Vote for your 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend

47 comments on “Vote for your 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend”

1. 

   Kyle (@hammerheadgb)
   6th June 2021, 22:29

   For someone who I can say pretty much maximised the result on *both* Saturday and Sunday, I picked Gasly. Perhaps you could argue he might have held off Vettel, but he was at a tyre disadvantage in that fight. That aside, it’s hard to see what more he could have done.
   1. 

      GeeMac (@geemac)
      7th June 2021, 5:58

      I was going to pick Gasly as he had a really strong weekend, but I think Vettel did maximise his results on both Saturday and Sunday. He was unlucky to miss our on Q3 due to the red flags in quali and his sheer pace during his long first stint got him the tyre offset that he needed to get past the likes of Gasly ultimately.
   2. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      7th June 2021, 8:30

      @hammerheadgb Same.
2. 

   Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
   6th June 2021, 22:29

   Vettel of course! He had a good classification spoiled by Ricciardo’s accident. And in the race he drove like in his best times, taking to second place a car that is not in the top 4 or 5 this year.
   Also good weekend for Leclerc, Perez, Gasly and Raikkonen.
   1. 

      Dave
      7th June 2021, 11:22

      Ricciardo?
3. 

   Adam (@rocketpanda)
   6th June 2021, 22:33

   Vettel. Looked at ease with his car, was unlucky to miss out on Q3 but then drove excellently in the race with good clean passes on both Gasly and Leclerc on his way to 2nd and was comfortably outperforming Stroll.

   Gasly was also excellent throughout the whole weekend, as was Verstappen. Perez’s qualifying was still lacking but his race was great but before Verstappen’s puncture he was still comfortably outclassed, so for me it has to be between Gasly or Vettel.
   1. 

      RandomMallard (@)
      6th June 2021, 22:37

      I don’t think you can look past Perez really
      1. 

         RandomMallard (@)
         6th June 2021, 22:37

         But Gasly and Vettel as honourable mentions
   2. 

      RandomMallard (@)
      6th June 2021, 22:38

      Sorry @rocketpanda meant as an original comment not a reply
4. 

   MacLeod (@macleod)
   6th June 2021, 22:39

   I voted Max but i could mention Vettel GAsly and Perez.
5. 

   roadrunner (@roadrunner)
   6th June 2021, 22:40

   Well, who would have thought this a few races ago but for me it’s Vettel. The second time in a row…
   Good qualy followed by a brilliant race, beating a bunch of faster cars.
   Honorable mentions to Verstappen, Leclerc, Gasly and Alonso.
6. 

   Maho Ivan (@mahoivan)
   6th June 2021, 22:41

   We should have a Worst Driver of the Day. My vote goes to Bottas, I mean the car was bad, but that bad to get just ahead of Haas and Wiliams before the restart?
   1. 

      erikje
      6th June 2021, 22:49

      well… Lewis finished way behind Bottas so he did not that bad ;)
      1. 

         Jim from US (@jimfromus)
         7th June 2021, 0:18

         True
      2. 

         BasCB (@bascb)
         8th June 2021, 13:57

         Indeed. And it was due toa mistake he made as well Erikje!
   2. 

      Broderick Harper (@banbrorace)
      7th June 2021, 12:03

      Agree
7. 

   Carbonized
   6th June 2021, 22:51

   Verstappen 14% Gasly 9% ???
   1. 

      jff
      6th June 2021, 23:00

      I’m more surprised about people voting for Perez rather than Verstappen.
      Except for avoiding a puncture I’m not sure where Perez performed better than Verstappen.

      But I guess DoTW has never been a quest to identify the best performance of the weekend.
      1. 

         Adam (@adamgoh)
         7th June 2021, 1:57

         Perez did his job of being a wingman to Verstappen. Held off Hamilton for most of the race and was in position to capitalize on the mistakes of his rivals to claim victory.
         1. 

            jff
            7th June 2021, 8:59

            Perez did his job of being a wingman to Verstappen.

            Got it.
            I thought people would vote for the best racing driver over the weekend, rather than the one doing ‘his job of being a wingman’.
            I guess it’s more like a ‘Employee of the Month’ picture wall then.

            Barrichello and Bottas must have been a regular winner here.
      2. 

         petebaldwin (@)
         7th June 2021, 9:53

         Verstappen is fully integrated into Red Bull. The car is designed for his preferences and he’s absolutely dominated his team mates for several years. To see Perez get himself up to speed after such a small number of races, not lose his cool after the botched pit stop that cost him the lead, fight off Lewis for a number of laps and then ultimately, pressure Lewis into a mistake at the re-start to win was more impressive than what Verstappen did in my opinion.
         1. 

