes inferiority. That’s just down to Hamilton’s poor racecraft and lack of awareness during crucial moments, relative to Verstappen.
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
9th June 2021, 19:05
@kingshark Sorry man, I cannot help you with your delusions.
Ajaxn
6th June 2021, 15:24
He only had to finish to reclaim the lead, What mucking fuddle ;)
Why did they change Hamilton’s front wing? Did they also adjust his breaks?
RenM
6th June 2021, 15:30
The front Wing had a little damage somewhere near the center
Nikki (@nikkit)
6th June 2021, 15:31
They changed his front wing due to damage he apparently picked up very early in the race. Whilst they were sat in the pits waiting for the restart, the camera breifly showed the front wing and there was a big chunk out of it.
Supposedly, a bit of fallen tree branch that Leclerc himself only just avoided and probably threw him off line enough for the Hamilton pass, which also set up the Merc to hit the branch.
As for his brakes, I half expected that to happen from the way they were smoking right before the lights went out.
Jere (@jerejj)
6th June 2021, 15:27
Masi is lucky Hamilton made the error.
DOTD, definitely Seb, great race by Gasly too, not to mention Perez.
Patrick (@paeschli)
6th June 2021, 15:29
Perez going a bit under the radar here but that was an amazing race from him. Managing the overcut on Hamilton and keeping him behind all race.
Horacio
6th June 2021, 15:39
nah, DOTD must be Mazepin, who managed to finish with that Haas ahead of Hamilton. Highly impressive.
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
6th June 2021, 15:28
Ferrari International Assistance
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
6th June 2021, 15:49
@jaymenon10
Can you elaborate more on how the FIA helped Ferrari in this race ?
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
6th June 2021, 16:05
I’ll wait to see if anybody gets it. ;)
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
6th June 2021, 16:43
@jaymenon10
Next time leave me a sign for sarcasm :)
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
6th June 2021, 15:28
Any race in which Seb and Gasly show how they’ve unfairly been forgotten is nice. A weird one this. I’ll refrain from further comments.
Jonathan Parkin
6th June 2021, 15:28
Did they really need a red flag, lets be honest. I have seen the Verstappen crash on YT and there was like one piece of debris which could be moved under SC, then just get a trolley to move Verstappen’s car.
Or if you ARE going to red flag it just declare a result since we are only two laps from the end. Or has the regulation to declare a result at 75% distance been stricken from the rule book
Patrick (@paeschli)
6th June 2021, 15:30
That restart was just to improve the ‘show’. That’s what you get when Americanize a sport
RandomMallard (@)
6th June 2021, 15:31
@paeschli If tbey didn’t restart I think Verstappen may have won the race. After crashing. It’s happened before but it would look just as ridiculous
Patrick (@paeschli)
6th June 2021, 15:35
I don’t think so as they already had done a lap or two under the safety car, so even a rule like ‘last laps order’ would not have changed anything. If anything the decision to red flag the race was taken too late.
Jonathan Edwards
6th June 2021, 15:39
Yes, why would you restart a race when there is ample time to restart it and it hasn’t completed? Stupid Americanization, or attempt to be clever that left you looking decidedly ridiculous?
Dave
6th June 2021, 15:52
…well I’m not gonna join in this kind of discussion about Americanization.
Balue (@balue)
6th June 2021, 17:49
@paeschli Yes it was completely unnecessary just for show, and it’s such a shame that F1 is headed in this direction (or already there).
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
6th June 2021, 15:33
I think if you can, you should restart. The 75% rule seems to apply when the race cannot be restarted due to poor conditions or fading light.
RandomMallard (@)
6th June 2021, 15:35
@tommy-c I think you’re pretty much correct. 75% is the rule for full points.
Jonathon Parkin I think they have removed the rule that automatically calls it if they reach 75%.
