Despite having Charles Leclerc start ahead of everyone at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (GP), the race stopped before the chequered flag for Ferrari. It was a double “Did Not Finish” (DNF) outcome after Sainz was also forced to abandon. Here’s what happened.
The 2022 Azerbaijan GP ended with an unexpected Red Bull victory. Max Verstappen finished first and was closely followed by his teammate Sergio Perez with a 20-second difference. The third spot went to Mercedes-AMG’s George Russell. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth with a 71-second gap.
But Ferrari got a dramatic outcome in Baku. Carlos Sainz felt a brake-by-wire issue and gave up the fourth spot after Lap 9 of 51. His colleague managed to remain ahead of the pack until Lap 20 when the F1-75 started to pour smoke out of it. That’s when Ferrari knew it was over.
The Azerbaijan GP turned into a race without the Scuderia, even though Leclerc had been poised for a sweet victory. He was the pole sitter, lost the first spot, and then got it back. Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish the race.
“It hurts, we need to look into it so it doesn't happen again. I don't find the right words to describe, it's very, very disappointing,” mentioned Charles Leclerc.
Scuderia Ferrari said Sainz had a hydraulic problem and Leclerc’s racing car suffered an engine issue.
“Certainly it's a concern, reliability is a factor, always a factor. There is some work to be done, the team will stay focused, working hard to make us stronger for the future. We need to understand and analyze, I have not the answer yet,” said Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto.
Alfa Romeo’s F1 team almost lost both racing cars too, but Valtteri Bottas managed to finish the race in 11th place. Unfortunately, he won’t get any points. Zhou Guanyu had to stop because of a “technical issue.”
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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