Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene suggested some disapproval of the stewards decisions made during the controversial Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

During an action-packed race in Baku, both Ferrari and both Mercedes drivers made contact at different points, with the FIA favouring the current world champions on both occasions.

Firstly, Valtteri Bottas was unpunished despite colliding with Kimi Raikkonen at Turn 2 in what was deemed a speculative move by the Finn which would see him punted into the wall, damaging his car and dropping him down the field. Secondly, the now infamous bump between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton awaiting a Safety Car restart, with the stewards ruling against the German's claim of a brake test and awarding Vettel a 10-second stop and go penalty for his retaliatory banging of wheels for 'dangerous driving'.

"I think that everything that happened today was clear to see for everyone," Arrivabene said.

"We don't want to get into an argument but I think I can say that some decisions that were not entirely clear, never worked in favour of our team. We fought hard even if the results don't show it."

The Italian would also bat away criticism by former Ferrari driver and now Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda who described Vettel's actions as "crazy"

"Lauda can say whatever he wants," he told Sky Italia. "Sometimes he speaks for himself, sometimes he even talks to us but as I said before, we are silent.

"We work and we let Lauda talk, he has his points of view, us ours and we'll see you in Austria.

"He will continue to speak, we will continue to listen to it. Perfect. There are still 12 races to go."

What did please Arrivabene was Ferrari's performance in Baku and how the Scuderia dealt with issues was able to match Mercedes in the race, despite being over a second slower in qualifying.

"Today, our car was on the pace and that was clear to see," he claimed.

"The team demonstrated its strengths, from changing the engine on Seb's car on Saturday to the work done on Kimi's when the race was red-flagged, to get it back out on the track, despite the damage it had suffered.

"That's Ferrari for you. We let our actions speak for us.

"We will continue in that vein immediately, in preparation for the Austrian GP, with even more determination than before."

Kimi Raikkonen placed the blame firmly on compatriot Valtteri Bottas for the first lap incident that would ruin the 2007 champion's race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

In a repeat of their prior coming together at the first corner in Spain, Bottas would hit the kerb at Turn 2 and bounce into the Ferrari which was slightly ahead on the outside.

In Barcelona it was Max Verstappen that Raikkonen would be pinged into, in Baku, it was the wall on the outside with his car suffering damage that would impact the remainder of his race as well as a puncture on the Mercedes.

That damage would later become part of the debris on the racetrack that would cause the race to be red flagged, with the two Force India's also colliding through Turn 2. Raikkonen would be impacted by that incident too, picking up a puncture of his own that would temporarily take him out of the race before rejoining.

"Not much I could have done," Raikkonen said of the Bottas contact. "I got hit at Turn 2 and there was quite a lot of damage on the car already on the left-hand side."

"He braked very early, again -- and I think he knows it was way too early braking -- and I went just outside and it was fine, and suddenly I got hit from the other side. So I think he noticed he braked too early and just let the brakes go, and came way too fast into me. It was completely his fault, but obviously, I paid the price."

On the remainder of the race, he added: "We were able to keep going but then I was unlucky. The two Force India’s collided, some debris flew off and destroyed my rear tyre.

"The whole floor and the rear wing were damaged and we decided to retire.

"When the red flag stopped the race we thought that we might try and go back on track, but obviously my car was still not perfect and we decided to stop. It's not a good day when your car retires twice in a race.

"I'm disappointed because, without all these things happening, my car would have been good. There's nothing else we could have done, we tried our best."

Bottas meanwhile would be able to recover from being a lap down after the first lap contact and would out-drag Lance Stroll to the finish line to claim second place by a tenth of a second.

On the incident with Raikkonen, for which he wasn't penalised importantly, the 27-year-old also insisted there was nothing else he could have done.

“It’s a bit of a shame it’s Kimi and me again, but we’ve been fighting for similar positions, it’s just unlucky it’s us again,” he said.

“From my side, I was on the inside, he was on the outside, he did brake later and he was kind of ahead but I was on the inside.

“Normally if you’re inside you have the line. He was turning into the corner in a way that, for me, there was nowhere else to go other than over the kerb, and for me, it was not an option to back off at that point.”

Formula 1 drivers will be able to use Pirelli's softest compound around the high-speed sweeps of Spa-Francorchamps in August after the Italian supplier confirmed their choices for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Last year there was some surprise when the super-soft tyre was allocated for Spa with uncharacteristically hot and sunny weather in the Ardennes Forest that weekend making strategies very difficult.

