Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton surprisingly still made out quite well
By Asher Fair
A 15th place finish wasn’t what Lewis Hamilton had in mind on Sunday, but he actually made out quite well with all things considered from the 2021 Formula 1 season’s sixth race.
The podium at Baku City Circuit saw three drivers who had not stood on the podium after any one of the 2021 Formula 1 season’s first five races.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in second place and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in third.
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That trio emerged on the podium after a chaotic 51-lap race around the 20-turn, 3.73-mile (6.003-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Azadliq Square, Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had the win well in hand, or so it appeared, on lap 46, leading the race comfortably ahead of Perez in second place and chief championship rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes in third place.
Verstappen, who entered the race with his first ever lead in the driver standings after dominating the Monaco Grand Prix, was set to score 26 points in this race, 25 from the win and one for running the race’s fastest lap. Hamilton was set to score 15, and Verstappen was set to turn a 105-101 lead into a 131-116 lead because of it.
But things took a 180-degree turn in a hurry.
Due to a tire issue that came after no warning whatsoever, Verstappen crashed on the front straightaway, giving Perez the lead and Hamilton second place.
It effectively created a 29-point swing in the standings. Verstappen dropped from 26 points to 0, and Hamilton moved from 15 to 18.
On the ensuing restart following the red flag period with two laps remaining, it looked like it would get worse for Verstappen, as Hamilton briefly took the lead from Perez — so 18 to 25 points for the 36-year-old Briton, a 36-point swing over Verstappen in total.
But Hamilton locked up his brakes and sailed into the turn one runoff area. He rejoined the race and finished in 15th place, his first finish outside of the points in nearly three years, ending a record 54-race streak.
So Verstappen’s lead over Hamilton in the standings is still 105-101 following the race.
However, the whole sequence actually turned things in Hamilton’s favor, despite the fact that he went off the track and couldn’t fully capitalize on Verstappen’s error.
Instead of trailing the 23-year-old Dutchman by 15 points in the driver standings heading into the seventh of 23 races on this year’s schedule, he trails him by only four.
The whole sequence effectively netted him 11 points. It wasn’t 29 or 36, but with all things considered, Hamilton made out quite well for what was his first truly terrible result since his Austrian Grand Prix retirement from July 2018. Even when disaster strikes, he still comes out better than it had appeared he would.
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Verstappen is set to take the same four-point lead he had after the Monaco Grand Prix into the French Grand Prix on Sunday, June 20. This race is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Circuit Paul Ricard beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.