F1 leaves Azerbaijan Grand Prix with FIVE unanswered questions prior to Spanish GP

VALTTERI BOTTAS drove to his second win this season, having failed to stand on top of the podium in the whole of 2018.

It was another stunning, yet surprising weekend for Mercedes, who were staring at the tails of the two Ferraris during the practice runs, before coming up with the goods when it mattered.

But why are the Prancing Horse cars lacking pace? And can Bottas mount a challenge for the main prize throughout the season?

Can Valtteri Bottas be a real threat to Lewis Hamilton’s title hopes?

Bottas certainly looks like he can offer a threat to Hamilton’s crown, he now leads the drivers’ championship by a point ahead of the Brit.
But can we really expected Hamilton not to fight back? Not really, he always has a strong end to the season and when he builds up a head of steam, no one can stop him.

Why are Ferrari so slow?

One for the Italian team to answer but the debriefs at their Maranello HQ will be running long into the week.
Again, they looked the quicker car during practice yet it all goes horribly wrong in qualifying and then in the race. They desperately need a win in Spain to stop the rot.

What on Earth is wrong with Renault?

Two decent drivers in Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg but Renault are simply not delivering on track.
Sure, Ricciardo’s retirement in Baku was his own doing after he reversed into Daniil Kvyat, but the fact is they are off the pace and unreliable.
Renault have spent millions recruiting Ricciardo and redeveloping their factories in France and Endstone, but it is simply not going for them.

Will McLaren get a podium in 2019?

You know it is not out of the question. After years of going backwards, McLaren are finally moving in the right direction again.
Another solid performance from rookie Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz and McLaren are no longer a laughing stock. Can they reach the podium? We will see but it no longer seems that unrealistic.

What can Williams do to stop their run of bad luck?

Witchcraft seems like a viable option, for it cannot go much wrong. Already with the slowest car on the grid, George Russell was lucky to walk away when a drain cover slammed into his car during practice.
Then  Robert Kubica crashed during qualifying. And then his mechanics pushed him to the pitlane too early for the start of the race, earning a penalty.
Fingers crossed for Spain – the scene of their last triumph in 2012 – only for their garage to then burn down.