With this year's tyres a step harder on each compound, last year's super-soft effectively became this year's ultra-soft explaining the decision the purple-marked rubber will be used.

The 2017 cars are expected to produce potentially the fastest times ever seen at the legendary venue, with Eau Rouge likely to be very easy flat and sections such as Pouhon, Fagner and Stavelot all likely to be much faster than a year ago.

Now with the use of the softest compounds available, the cornering speeds will only increase further.

Pirelli has come in for criticism this year for the hardness of their tyre compounds. In Baku, racing manager Mario Isola blamed a lack of knowledge for the decision to not take the ultra-soft tyre to the street circuit.

They have also hit back at some teams suggesting they supplied expected downforce figures much higher than has actually been seen and this has been the reason for the conservative approach both with compounds and tyre pressures.

What is now almost certain, however, is the orange-marked hard tyre, which has only been seen in Spain so far, will be discarded for the rest of the year.

That can be assumed after the super-soft, soft and medium tyre selection was made for both the final F1 race in Malaysia at Sepang and the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, both of which have seen the hardest compounds used each year.

Also, only the Italian, United States, Mexican, Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix remain as unknowns at this point, with none of the five races expected to require a more conservative approach than recent years.

Lance Stroll was thrilled as he fulfilled his dream to stand on a Formula 1 podium, following his brilliant drive and finishing third at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Last year's European F3 champion has been under huge pressure since stepping up with Williams at the start of the season with many believing he was only awarded the seat thanks to the strong financial backing of his father Lawrence.

However, two weeks ago, the 18-year-old was able to grab his first points in F1 at his home race in Montreal and the momentum kept rising with the youngster out-qualifying veteran team-mate Felipe Massa for the first time in Baku.

But the big surprise came when the Canadian emerged from the chaos and claimed his first ever podium in third.

"You dream of being on an F1 podium, you work towards that and it finally comes true," he told Sky Sports.

"It was such a hectic race and I kept my head cool, the team kept me cool over the radio and we took it to the end.

Stroll was under huge pressure in the final 10 laps with a flying Bottas closing the gap to the rookie as well as the recovering Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

Unfortunately, the strength of the slipstream and DRS on the final lap allowed Bottas to beat the Canadian into P2 by a tenth of a second, however, he can be hugely satisfied with his outstanding form that also awarded Williams their first podium of the season.

"It was a bit disappointing at the end to lose P2 but all in all an amazing race. I started to feel the rear going away so I knew it was going to be tricky to keep the pace," he admitted

"It's tricky with the tyres to get good lap times and save them, there was a bit of everything going on.

"Valtteri was a bit quicker than me, but I'm over the moon with P3."

Carlos Sainz believes the FIA should consider setting a stricter guideline for when the leader driver picks up the throttle at a Safety Car restart at next year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Last year there were problems in GP2, as Nobuhara Matsushita caught the Safety Car before it had re-entered the pits on one restart and waited until the last moment to pick the speed up in another, causing a crash on the straight and at Turn 1.

On Sunday, Lewis Hamilton also almost caught the Safety Car on the first restart and would have the now infamous altercation with Sebastian Vettel on the second as he made enough space for the Mercedes pace car to return to the pit-lane. 

"It was probably the most dangerous part of the race when we restart," the Toro Rosso driver explained. "The leaders were waiting up until the Safety Car line to start and at the same time, they were going fast and slow.

"For the guys at the back we are still in the corners when they going fast, slow, there are walls and we cannot see through them. So suddenly we are going flat-out in sixth, seventh gear and they were braking again. For me, a bit on the dangerous side.

"Probably for next year they should consider when the leader is obliged to push."

Asked what he thought the solution would be, the Spaniard said: "I think they should just put a rule where the leader starts before Turn 16 and to be flat from 16 because you cannot be slow, slow braking, fast, slow braking all of the time in such a long straight with people actually thinking they are going.

"Suddenly you are upshifting and upshifting, and braking again. It was probably the most dangerous part of the race.

Carlos Sainz believes his spin exiting Turn 1 after coming close to team-mate Daniil Kvyat was nothing more than a normal racing incident in Baku.

The Russian ran wide into the first corner at the start before rejoining at some speed directly next to the Spaniard who had to avoid a potential collision but was also sent into a half spin, dropping him to the back of the field.