            Mayrton
            8th June 2021, 8:47

            Well to most anything is more impressive than Verstappen, so don’t know what to believe anymore
8. 

   pastaman (@)
   6th June 2021, 23:07

   DotD – Vettel
   DotW – Gasly
9. 

   Jim from US (@jimfromus)
   7th June 2021, 0:17

   Vettel, Gasly, Tsunoda.
   Starting to thin Bottas is pulling a Vettel from last year knowing his days are numbered. Mercedes should cut him loose this week and not stick it out like Ferrari did last year.
10. 

    Horacio
    7th June 2021, 0:19

    Vettel had a glorious Sunday. But for whole weekend my vote would go to Gasly.
11. 

    Coventry Climax
    7th June 2021, 0:44

    I’s say Bernd. Again.
    1. 

       Jan Schoonderbeek (@clearbrooke)
       8th June 2021, 14:16

       I really want you to be right, and I almost voted for Bernd, but I can’t help but notice the abhorrent pit stop strategy of his team – with only 2 laps to go he pulled into the pit lane! After that he was nowhere, not even classified! He’s a really nice guy, very talented (I’ve often seen him lead the field with not so much as a sweat) but c’mon, too little point finishes for a guy his calibre…
12. 

    Niefer (@niefer)
    7th June 2021, 1:19

    This was a tough one. Gasly, Vettel and Verstappen were the standouts to me. In the end I felt Verstappen deserved more. He was winning a straight fight, bagging the FL, his places were not inherited… still tough, as the others weren’t driving a Red Bull. Oh, well.

    And a shout out to Nandito! Good effort.
13. 

    melanos
    7th June 2021, 1:38

    Driver of the last stint: Alonso. Got rid of Ric and Sainz in the short runt to T1 and then Tsunoda. Not bad for 2 laps.
14. 

    JohnH (@johnrkh)
    7th June 2021, 2:01

    I voted Vettel but it could easily have been Gasly who had a good weekend and a terrific drive on Sunday.
15. 

    Cristiano Ferreira
    7th June 2021, 2:01

    Driver of the Weekend: Verstappen

    Driver of the day: Vettel

    Honourable mentions: Norris, Alonso, Gasly and Perez
16. 

    Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
    7th June 2021, 5:27

    Voted for Max
    Couldn’t get a Q3 run, even though there is potential for front row
    Couldn’t see the chequered flag, due to tyre blowout
    On both occasions, the driver was not at fault.
    Incidents aside, this was a solid weekend pace wise.
17. 

    Balue (@balue)
    7th June 2021, 6:06

    Perez for me despite the poor qualifying, but that was also due to bad luck, and I’m sure he would have been higher without the red flag. Vettel did great, but Sergio soaking the pressure from Hamilton the whole race without a single mistake, and pulling off some risky but necessary start moves was top drawer stuff.

    Of course Verstappen was better per se, but considering Perez is new(ish) to the car, and also the fact that Perez could even have won it on merit with the overcut had the pit stop been better. (strategy advantage I know, but the pace was there)
    1. 

       Dave
       8th June 2021, 17:14

       Agree. Perez kept Hamilton at bay for most of the race.
       Those who claim he was a good wingman only, are wrong.
       He was racing Hamilton which allowed Max.
       Max and Seb had great races but didn’t have the pressure Checo did.
18. 

    sumedh
    7th June 2021, 7:31

    Verstappen was terrific on Sunday. I feel his Saturday could have been better as there as time to put in a better lap than P3 in Q3.
    Gasly was terrific on Saturday. On Sunday, He definitely had the quicker car than everyone bar Red Bull and Hamilton. Looking at how well he fought against Leclerc, I feel he may be could have done fractionally better and be ahead of Vettel as well.
    Perez was also great on Sunday, but left a lot on the table on Saturday.

    Overall, will give it to Vettel. He could have qualified for Q3 had he put a better lap early on (same as Max), but he was absolutely faultless on Sunday. Drove well at the start to give himself a chance later on in the race. When the safety car neutralized the race, he absolutely grabbed the opportunity in supreme style! Very eager to make mistake when such opportunity comes (ask Hamilton), but he didn’t.

