Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Sprint: Perez reigns in Baku

On Friday, Poleman for Sunday’s race, Charles Leclerc confirmed his great form on the Baku track by qualifying in first position for the sprint race. Before the race, the Monegasque did not hide his ambitions and confidently stated his desire to win the sprint. It was also an opportunity for him to earn valuable points in the championship after a less than ideal start to the season. However, the mission was set to be challenging for the Ferrari driver, as he would have to fend off the attacks from the two Red Bulls behind him.

Contrary to the start in F2, no accidents were to be reported in the first sector. No accidents, but a very close duel between George Russell and Max Verstappen. With a better reaction time, the Mercedes driver positioned himself directly alongside the Red Bull to hope for the 3rd position. The Briton was not gentle with the world champion. Coming into contact at the second corner, he squeezed him again on the outside of the third corner. Red Bull informed Verstappen on the 4th lap that not only had he been overtaken, but also damage was to be reported on his floor.

A virtual safety car was triggered as early as the second lap due to a stray tire wandering onto the track. This lost sheep originally belonged to Yuki Tsunoda’s car. The Japanese driver had lost his rubber after making contact with the wall at turn 15. AlphaTauri decided to bring their driver back out, but little did they know that the suspension on his car was broken. This forced Tsunoda to complete a lap sideways. A spectacle that certainly amused some engineers in the garage. A comical scene at AlphaTauri, with the engineers of the Italian team having fun.

It was a revengeful Max Verstappen who executed the safety car restart very well to regain third position at the first braking zone. The Dutchman was praised by his team for overtaking the Mercedes without any contact. It was probably a joke with the aim of pushing the FIA to investigate this incident from the first lap.

In the 8th lap, Sergio Perez made good use of the DRS and top speed of his Red Bull to overtake Leclerc and take the lead of the race. Two laps later, the Mexican set the fastest lap and started to create some distance between him and the Monegasque. Leclerc’s dreams of victory were fading away as the third position was closing in on him in the rearview mirrors. Fortunately for the little prince of the Scuderia, Verstappen’s damages seemed too severe for him to deprive Leclerc of the second position.

Sergio Perez becomes, with this victory in the sprint race, the first driver to win twice on this circuit layout in the historic center of the city. However, in the record books, only the victory on Sunday will count. The Mexican was already, before this race, the driver with the most podium finishes in Azerbaijan. The one nicknamed Checo confirms that Red Bull cars are the ones to beat on Sunday.

On the land of his first points in Formula 1, and despite taking pole position 3 times, Charles Leclerc has never won in Baku. Despite not being able to secure a victory, Leclerc preferred to focus on the progress made by Ferrari between Australia and Baku, which allowed the red team to climb back to the top of the hierarchy.

Verstappen wasted no time in speaking to George Russell once they got out of their cars to explain the need to leave room and to be more careful.