Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas wins 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix beating his teammate and 2018 winner Lewis Hamilton on Sunday.
Even though Ferrari tried a lot to lock the front row on Saturday, Sebastian Vettel failed to beat both Mercedes drivers, while his teammate Charles Leclerc, who again showed a promising performance throughout the practice and qualifying sessions, crashed his car during the final qualifier.
The Finnish driver started the race from the pole position but when his teammate Hamilton tried to surpass him during the first lap, he denied to be dominated by the defending champion and put all his skills together to be the leader of the race at Baku City Circuit. After this victory over the British driver, Bottas takes back the lead in the Drivers Championship.
During the post-match interview, Bottas said, "Lewis was putting the pressure all the time so I did not do any mistakes. Honestly, I was under control so, I am happy to see the checkered flag."
Hamilton congratulated his teammate for the victory and said that it was a great result for the team and "this is the best start of the season we ever had."
While the German driver Vettel had to be satisfied with the third place, another Ferrari driver, Monégasque Leclerc, did not disappoint his team as he started the race from 10th position but finished the race as a fifth positioned driver.
Vettel said that initially, he struggled to get the tyres to work. "I was really uncomfortable and inconsistent just could not feel the confidence for the car."
The Williams Martini Racing team consistently showing poor performance and during Azerbaijan GP Robert Kubica faced a penalty for driving the car to the pit exit early. His teammate George Russell also finished the race as second last driver.
During the 25th lap, Hass driver Romain Grosjean struggled because of a front tyre lock up but he managed to move his car back on the track. However, after the 40th lap, he had to retire.
Renault's Daniel Ricciardo and Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat retired from the race after lap 33. The Australian faced a front tyre lock up and while reversing, the rear of his car hit Kvyat's car that caused the damage.
Pierre Gasly, the Red Bull driver, who was in the top 10 position, also retired from the Azerbaijan GP after the 40th lap.
The Final Result
- Valtteri BOTTAS
- Lewis HAMILTON
- Sebastian VETTEL
- Max VERSTAPPEN
- Charles LECLERC
- Sergio PEREZ
- Carlos SAINZ
- Lando NORRIS
- Lance STROLL
- Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN
- Alexander ALBON
- Antonio GIOVINAZZI
- Kevin MAGNUSSEN
- Nico HULKENBERG
- George RUSSELL
- Robert KUBICA
- Pierre GASLY
- Romain GROSJEAN
- Daniil KVYAT
- Daniel RICCIARDO
