Bereft for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in Baku
Mercedes missed out on a huge opportunity to open up a gap on Red Bull because of a mistake by Lewis Hamilton during the second start. Valtteri Bottas was invisible and also finished outside the points.
In the evening in Abu Dhabi, will we turn once again to this famous Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In just a few laps, the balance of the championship has shifted in both directions very abruptly.
Lewis Hamilton thought he was going to make a huge move in the standings when Max Verstappen’s tire sent him crashing into the wall on the straight. The Briton was then in a very good second place in the race and could serenely consider regaining the championship lead after losing it at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix. As hostilities resumed with two laps to go, he even said on the radio that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. One could then think that the seven-time world champion was ready not to go all out against his closest rivals, who were more interested in the current win than the championship.
I pressed a button that completely changed the brake balance
But at lights out, the beast returned and saw an opportunity to win to strike the final blow to his Batavian rival. Perfectly poised, he made a costly mistake at the first corner, locking up his tires. At the end of the race, he admitted that this mistake was his own fault: “I had a good start but I pressed a button that completely changed the brake balance. It’s a humbling experience and I’m truly sorry for the team. We’ve been through tougher times, you have to stay humble. I’m glad to still be in the fight.”
At such a moment with only two laps to go, the British driver’s race was therefore over and he had no opportunity to bounce back in the points. He had to settle for the sixteenth final place and therefore leaves Baku with still a four-point gap on Max Verstappen, which is a lesser evil considering the start of the weekend and the beginning of the race.
Bottas is no longer there.
As much as Lewis Hamilton missed a great opportunity, Valtteri Bottas was completely invisible throughout the race. Only tenth on the grid, he was never able to climb the ranks, despite the numerous radio messages from his engineer telling him to overtake his opponents. He even fell out of the points zone at the time of the safety car caused by Lance Stroll’s accident, ultimately crossing the finish line in twelfth place. This is the first time since Austria 2018 that Mercedes leaves a Grand Prix with zero points.
The Finn’s balance sheet this season is not far from catastrophic since after six races, he has two retirements and therefore a third race without any points. In the championship, he is therefore sixth, behind the McLaren of Lando Norris and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who are much more consistent.
This slim accounting balance explains why Mercedes finds itself 26 points behind the leader, completely justifying Red Bull’s driver strategy of hiring a second driver capable of scoring big points. This will further fuel rumors about his replacement at the end of the season.
