Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Max Verstappen recovered from an early pit stop to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc suffered another devastating engine failure while leading. The Dutchman inherited the lead when Leclerc's Ferrari power unit failed with just 20 laps remaining, marking Ferrari's second catastrophic reliability failure in three races and dealing a hammer blow to their championship challenge. Sergio Perez made it a Red Bull one-two, with George Russell securing third place for Mercedes.

Leclerc had taken pole position and controlled the race from the front on Baku's high-speed street circuit, building a comfortable advantage over the Red Bulls. Verstappen had dropped to third after a suspected power steering issue forced an early stop, but was recovering well when smoke suddenly poured from Leclerc's Ferrari on lap 20. The MGU-K failure was identical to the one that struck in Spain, leaving the championship leader stranded trackside once again. Virtual Safety Car conditions allowed Verstappen to make a cheap pit stop, putting him in prime position to capitalize.

The race featured multiple incidents, including a virtual safety car for debris and a dramatic moment when Carlos Sainz's Ferrari caught fire in the closing laps, though he managed to pull off safely. Sergio Perez set the fastest lap while finishing second. Verstappen's fifth victory of the season extended his championship lead to 34 points over Perez and 49 over the devastated Leclerc. Ferrari's reliability crisis was now in full bloom, undermining what had been a genuine title challenge and raising serious questions about their power unit durability.