Thread by @JunaidSamodien_

AUTO MOTOR UND SPORT - Perez had the better run than Verstappen in Baku. In terms of wins, the score is now 2:2. But how did he show off? And what happened just before the end when Ocon headed towards a crowd?

While the Azerbaijan GP wasn't full of overtaking maneuvers and wild action, there were still some compelling stories. For example Sergio Perez's win over Max Verstappen, Ferrari's first podium, a poker game by Nico Hulkenberg and a crazy end-of-race scene starring Esteban Ocon.

Why was Sergio Perez better than Max Verstappen?

Only six championship points separate the Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez after the weekend in Baku. In terms of wins, there is a tie between the Dutchman and the Mexican.

#AMuS

After four races, both now have two successes under their belt. Perez still has the advantage with a sprint win. But how is it that Red Bull's number two in Baku was so powerful against the otherwise dominant Verstappen?

#AMuS

For one, the 33-year-old is a Baku specialist. No driver has more podium finishes at the Caspian Sea race than he has. He was also the first pilot to win twice in Azerbaijan. He already gave the first foretaste in the sprint on Saturday afternoon.

#AMuS

In the race itself, Verstappen initially had everything under control after he was able to leave Charles Leclerc behind on lap 3 and took the lead. But then, of all people, compatriot Nyck de Vries from the B-Team Alpha Tauri intervened to tip the scales.

#AMuS

Hitting the wall in turn 4 triggered a safety car phase just as Verstappen had just completed his tire change.

#AMuS

This played into the hands of Perez, who of course took advantage of the stop during the neutralization in round 11. Verstappen fell back to 3rd place, but got Leclerc again after the restart. "We have to take a closer look at that," Verstappen said.

#AMuS

But then he bit his teeth out on Perez anyway. He never got into the DRS area to be able to attack. Which was also due to the fact that the 25-year-old struggled with his car. Verstappen: "I tried not to completely ruin the tires at the end. It's also all about the balance...."

".....between corner entry and the middle of the corner. But I had understeer and oversteer. In the last ten laps I got better with that Car clear after changing some settings on the steering wheel."

#AMuS

It was a key moment for Perez that he was able to pass Leclerc on lap 6 in the first stint and so didn't lose too much to Verstappen. "Then once I was able to pass him I got into Max's DRS lap after lap and that really decided my race," Perez said.

#AMuS

"Because that's how I got him to put his tires on. Once I was in his DRS it was on time to pass him, but obviously he had to pit. And then the safety car came, so I was a bit lucky," Perez added

"Then when we were on the hard mix it was really hard to keep Max behind me because I knew once he gets DRS that's it. So it was a big challenge to keep him out of the DRS area . And we pushed each other massively. We really gave it our all, lap after lap."

#AMuS

Why did Ferrari win the three-way battle against Aston Martin and Mercedes?

Charles Leclerc laid the foundation for success with the two pole positions in qualifying and the sprint shootout. It was already clear that Ferrari was at least one lap full of music.

Red Bull had to admit defeat over the long distance, but Mercedes and Aston Martin were under control. So Leclerc in Baku ended the series of Fernando Alonso, who finished third three times and celebrated the first podium for Ferrari this season.

#AMuS

One key was that Ferrari now has a better grip on tire management. Leclerc used Alonso's philosophy of starting the stint slower and more gently for the tires and dividing up the race better. However, his teammate Carlos Sainz was unable to imitate him.

#AmuS

The Spaniard struggled with set-up issues throughout the weekend and found no confidence in the car. Apart from that, the competition also stumbled because of its own issues. Aston Martin struggled all weekend with a DRS defect that was only solved for the two races.

At Mercedes, they stumbled over the fact that the new asphalt on the Baku City Circuit allowed for a lower ride height with fewer bumps. Others benefited from this more than the Silver Arrows. So far, you have designed your concept for more ground clearance at the rear.

#AMuS

Was Nico Hulkenberg's pit lane start worth playing poker?

Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg were a bit in twin mode in Baku. At Ocon, they decided to change the setup before the sprint shootout on Saturday and thus violated the parc fermé rules, at Hülkenberg they...

[....] changed the front suspension set up after the sprint race and had to start from the pit lane. "It doesn't make a difference whether it's 16th place or the box. But if you know in advance that the rear tires will collapse again, the sacrifice makes sense," Steiner said.

The two started the race with the hard tires from the pit lane. For a long time they ranked ninth and tenth in parallel flight. The main reason why they were flushed so far forward was because they didn't change tires like the others during the safety....

[....] car phase on lap 11, but were able to drive through with the hard tires until just before the end. Logically, the disillusionment followed when Hülkenberg came to the service on lap 49 and Ocon a lap later. In the end, Ocon finished 15th and Hulkenberg 17th.

#AMuS

So, on paper, there is no benefit to this tactic. But it could have gone differently. If the safety car had come out again at a later point in time around lap 30, the poker might have made sense. A red flag would have been a gift too. After all, Nico had made the decision himself

"It was a qualifying race for me to be honest," he said. "It was okay for about 40 laps and then unfortunately the tires started to degrade pretty quickly towards the end. The safety car didn't come out and that was exactly what we needed with our strategy."

#AMuS

"Still, it was a good learning curve. We decided to start from the pit lane and completely switched the set-up to something more conventional."

#AMuS

Did the new sprint format affect the race?

Only on the Tuesday before the Azerbaijan GP did the Formula 1 Commission announce what the fourth Grand Prix weekend of the season would look like. Saturday should be all about the new sprint format.

#AMuS

The sprint shootout became the mini-qualifying session for the 17-lap sprint race on Saturday afternoon. That now stood on its own and was no longer a factor for the starting line-up on Sunday.

#AMuS

The innovation was hotly debated in the paddock. Verstappen admitted he's not a big fan of it. In fact, the pecking order in Sunday's race didn't change much as a result, although the new procedure with only one free practice session left less preparation time for the long runs.

Rather, the sprint shootout was a reflection of Friday's qualifying and the sprint race a preview of Sunday's race. Charles Leclerc dominated the qualifying sessions, and Sergio Perez dominated the races.

#AMuS

The balance of power is still the same. Red Bull sets the tone, behind Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes fight with each other. This means that the fastest car remains the fastest car even with less preparation time.

#AMuS

How did the near-drama of Esteban Ocon almost driving into a crowd come about?

When Esteban Ocon turned into the pit lane for his first and final stop on lap 50, Formula 1 narrowly escaped drama. The Frenchman suddenly saw a crowd and fences in front of him.

#AMuS

The reason: It is usual for the parc fermé to be set up and some media representatives, VIP guests and other staff already have access to the pit lane at the end of the race. However, the mistake here was that one driver had to stop at the end.

#AMuS

"Fortunately nothing happened, but we have to make sure that such scenarios don't happen again," said Ocon.

#AMuS

The Race Stewards investigated the incident and has urged FIA officials to take immediate action to review these procedures and protocols with the FOM, the teams and the FIA ​​to ensure such a situation is not repeated.

#AMuS

The curious thing is that there was a similar discussion in Baku last year. At that time, too, VIP guests had entered the parc fermé area in the pit lane too early.

READ THE FULL AMuS ANALYSIS STORY HERE IN GERMAN auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/f1-gp…