Late crash helps Max Verstappen to fifth place in Azerbaijan Grand Prix
A very late crash between Sergio Perez of Red Bull and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari helped Verstappen finish fifth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on Sunday. The reigning champion was seventh before the crash. It was another day when Verstappen was struggling with his Red Bull car as both McLaren cars finished above him. Oscar Piastri won the race.
Verstappen started the race in sixth position, with his nearest challenger for the racing championship, Lando Norris of McLaren, starting in 17th. Charles Leclerc took pole in the Ferrari.
It was a decent start to the race for Verstappen as he jumped a spot on the first corner. The 26-year-old went past George Russell in the Mercedes on the turn.
However, he struggled with the car once more, which has been the case for months now for Red Bull. In the 11th lap, he told his team there was "zero bite in the car."
Red Bull brought Verstappen in for his first pit stop in the 13th lap, changing from medium to hard tires.
The car's struggles continued as the brakes went at one point. This resulted in Verstappen having to go around some of the turns for a short while, but it turned out to be a temperature issue.
This showed even more when he was caught by George Russell in the 34th lap, taking sixth place from the reigning champion.
When he came out of the pits, Norris was ten seconds behind Verstappen, but he still managed to catch and overtake him in the 48th lap, which dropped Verstappen to seventh position.
However, there was some luck for the Dutch-Belgian driver. A fascinating three-way battle for the first position ended with Carlos Sainz and Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez crashing into the wall and out of the race. This ensured that Verstappen finished the race in fifth rather than fourth.
Oscar Piastri of McLaren won the race, helping McLaren take the lead in the constructor's championship for the first time this season. The British team has 476 points, with Red Bull now in second with 456 points.
It looks unlikely that Red Bull will retain its championship this season, but Verstappen still enjoys a 59-point lead over his nearest challenger, Norris.
