Azerbaijan a chance for Ferrari to atone for Canada

at Formula One World Championship, Rd7, Canadian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Montreal, Canada, Saturday 10 June 2017. Image courtesy of Pirelli Media

 

Canada was not a race that went to plan for Ferrari but in Azerbaijan the Prancing Horse have a chance to right the Montreal wrongs.

Sebastian Vettel had an eventful drive to fourth after losing bodywork and damaging his floor, passing both the Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon to provide spice to the race.

He did lose 13 points to title rival Lewis Hamilton, who won for the sixth time at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve.

Kimi Raikkonen was beaten up in the early stages of the race and fell to fifth, where he stayed for most of the race.

A decision to pit followed by braking issues meant he would limp home to seventh on a rare disappointing day for Ferrari.

Azerbaijan represents an opportunity for redemption for both men, as albeit in different cars the team showed solid form around the streets of Baku.

Sebastian Vettel finished a lonely second in the only other staging of the European Grand Prix to take place on the Caspian Coast, while Raikkonen was fourth after eventually losing out to Perez.

Fourth last time out is Vettel’s worst finish of the season and the only time the four-time champion has been off the podium in 2017.

By contrast bad luck and sometimes less pace has meant that Raikkonen remains winless since the Australian Grand Prix of 2013.

But we have seen shades of the old Kimi in recent times.

Pole position in Monaco suggests there is still some life left in the Iceman yet.

Ferrari remain confident that he can back up Vettel’s push for a fifth World Drivers’ Championship. And that starts with regaining form this weekend.

Jack Prentice

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