“He has thrown a lot of points away with his own mistakes” : Damon Hill critical of Carlos Sainz’s performance

The eighth Grand Prix of the 2022 season of Formula One is on its way in Azerbaijan. Reigning F1 World Champion  Max Verstappen heads to Baku as the championship leader, but Ferrari’s Monacan Charles Leclerc (9 points behind) and Red Bull’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez (15 points behind) are hot on his tail.

Tom Clarkson, Natalie Pinkham, and Damon Hill all agree that the 2022 World Champion will be a Ferrari or Red Bull driver. But even though George Russell is fourth in the championship, nevertheless ahead of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, Clarkson believes he is out of contention for the championship. “It seems to me that the W13 is so inconsistent and struggles through the slower corners that I think they will have another difficult weekend in Baku,” said Hill about Mercedes’ underwhelming performance.

The leading candidates for the championship appear to be Leclerc and Verstappen, but Perez is close behind and Spaniard Carlos Sainz is not ruled out. “Max was 46 points behind at one point and now he’s back in the lead, so Carlos is not without a chance. However, he will have to work hard. He has thrown a lot of points away with his own mistakes,” concluded Hill.

Also Read: “He’s a great guy, we have a lot of mutual respect which helps our working relationship” : Carlos Sainz on his relationship with teammate Charles Leclerc

Sergio Perez can defeat teammate Max Verstappen in Baku : Damon Hill

This season appears to have four frontrunners for the world championship. “I think it’s all still up for grabs, the teams have had so much to do with unreliability of the cars,” added Hill. Hill concurred, but believes Ferrari and Red Bull continue to view Leclerc and Verstappen as their primary serious contenders.

The result in Baku may well be very decisive when it comes to which drivers both teams will put forward for the rest of the season. Especially at Red Bull, according to Hill, nothing has been decided yet. 

“Don’t forget that Perez was faster than Verstappen in Saudi Arabia and that circuit is very similar to Baku. It could be that Max has a problem with Red Bull’s set-up, you saw that in Monaco as well. The proportions are not as clear at Red Bull as they are at Ferrari,” mentioned the British former racing driver.

Also Read: “Perez is starting to become a little bit of a thorn in the side” : Johnny Herbert gives his take on Sergio Perez thrusting himself into the contention for the world title

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