    And on the whole, Aston Martin was still slower than the Alpha Tauri and Ferrari but still Seb finished ahead of then (assisted by luck of course).
19. 

    Jere (@jerejj)
    7th June 2021, 8:30

    DOTW: GAS
    DOTD: VET
20. 

    erikje
    7th June 2021, 9:19

    Someone voted for Hamilton. I get it. Pure Sportsmanship to get out of the way so quickly to avoid profiting from Verstappen s disaster.
    Only a true greatness is able to pull it of the way he did it.
    1. 

       Broderick Harper (@banbrorace)
       7th June 2021, 12:05

       It wasn’t me!!
21. 

    petebaldwin (@)
    7th June 2021, 9:46

    I went for Perez and would have done so had Verstappen continued to win the race.

    I appreciate that would mean he was beaten by his team mate in every session but it’s been shown over a sustained period of time that performing to that level in the 2nd Red Bull is extremely difficult. Gasley and Albon were absolutely nowhere and Perez started off struggling. He seems to have got a grip of the car and his performance at the start and then his aggressiveness to make sure he was constantly just behind Verstappen and able to offer support was excellent.

    He then didn’t get a great start at the end but did very well to pressure Lewis into his mistake and took the win.

    Vettel did really well also as did Gasley but considering how others have got on driving the 2nd Red Bull, Perez’s performance really stood out to me. If he can replicate this for the rest of the season, Mercedes are going to have real problems winning the Constructors Championship with Bottas miles off the pace this year.
    1. 

       jff
       7th June 2021, 10:52

       I agree with all the accolades for Perez.
       Hoover I cannot see how when one stops “struggling” makes him the best driver when outclassed by his team mate.
       And the jinx on the 2nd RBR seat is not as bad as many make it out to be. Just review the initial races of Ricciardo and Verstappen in that seat.
       1. 

          Broderick Harper (@banbrorace)
          7th June 2021, 12:02

          Not convinced he would have been ‘outclassed’.

          Let’s remember that if hadn’t been for a rare RB botched pit stop – he could have been ahead
          1. 

             David Browne (@dvb78)
             7th June 2021, 14:19

             I agree, that Perez was definitely not outclassed by his team mate in this race – Red Bull lost him 2.5secs to Max on the pitstop, otherwise it would have been much much closer!
             Secondly, all the drivers who have changed teams have struggled in their new cars, Sergio was close to Max all weekend
       2. 

          petebaldwin (@)
          7th June 2021, 14:32

          For me, it’s not purely about “the best driver.” If it was, the answer would be Hamilton or Verstappen every weekend. Instead, we say “Vettel did well considering he was in a slower car” – would he have been faster than Verstappen if he was in the Red Bull? No.

          Obviously Perez isn’t in a slower car than Verstappen but he’s new to the team and is driving a car that was designed to suit Verstappen’s driving style. I think if Hamilton moved to Red Bull, Verstappen would initially beat him and if Verstappen moved to Mercedes, Hamilton would come out on top. It takes time to adjust to a new car so even with Verstappen being faster, I thought Perez did an awesome job under more difficult circumstances.
22. 

    Broderick Harper (@banbrorace)
    7th June 2021, 12:00

    Vettel for me. Delighted for someone I’ve never warmed to very much, simply because his efforts of 2017/18 appear to have been airbrushed out of some F1 fans everywhere!!

    We need a worst driver of the day. 100% Bottas. He only escapes attention because of Hamilton’s daft error.

    Let’s imagine that Mercedes are now merely the best of a bunch behind RB – then he’s got big problems. It shows just how much the quality of the F1 drivers have improved (something we discussed when discussing The Hulk’s / Magnusson’s omissions) he genuinely looks like a lower midfield driver now.

    I’d ask anyone to name 10 drivers that are currently worse than him, given this is his 5th season at his team.

    It’s going to take a momental change in fortune, something we’ve never seen, for him to be with Mercedes next season.
23. 

    Ivan B (@njoydesign)
    7th June 2021, 12:24

    My vote is between Gasly and Vettel, but since Vettel was not in my top5 prediction for the race, he gets it for the element of surprise.
24. 

    kuvemar
    7th June 2021, 14:11

    Has to be Checo. Good job from Vettel but he got lucky to end up on the podium. Perez would’ve led the race on merit without the botched stop.
25. 

    Esploratore (@esploratore1)
    11th June 2021, 15:47

    Eventually verstappen, perez and vettel are getting interesting voting %: 11, 22, 55!

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