Valtteri Bottas is emerging as the biggest challenger to world champion Lewis Hamilton for the formula One title as yet another Mercedes double exposed Ferrari’s flaws.
The victory by Bottas ahead of Hamilton at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a fourth one-two in as many races – each driver has two victories each – in a record which beats Williams’ three one-twos at the start of the 1992 season.
Bottas goes into the next race in Barcelona in two weeks with a one-point lead in the standings courtesy of a bonus point for fastest lap in Australia.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, third in Baku, is now 35 points behind Bottas, and a point ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Mercedes already have a 74-point lead in the team standings.
Mercedes have been helped by Ferrari still unable to get everything right.
As Charles Leclerc, their young sensation said: “We haven’t had four perfect weekends yet.”
Leclerc would probably have won in Bahrain but for an engine problem late on, but it was his own mistake in crashing in qualifying which compromised his chances on Sunday.
Ferrari’s tyre strategies have been questioned and Leclerc, who started eighth on the grid, had to make do with fifth in Baku after the team, perhaps hoping for a safety car spell, decided on a long opening stint on medium tyres while those ahead had started on softs.
Vettel, who has now gone 12 races without a win – his last was in Belgium in August last year – said he spent much of the race trying to get the tyres to respond but the team remains confident for the season.
“It’s boring, isn’t it?” he said. “We have to work harder, work better. They (Mercedes) are doing phenomenally well.” Pole-sitter Bottas and Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel in the opening turn but the teammates were careful to avoid a collision.
Five-time champion Hamilton said he was “too friendly and basically gave it to him” in Turn 1, the suggestion being that with any other opponent he might well have taken a more aggressive approach.
Later in the season, if the two are serious rivals for the title, there might be a less gentlemanly approach.
Team principal Toto Wolff praised both drivers, saying they didn’t make any major mistakes during the race and that Mercedes won because of the efficiency of their car and their strategy calls that proved right.
McLaren meanwhile continued their improvement, with both drivers in the top 10 for the first time this season, Carlos Sainz taking seventh and Lando Norris eighth.
Mercedes have appeared a cut above the rest if the early results are any indication, but nobody can discount the possibility of surprises as the season picks up steam over the next few months.
