Max Verstappen was the beneficiary of team orders in winning the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix over his teammate, Sergio Perez, as Red Bull took advantage of Ferrari misfortunes and comfortably went 1-2 with Mercedes’ George Russell claiming the third and final podium position while his teammate, seven-time Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton, finished fourth.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc began the race in pole position but in what was to become a harbinger of the day, Leclerc bungled the start and lost the lead in the first corner as Perez quickly pounced and passed Leclerc for the race lead just seconds into the race. Nine laps into the race, Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, Jr. – who started fourth on the grid – was out of the race with a mechanical issue.
With a virtual safety car out, on the next lap, Leclerc made a pit stop for hard tires while both Perez and Verstappen remained out on the track and Perez was then issued thinly veiled team orders to allow Verstappen to pass him on Lap 16. With nobody in front of him to potentially contest, Verstappen remained in first place for the remainder of the race while things only got worse for Leclerc, whose engine failed on Lap 21 and he was forced to retire – one of four Ferrari-powered drivers to retire on the day.
With both Ferraris out, Mercedes were the immediate team to benefit as Russell and Hamilton finished 3-4 after Hamilton made a late race pass on AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly to secure one of his best finishes of what has been a frustrating season for him.
With the victory, Verstappen holds a commanding lead over his teammate, Perez – 150 points to 129 – in the driver’s championship standings, with Leclerc in third with 116 points and Russell in fourth with 99 points.
2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Top 10 Finishers
1] Max Verstappen Red Bull
2] Sergio Pérez Red Bull
3] George Russell Mercedes
4] Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
5] Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri
6] Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin
7] Fernando Alonso
8] Daniel Ricciardo McLaren
9] Lando Norris McLaren
10] Esteban Ocon Alpine