"What a crazy race!” Sainz declared initially.

"The start to it was already difficult: when I got to Turn 1 I saw Daniil rejoining the track and I had to quickly avoid crashing into him, which would’ve been a disaster for the team!

"I spun, but it was a sacrifice I had to do.

"It's a racing incident for me," he added. "I'm not going to blame him for that because I would have probably done the same.

"When you are the car behind you have to decide in milliseconds to either keep it flat and maybe have a contact with your teammate or turn the wheel and force yourself into a spin."

The chaotic nature of the race, which saw the top two drivers near the back early on, would also help him regain positions finishing a deserved eighth position after struggling with the pace the whole weekend.

When asked if he would have expected that result place, Sainz replied: "No, definitely not, especially with the not-so-very-good pace that we've had all weekend, and I thought it would be tricky to come back but I actually started feeling pretty well with the car.

"We managed to overtake some people and suddenly we were P8! And I can say I’m satisfied with today’s result in the end!"

After the team order controversy at the Canadian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez believes team-mate Esteban Ocon may have cost Force India the victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Before the race began, the team announced their two drivers were free to race, but they would make contact on the exit of Turn 2 while fighting Felipe Massa's Williams, with the Mexican squeezed against the wall by the Frenchman resulting in contact and dropping both men down the order.

Both were forced to pit, initially, it seemed Perez's race was over as he had broken a wishbone in the suspension as well as his front wing, though the red flag called soon after enabled the team to fix his car and resume the race.

At the time of the incident, the battle the two Force India's were in would become for the race win as penalties and problems hit those in front, leading to Perez's belief that a victory may have been possible.

“Yeah we were really close to the win today with all what happened afterwards we could’ve won today,” Perez claimed post-race. “We definitely had everything to be on the first step (of the podium) today.

“I’m very, very sad for my team because they’ve done a fantastic job working so hard. We ruin a great opportunity for the team and frankly, I feel I couldn’t have done anything to avoid the accident, I was next to the wall and there was no room for me to go. It’s a big shame.

“In all my career I’ve had team-mates I’ve fought really hard but always with room enough room not to do what happened today and I think what happened today is totally not acceptable for the team.”

Ocon was sorry too for his team but was satisfied with the comeback he was able to perform, running as high as third again at one stage before falling to sixth in the closing laps.

“[I’m] Happy with the performance and disappointing with the potential we had,” he said summing up the race.

“Obviously it’s never nice to get an incident like that in the race, and in the end, me and Checo lost a lot of places. I had the recovery which was quite nice at the end, still to get some points for the team, but we’ll discuss it internally and see what happened especially after Turn 1.

“I was on the inside for Turn 2. We touched again. Unfortunately it’s racing, it happens sometimes but we’ll see. We’re annoyed for what happened really. “

The 20-year-old was surprised to hear the claims of his teammate blaming him for the contact, however, and reassured the incident would be discussed internally to avoid any repeat.

“That’s what he said? Okay. If that’s what he said I’m not going to comment,” he said.

“But he touched me after Turn 1, and he went on. I don’t know if he saw me or not. For sure we will discuss it and it should not happen for the future.”

Fernando Alonso was disappointed after not achieving a podium that he felt would have been in reach without the significantly uncompetitive Honda power unit in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Alonso was able to grab his and McLaren’s first points of the season at the crazy race in Baku, recovering from 19th on the grid after engine penalties to finish ninth. But at one point, the Spaniard was racing the eventual race winner Daniel Ricciardo, as the Australian made his own comeback through the field.

“It was a shame I couldn't keep all the positions we gained, due to our current deficiencies,” Alonso commented after the race.

“In the end, it was a race that, in other circumstances, we could have even won it or finish on the podium. I was with Ricciardo when the first Safety Car came out, Hamilton lost the headrest, Vettel got a penalty, and the two Force India went off, Kimi retired, so you are automatically in the first two or three positions.

“We should have fought for the win, but unfortunately we are not in this position now.”

Alonso did enjoy the points he eventually earned, however, coming at a race they least expected to be competitive and especially as McLaren struggle with its Honda power and having missed the opportunity at the Canadian Grand Prix when the double world champion was forced to retire from the points with 2 laps to spare.

“For sure the race cannot be summarised in one word; we need to analyse it better,” he said

“For us, everything went well, it was one of those days in which, by elimination, you keep going forward, gaining free positions and then it was a shame I couldn't keep all the positions we gained, due to our current deficiencies.