Jonathan Parkin
6th June 2021, 16:35
I agree with @tommy-c you should restart if you can unless it’s fading light but with two laps to go is there any point. I had this same opinion when (I think it was) Danica Patrick crashed in a race once and they red flagged it with one lap to go. Then restarted it
My opinion on that situation was the same as this one. Run it under SC to the end of the race or if you have to red flag it – and I didn’t think they needed to personally – call a result. Restarting for two laps is a bit silly
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
6th June 2021, 15:30
Personally I think the decision to red flag the race & then do a standing restart was the wrong call.
I’m sure none of us like seeing a race end under a SC but for me that would have been the fairest, most sporting outcome & bringing out the red flag & then do a standing restart for me made the end feel way too much like a lottery.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
6th June 2021, 15:32
+1
Jonathan Edwards
6th June 2021, 16:04
‘@StefMeister’
How is that any fairer, though? Here’s a scenario that plays out often. If one’s strategy is to preserve tires for the end of the race, countering a rival ahead trying to hang on with an old set, and a crash happens whereby we neutralize that by finishing under a safety car, I fail to see how that is fair. Drivers today were no doubt still in with a chance of improving or losing position until Verstappen’s crash. Why should they lose that opportunity?
S
6th June 2021, 16:20
Lottery? Actually finishing the race as per the rules is a lottery?
Everyone was given a fair and equal chance to make or lose position. What could be fairer than that?
Unless the original race start was an unfair lottery too?
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
6th June 2021, 18:42
I think i accidentally pressed report to someone’s comment in here,sorry in advance as i didn’t mean/want it.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
6th June 2021, 15:31
Very unimportant thing, but isn’t Verstappen classified? He completed over 90% of race distance.
Patrick (@paeschli)
6th June 2021, 15:36
He is
Corey (@dragon86)
6th June 2021, 16:02
How many laps did he complete? 45 would put him at 88.2%, 46 makes it 90.2%.
Kyle (@hammerheadgb)
6th June 2021, 16:51
I believe it was 45, but usually they round the tolerance up when it’s not a whole number. 10% of a 51 lap race = 5.1 laps, rounds to 6 laps’ tolerance, so 45 gets classified.
glynh (@glynh)
6th June 2021, 15:33
I’m glad it worked out for Red Bull, not that Hamilton was out, but that they did the decent thing calling for a red flag and losing a guaranteed win for Perez and came out ok in the end.
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
6th June 2021, 15:35
I was really frustrated with all these extremely dangerous punctures, but at least the mistake from Hamilton gave us a great podium.
Not a fan of Baku/ Pirelli combo, we had 5 races since 2016 in Baku and twice the leader has retired with a punchure. I don’t know if it’s poor marshalling or whatever for today’s punchures, but it’s unacceptable to have these kind of stuff in the pinnacle of Motorsport
Patrick (@paeschli)
6th June 2021, 15:37
10 years and they still haven’t figured out how to make a F1 tyre
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
6th June 2021, 15:44
Yeah, they are really trying their best to irritate everyone involved (fans,teams,drivers). I can’t help but think that we definitely need a 2nd tyre supplier from 2022 onwards
Roger Ayles (@roger-ayles)
6th June 2021, 15:38
So F1 for the first time in it’s history changes the car design purely to suit the deficiencies of the tires suppliers awful tires, They for the first time have rules dictating tire pressures, cambers & so on & still the tires suffer failures.
At what point do we just admit that the entire Pirelli era has been a complete joke in which Pirelli have quite clearly been way out of their depth? The tires have been awful since day 1 not just because of the degredation (Which I accept is something they were asked to do) but also in terms of every other aspect with way more cuts/failures than I ever remember seeing before on top of all the other silly tiny operating ranges & such.
It’s a joke, It makes F1 look like a joke & the sooner F1 gets a supplier that is able to produce proper racing tires the better the sport will be!
And the whole red flag/standing restart at the end was also a complete ‘purely for entertainment’ nascar-esque joke!
