F1 World Championship: Verstappen thanks Hamilton and maintains lead

It looked like it was going to be a very expensive retirement for Max Verstappen at the Baku City Circuit, but in the end, the damage wasn't too bad. That was thanks to Lewis Hamilton who threw eighteen sure World Cup points down the drain after accidentally fiddling with a switch that shifted the brake balance.

The big winner of the day was Sergio Perez, as the Mexican climbed to third place in the world championship thanks to his 25 points. Lando Norris again scored solidly and is on 66 points and a handsome fourth spot.

Pierre Gasly and Sebastian Vettel also moved up the rankings thanks to their podium finishes in Azerbaijan. The men currently occupy eighth and ninth positions respectively in the World Championship.

World Championship ranking Formula 1 after Azerbaijan GP

1. Max Verstappen - 105 points

2. Lewis Hamilton - 101 points

3. Sergio Perez - 69 points

4. Lando Norris - 66 points

5. Charles Leclerc - 52 points

6. Valtteri Bottas - 47 points

7. Carlos Sainz - 42 points

8. Pierre Gasly - 31 points

9. Sebastian Vettel - 28 points

10. Daniel Ricciardo - 26 points

11. Fernando Alonso - 13 points

12. Esteban Ocon - 12 points

13. Lance Stroll - 9 points

14. Yuki Tsunoda - 8 points

15. Kimi Raikkonen - 1 point

16. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1 point

Nicholas Latifi, George Russell, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin - 0 points