Red Bull already has a clear lead over Ferrari in chassis work, and McLaren is also making improvements at a rapid pace, said Charles Leclerc after the Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix. The two teams made numerous improvements for Baku, until the Italian constructor made changes, BTA reported.
This paid off. Leclerc barely reached the front row of the grid, and in the race itself, the Ferrari driver fell to fifth position in just four laps. He finished fourth, but only because Oscar Piastre went off the track in turn number 1.
"It became a very boring race for us (with Lewis Hamilton). Unfortunately, I started badly, but that was the only thing I could really improve. After that, we had no speed. "It was extremely difficult to defend against the Red Bull cars because we were just too slow on the straights. We just lack speed at the moment. The two Red Bull cars were fast and George Russell had a great race," said Leclerc, quoted by Motorsport.
George Russell recorded his third victory of the season in Formula 1 after completing his dominance in Baku with first place in the race. His teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli took advantage of his good speed and two safety cars to finish in fifth position and maintain his large lead in the standings.
Russell made a perfect start and defended his first position from qualifying, while behind him Oscar Piastre quickly overtook Charles Leclerc and took second place. The Ferrari driver was the biggest loser at the start and dropped three places in just a few laps, while further back in the standings, Kimi Antonelli was struggling to break into the top ten.