“To collect two points in Baku is something we never thought would be possible. We never thought we would collect our first points of the season here, so they are welcome.”

Sebastian Vettel will seek a conversation with Lewis Hamilton to discuss their coming together during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

The two main championship contenders had their first major incident on track during the race in Baku, with Vettel initially hitting the back of the Mercedes as they awaited the restart following a Safety Car stint and then pulling alongside before swerving into the Briton's car as he felt the first contact had been due to a brake test.

Telemetry would refute the Ferrari driver's claim, indicating Hamilton had maintained speed, but the four-time world champion would be given a 10-second stop/ go penalty for what the stewards deemed to be 'dangerous driving'.

Post-race, Hamilton would slam the actions of Vettel as "disgusting" and "disrespectful" going on to suggest a "face-to-face" conversation between the pair.

"Now is not the right time to talk,” was the 29-year-old's response, "I'll do that just with him and clear it and move on.

"Maybe I'm not clever enough but I'm not complicated. I'm willing to sort it out with him. I don't think there's much to sort out."

As for his feelings towards Hamilton after what occurred, with some believing it could deteriorate their friendly rivalry so far, he insisted: "I don't have a problem with him. I respect him a lot for the driver he is.

"I don't think that was his intention [the initial contact] because he's also risking damage to his car, and his race is over.”

Responding to Vettel's desire to put Baku behind them, Hamilton was more sheepish than he had been in the immediate aftermath of the race.

"Firstly, he doesn't have my number," he revealed.

"I'm just going to do my talking on the track, that's most important for me.

"I've heard of what he's said after the race. I've not come out of the race pointing the finger or said anything. It is what it is.”

The three-time world champion, who did fall 14 points behind in the Drivers' championship as the pair finishing fourth and fifth, did admit, however, his focus was also on moving forward.

"It happened, I don't think it was right but the biggest thing for me was that I lost the race through the headrest issue,” Hamilton said.

"All I'm thinking of is 'get my head together'. I want to kill it for the next 12 races to go. I want to win the next 12 races."

Formula 1 championship leaders, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, are blaming one another for the incident which saw them collide behind the Safety Car in a drama-filled Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The collision happened in preparation for the restart after the second of three Safety Car periods, with Hamilton allowing the Mercedes pace car to return to the pits he seemed to decelerate through Turn 15 causing the German to hit the Briton from behind.

A furious Vettel would draw side-by-side with Hamilton and started waving angrily before appearing to turn into the Mercedes car, making wheel-on-wheel contact, something which would earn him a 10-second stop and go penalty for dangerous driving.

At the time, the 29-year-old claimed Lewis had brake tested him and maintained that argument post-race.

"I think it was quite obvious [it was a brake test]," he said

"I don't run into the back of him on purpose, I damaged my wing, he had a little damage as well, nothing that would have impacted on the race."

Vettel would also suggest Hamilton has previous when it comes to not considering those behind when preparing for a restart.

"It's just not the way to do it, he's done it a couple of times, after his [first] restart was really good he surprised me and jumped me, so I don't think it was necessary," Sebastian explained

"The problem is me behind getting ready and all the other cars, but the problem is there's then a chain reaction and he's done something similar a couple of years ago in China at the restart, it's not the way to do it."

When informed of the penalty, Vettel seemed bemused as to what he had done wrong, but at the same time, was expecting Hamilton to be penalised for his perceived actions.

"I guess it was the running in the back of him but same for him with the brake checking," he said.

"We're all grown-ups, we're men, emotions running high in the car, but we want to race wheel-to-wheel but not when it's the restart.

"As you saw afterwards he did very well on the restart, I had nothing to answer, he outsmarted me then but before it was just not necessary."

As for Hamilton, he was outraged with the collision and considered Vettel’s action as a horrible example to young fans and drivers, he was also unimpressed by the lack of impact the penalty handed down had on the Ferrari driver's race

“It definitely sets a precedent, not only for F1 but also for all the young kids who are watching us F1 drivers drive and conduct ourselves, this thing today how a four-time world champion behaves, hopefully, that does not ripple into the younger categories,” he said.

“In terms of how things are penalised, how you can do things like that and still finish fourth, I don’t know," Lewis added. "I’ve not really thought too much about it. I just tried as hard as I could to get back up. But obviously not a great day in that sense.”