Max Verstappen was elated with his dominant victory in the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, secured with an “incredible” lights-to-flag performance in Baku.
The Dutchman disappeared into the distance after cementing his lead at the lights, completing a perfect weekend of pole position, fastest lap and the race win.
With the threat of rain holding off, Verstappen and his Red Bull team’s gamble of starting on Hard tyres paid off.
Despite the early Safety Car caused by title-leader Oscar Piastri’s uncharacteristic crash on the opening lap, no significant drama ensued, to leave Verstappen clear at the front.
After the race, the World Champion lauded a second consecutive victory, to put him closer in the World Championship battle with both McLarens faltering.
“This weekend has been incredible for us,” Verstappen said. “Of course, last weekend was already great.
“For us to win here again is just fantastic. Also the race, the car was working really well on both of the compounds.
“We had clean air all the time, and you could then look after your tyres. It was pretty straightforward.
“It’s not easy around here, it was very windy today, so the car is always moving around a lot. Incredibly happy with this performance.”
Raceday promised to be another dramatic affair, with qualifying on Saturday seeing an unprecedented six red flags, but barring the Piastri-inflicted Safety Car, chaos was at a minimum.
“In the race, you have to be a little bit more careful,” Verstappen explained, as drivers were not at liberty to take risks.
“Also with tyre management and stuff you want to make the one-stop work.
“Everyone was a bit more cautious with that anyway. Plus, the compounds that we were running today, Medium and Hard, they weren’t really used that much up until today.
“That all helped. For sure, I was happy that there were not too many Safety Cars!”
READ MORE – Max Verstappen dominates F1 Azerbaijan GP as Oscar Piastri crashes out on opening lap
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