If liberty want to take F1 into the WWE realm of ‘sports entertainment’ then I want zero part of it!
#LibertyOut #PirelliOut!
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
6th June 2021, 15:41
Very important to point out that the cars had to be slowed down to accommodate Pirelli’s awful product.
There’s a reason Pirelli doesn’t compete. High time to open up the series to multiple suppliers.
Alex
6th June 2021, 15:58
I’m not a fan of multiple tyre manufacturers tbh. I remember the days of pirelli and Michelin and the winner of the race was decided in Friday practice as different tracks suited the different tyres more
Corey (@dragon86)
6th June 2021, 16:08
Where do you think they got the idea? NASCAR used to do this, before the implemented the overtime rules. Their reasoning was that fans paid to see a green flag finish.
Jonathan Edwards
6th June 2021, 16:21
‘@Roger Ayles’
I echo your frustration with the Pirelli era, but feel you’re being overly harsh on the constraints placed upon them. You gave a passing mention to their directive to design tires to prematurely degrade, but you’ve left out the fact that this has also occurred in an era where downforce and weight have skyrocketed, placing a lot more load into the tires. I’ve no doubt this could still be overcome, but you also have the testing ban/reductions, that massively affect their ability to gather data. In the Michelin/Bridgestone days, teams were testing weekly, which greatly improved the product. Pirelli have suffered by being forced to test with old cars, and only a couple days a year. Not like-for-like with the tire war days.
Dave
15th July 2021, 14:02
#MasiIsVeryDangerous
CashNotClass (@cashnotclass)
6th June 2021, 15:39
Massive failure on the part of Mercedes. They just about had the win handed to them and manage to turn it into their first non-scoring finish in nearly 60 races.
Horacio
6th June 2021, 15:42
Bottas ended 12th, and Hamilton 15th. Appalling Sunday for Mercedes.
Dave
6th June 2021, 15:45
They “Spain 2016’d” it again.
Neiana (@neiana)
6th June 2021, 15:40
Some of the thumbupyournose comments in response to this race really show why Europeans need to lay off the illegal substances.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
6th June 2021, 16:57
what
MG1982 (@mg1982)
6th June 2021, 16:11
Great race, an unexpected result to some extent. That’s why this track is great, because it produces unusual results.
Happy VET got some good result finally to get him in better mood. Wish he won.
Really good that PER was up there, to bring important points for RBR. He made things harder for Mercedes and HAM regarding the strategy and also was somehow a roadblock for HAM… although not that efficient as BOT. I think that if wasn’t for PER, HAM would have won. Hopefully he continues like this.
Gutted for LEC. I think he deserved 3rd after VER and HAM weren’t in front anymore.
Humb S (@humb)
6th June 2021, 17:34
To avoid hollow and not lasting joy?
Salty (@salty)
6th June 2021, 17:53
Really good race. Was a little in danger of getting turgid just over halfway, but Vettel’s deep strategy, the safety car from Stroll’s blow-out and poor Max’s puncture leading to the red flag, all left us with a bit of a classic. Lewis doubled-down when his magic button was deployed for everyone else. Watching just those last two laps of Gasly, LeClerc and Norris feinting and dashing at each other was excellent.
Loved it. And what a result! Sergio, Seb and Pierre – fabulous result!
Would love to say “bring on the next one”, but really hate Circuit Paul Ricard. It’s flat, ugly and has never produced a decent race. Magny-Cours was a fabulous track, albeit rather further away from hotels and transport links than F1 management want. Maybe Paris could be persuaded to host a Grand Prix. France was the birthplace of motor racing.
Sumedh
6th June 2021, 19:22
Is this the first time since 2019 that the fastest lap point has not been awarded to any driver?
Luke S (@joeypropane)
7th June 2021, 15:47
How does Bottas start 10th, have Verstappen retire and Hamilton and Sainz both spin and fall to the back of the grid and still finish 12th?!