ICYMI: Cancelled protest, Masi on Norris penalty & Pirelli scrutiny

Verstappen says he will be two-tenths fastest than Hamilton in equal machinery 

Hamilton claimed after the race that Verstappen owes his lead in World Championship to Red Bull's 'better car'. To this the Dutchman has a sharp response: "I would say that too if I were him. I think if I'm in his car I'm still two tenths faster than him. I don't care what he says," said Verstappen. 

It seems as if the rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton is only just getting started. Click here to read the latest instalment.  To add to the matter, Verstappen now has a teammate who can stay with him. Sergio Perez won the race and has picked up plenty of praise from his Red Bull partner. 

"Are you a bit sweaty or not?", the Dutchman asks as he drops in on an interview from Perez. "I've already changed my shirt", the race winner responds, after which he again expresses his regret for the disappointment for Verstappen. The latter, however, says he should enjoy it above all. "You did a great job today," he says as the two embrace amicably. Click here to read the full story. 

Masi: 'Even a six-year-old knows that'

Lando Norris can look back with mixed feelings on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After a good qualifying in sixth place, he got a grid penalty of three places because he did not enter the pits during the red flag. Race director Michael Masi doesn't want to know anything about Norris' criticism of the decision and firmly rejects his complaints. "To be honest, from karting to Formula 1, when a red flag is shown the meaning is very clear. Brake off and come to the pit lane immediately. So that even for a six-year-old, driving a kart race for the first time, there is no ambiguity. That is consistent for all track races," said Masi. Click here to read the full story. 

Wolff can't believe his eyes

Toto Wolff couldn't believe his eyes on Sunday when he saw Lewis Hamilton miss out. In a split second, Wolff went from euphoric to disbelief. Mercedes shares the footage of this moment. 

On the restart, Hamilton, who wanted to take it easy, even looked to be heading for the lead. He got alongside Sergio Perez and looked set to take the lead. However, the Briton made a mistake on braking because he had touched a button. Toto Wolff saw it coming and cried out when it all went wrong for his team. Click here to see the video. 

Cancelled protest threat

The entire weekend of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was all about the rear wings. Would Mercedes make a protest against Red Bull Racing's rear wing, and with that a protest against the FIA? 

Wolff said he would wait until the race to see if they would file a protest or not. After the race, it turned out that the protest wouldn't take place. Mercedes will not file a protest despite a scoreless race and a win for Sergio Perez. ''No. The whole story is fundamentally annoying. We will not file a protest against Sergio Perez now, but we trust the new test of the FIA,'' Wolff said. Read the full story here. 

Pirelli tyres

Pirelli chief Mario Isola says it will not be easy to find out what caused the tyre failure of Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll in Baku. In a first reaction, Pirelli said it was debris on the track, a statement that Verstappen saw coming not long before.

Isola, however, contradicts that this makes the investigation easier. "No, it doesn't make it easier. If you have an accident the tyre gets damaged in many places," he said. The tyres will be sent to a laboratory, where a microscopic examination will be carried out. According to Isola, the next step is to find out if any cut was caused when the tyre blew, or if it had an external cause. Click here to see the full story. 

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