The 7 a.m. alarm certainly proved to be worthwhile for European Formula 1 fans. What a thrilling race it was! With three safety cars and three red flags, the adrenaline-pumping event resulted in eight cars unable to cross the finish line.
The race got off to a great start with Verstappen in the front followed by the two Mercedes, Alonso and Sainz. On the first turn Russel pulled off a stunning move overtaking Verstappen after a great start. The RedBull driver then found himself under immerse pressure from Hamilton causing him to drop one place more by turn three. Meanwhile, Sainz makes a move on Alonso managing to overtake him. At the same time Leclerc is pushed out by stroll, on a normal racing accident, causing a safety car deployment and making the Monegasque DNF.
Within the next 9 minutes, on lap 7 Albon made a costly mistake running wide nearly causing a collision with Hulkenberg prompting the appearance of the second safety car of the race. George who is leading the race, and Sainz who is fourth decide to make use of the safety car to do a pit stop, dropping 7 positions each with the unluckiness of a red flag being announced minutes later giving every driver a free pit stop.
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After the restart of the race from the grid with no further issues until lap 17 in which Russell’s car who had managed to reach fifth, caught fire in the back causing a virtual safety car but fortunately avoiding a safety car as he managed to stop the car in the pit lane exit.
Sainz showcased a very impressive aggressive driving enabling him to regain fourth position. However, despite his efforts, he couldn’t quite catch up to Alonso due to his incapacity to manage his tyres because of the pressure exerted by Gasly who was racing magnificently and maintaining himself in the DRS position. Meanwhile, Verstappen maintained a comfortable lead of eight seconds ahead of Hamilton.
On lap 53 Kevin Magnussen’s collision with the wall prompted yet another safety car, and by lap 55, the debris of the incident required a red flag. Race begins once again from the grid with everyone on soft tyres without temperature, as formation lap was made behind safety car. With only two laps remaining, chaos began at turn one, as Carlos Sainz pushed Fernando Alonso off the track. This triggered a chain reaction, with Gasly and Ocon colliding, De Vries and Sargeant being forced out, and Stroll running wide in turn 3. Another red flag was called, and the race ended with the positions from the last restart.
Sainz receives a 5 second penalty with no option to minimize the damage as the race finished behind a safety car. Sergio Perez was named driver of the day after gaining 14 positions. McLaren scored their firsts points of the season.
The podium was for Verstappen, Hamilton, and Alonso, making it the first one for the Brit´s and for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.
Baku is next on the calendar, on the 30th of April. With four weeks until the next race, teams have a lot of time to refine their car and come back even stronger. But for now, let’s focus on the recent race and hear your thoughts. Were the four red flags necessary? Is Fernando Alonso capable of securing win 33 after three podium finishes? Do you think Carlos Sainz’s penalty was too harsh? Can Ferrari turn their luck around in the upcoming races?
