Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019
Is there any stopping Mercedes? Based on the first four races of the season, it doesn’t seem like there is. Mercedes recorded yet another dominant one-two finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which had produced some unexpected results over the last couple of years.
Mercedes put a stop to that, though, as Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton claimed their fourth one-two finish in four races — the most successful start to a season in F1 history.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019 betting odds had Sebastian Vettel slightly ahead of Bottas to win the rice. But it was actually the Finnish Mercedes driver who returned to the top of the podium in Baku after Hamilton won the last two races. The reigning world champion Hamilton had to settle for second, while Vettel came in third.
Highlights of the game
By all accounts, Bottas is having a brilliant season. The Finn had gone toe-to-toe with Hamilton through the first three races of the year with a win in Australia as well as a couple of second-place finishes.
Bottas claimed his first pole position last time out in China. However, Hamilton quickly overtook him inside the first lap as he went on to yet another dominant win.
Bottas had the chance to redeem himself in Baku as he won pole for the second race running. Hamilton was right behind him, while Vettel was third. The other Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, was all the way down in ninth after crashing in qualifying.
Once again, Hamilton got off to a terrific start as he targeted top spot. However, there would be no repeat of Shanghai as Bottas just about held onto the lead this time around.
While Bottas built up his lead on Hamilton at the top, Leclerc quickly worked his way up the order and went up to fifth within lap eight. The Monegasque then set his sights for Max Verstappen in fourth, which he takes on the following lap.
That left Leclerc behind his team-mate Vettel, who has noticeably gotten the preferential treatment from the team thus far this season. But there would be no drama between the two Ferrari drivers — for the time being at least — as Vettel made a pit stop and ceded third to Leclerc.
Leclerc was soon in the lead a few laps later, but that’s after the likes of Bottas and Hamilton also made their way to the pits. Still, the Ferrari driver was setting a strong pace while he was out in front as he drove similarly to his strong performance in Bahrain.
But the two Mercedes eventually closed the gap on Leclerc, who finally ceded the lead on lap 33. And with Leclerc yet to pit, Vettel is also allowed to pass his team-mate one lap later.
Leclerc finally entered the pit in lap 35 to change his tyres. However, the tyre gamble didn’t pay off as he lost a lot of time. He had to return to the pits to change tyres in lap 48 to try and salvage what he can.
The move worked as Leclerc made Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019 highlights by setting the fastest lap in the last lap of the race. However, it’s Bottas who takes the checkered flag without much of a fight from Hamilton, who has to settle for second.
Key Statistics
Mercedes’ four consecutive one-two finishes to start the season surpasses Williams’ record of three, which they set in the 1992 season.
Aside from that impressive streak of one-two finishes, Bottas and Hamilton have also now finished 16-straight races, the joint longest current streak on the grid.
Mercedes become the first two-time winning constructor in the three-year history of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Although, they technically have three wins in Baku after Nico Rosberg won the European GP held at the track in 2016.
Meanwhile, Vettel — who finished third — kept alive his streak of finishing in the top four in four races in Baku.
What’s next?
Mercedes will get their chance to make it five one-two finishes in a row in the Spanish Grand Prix on May 12. And coincidentally enough, Hamilton and Bottas had a one-two finish in Barcelona last year.
Lewis Hamilton is a three-time Spanish Grand Prix winner in his career and is a back-to-back winner in each of the last two years. Don’t be the least bit surprised if Hamilton is once again the favourite to win according to SBOBET odds.
Overall, Mercedes have won four of the last five editions of the Spanish GP.
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