Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn believes Ferrari was right to try an alternative qualifying strategy in Baku.
While most opted for the soft tyre, the Scuderia was the only outfit to attempt Q2 on the medium compound to try and offer flexibility for the race.
Charles Leclerc’s time on that tyre would have been sufficient to make Q3 but a crash at Turn 8 ruled him out of contention, something that ultimately paved the way for Mercedes to dominate again.
“The decision to try to qualify in Q2 on the medium tyre was the right one in my opinion because, on the softs, Mercedes had shown they had a better race pace on Friday afternoon,” Brawn explained.
“If Charles had managed to get ahead of them in Q3 – and there was a chance of that – and then run a long first stint, as he went on to do, then he would have been in with a good chance of finishing at the front.
“Unfortunately for him, despite a strong climb up the order, he finished fifth, for the third time this year. However, even after this race, he bears all the hallmarks of a driver on the way up, destined for great things.”
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Brawn also offered optimism on the state of this year’s championship, claiming those already predicting Mercedes domination throughout are talking too soon.
“As the first tranche of races that make up this long championship comes to an end in Baku, one could ask oneself if we can still expect to see at least two teams fighting it out for the titles,” he admitted.
“At the moment, a negative response would seem logical, given that Mercedes has taken four consecutive one-two finishes, but I feel there is still time for Ferrari to fight back, as it showed in two of the four races that it has what’s needed to win.
“The duel between the two Mercedes drivers is definitely wide open, with Bottas and Hamilton only separated by the point scored by Bottas for fastest lap in Australia.”
