Verstappen's 5th win, Ferrari's flailing season - 3 key talking points coming out of Baku

It was a day of joy and tribulation at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as both Red Bull Racing, and Ferrari had something to write home about. The Austrian team scored maximum points after Max Verstappen led a dominant 1-2 finish, while for Ferrari… well, the Italian team came away with zero points.

Here are three key takeaways from the race around the streets of Baku.

Verstappen on course for 2022 championship

Max Verstappen didn't have the easiest of weekends in Baku. From the first practice session to qualifying, he trailed Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and struggled to make the most of his car's performance potential. However, in the race, Verstappen extracted every ounce of performance from his RB18 to 1) pass Perez for the race's lead before 2) holding on for the win.

At one point, Verstappen's pace was so strong that the team asked him to decrease it. Though he obliged, he still increased his lead over Perez to eventually win by more than 20 seconds.

READ: WRAP | 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Max Verstappen becomes Baku's 6th different winner as Ferrari bombs

"Today, we had incredible pace in the car," an elated Verstappen said after the race. "Overall, really happy with how the balance of the car was. To have the 1-2 as a team - a really good day for us."

Verstappen has won five of the season's eight races so far and looks to be in prime position to win the 2022 F1 Drivers' championship. He is driving with more composure than ever before and is more calculated in his risks and passing manoeuvres.

Another new winner in Baku! ?? @Max33Verstappen #AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/JlXodweS2M

Reliability sending Ferrari's season up in smoke

"It hurts. We really need to look into that for it not to happen again. I can't really