Honda Power Tops Formula 1 as Red Bull Take Another Win

Honda at the Front

Honda is at the forefront of the top echelon of motor sports once again. When we think about the golden era of the Japanese manufacturer's involvement with Formula 1, their multiple championship winning run with Williams and McLaren in the '80s comes to mind. But having returned to the sport in 2015 after several years of absence, they've finally become a legitimate championship contender with Red Bull Racing this year.

Azerbaijan

This past Sunday, June 6th, the 6th round of the Formula 1 world championship went down in Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku. The street race track takes the world's fastest cars on a trip from the ancient old city to the modern downtown area of Baku. It consists mostly of high-speed long straight sections, with average speeds of around 130 miles per hour. 

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Saturday

The weekend started with practice on Thursday where both Honda-powered teams, Red Bull and Alpha Tauri (Red Bull's junior team) showed great pace. On Saturday, Ferrari's Charles LeClerc took pole position in a hectic qualifying session. Red Bull took 3rd and 7th with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez respectively. During Sunday's Grand Prix however, things went completely bananas!

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Misfortune for Verstappen

Red Bull started out amazingly well, with Verstappen overtaking Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles LeClerc. After the first round of pit stops, Sergio Perez was well ahead of Hamilton as well, making it a Red Bull Honda 1-2. Sadly for Verstappen, the Dutchman lost control of his car and crashed out of the race with only 5 laps to go. 

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Crazy Finish

As the race restarted, the battle was on between Hamilton and Perez for the lead. And Hamilton lost traction into turn 1, allowing the Mexican to comfortably take the lead of the race, and cruising to victory. The battle for the remaining podium was also hotly contested, with the second step going to 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, and the final podium spot picked up by another Honda-powered car with Pierre Gasly and Alpha Tauri.

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Red Bull Honda Topping the Standings

This result puts Red Bull Racing firmly ahead of Mercedes-AMG F1 in the constructors' championship. That's a position that no team has comfortably held over Mercedes for the better part of the last 8 years. Max Verstappen also sits 4 points ahead of defending champion, Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' standings. The battle this year will be closer than we've seen in recent memory, with Red Bull Honda taking the fight to Mercedes. The next round will be in Canada, and it takes place this coming weekend.

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