Ferrari say Charles Leclerc should have 'comfortably' won Baku GP in Max Verstappen taunt

Ferrari believe Charles Leclerc would have "comfortably" won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had it not been for his race-ending engine blowout.

The Monegasque was leading the race in Baku when steam began pouring out of the back of his F1-75. The issue forced him to retire from the race, as his team-mate Carlos Sainz had earlier, gifting the win and a massive points haul to Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

Leclerc had lost the lead of the race at the first corner, when Sergio Perez overtook him following a poor start off the line. But his luck had changed when Ferrari made the call to bring him in for an early pitstop under the virtual safety car, caused by Sainz stopping on lap nine.

It meant he lost less time in the pits compared to a usual stop, and gave him the job of protecting his hard tyres for the rest of the race. By the time Red Bull had brought in Verstappen and Perez for fresh rubber, Leclerc was once again back out in front.

Fans were deprived of the chance of seeing the Red Bulls catch up and the battle for the lead which would have ensued. But according to Ferrari such a scrap might not even have taken place, as their simulations showed that Leclerc was on course to win the race at a canter.

Gallery: Ferrari Testarossa Restomod By Officine Fioravanti (motor1.com)

"[Leclerc] was fighting for the lead with Perez and he had Verstappen on his gearbox," said sporting and strategy director Inaki Rueda in the team's official Azerbaijan Grand Prix debrief. "Verstappen got within DRS range of Charles and this is something we have been working on lately. With such small margins with Red Bull, we find ourselves winning or losing games with DRS overtakes.

"For Baku, we took a different rear wing and we worked on our