Red Bull driver Sergio Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit to collect a second win of the season. Team-mate Max Verstappen finished in second place with Ferrari driver and pole-sitter Charles Leclerc collecting third – it was his team’s first podium of the 2023 Formula One season. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished sixth.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took the chequered flag at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to seal his second win of the 2023 Formula One season at the Baku City Circuit.
The Mexican driver produced a superb display and maintained the lead for the majority of the Grand Prix to finish ahead of his team-mate Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc came home in third to claim his and Ferrari’s first podium of the season. Lewis Hamilton claimed 6th place in the Mercedes.
After Perez’s success in Saturday’s sprint race, this latest win represents a strong weekend for the Red Bull driver, who takes home a total of 33 points this weekend to keep right on Verstappen’s tail in the world championship standings.
The Dutchman, who started the race in second place on the grid, took the lead on Lap 4 from the pole-sitter Leclerc, with Perez also getting past the Ferrari a few laps later.
Suspension damage on Nyck De Vries’ AlphaTauri on Lap 11 following a collision with the barrier triggered an early safety car. Perez used it to his advantage, and managed to get past his team-mate with a bit of luck, as Verstappen came into the pits a lap earlier for a tyre change and lost track position and the lead of the Grand Prix. He dropped back into P3.
Full racing conditions came back into effect on Lap 14, and Perez maintained the lead. Verstappen made the most of his straight line speed advantage over the Ferrari and immediately got back past Leclerc into Turn 3 to take second position.
Both Red Bull cars pulled away from the pack as their superiority in race pace showed, but Verstappen could not find a way to close the gap to his team-mate.
Perez produced a controlled drive to remain out in front until the end and he finished just over two seconds ahead of the defending world champion to achieve his sixth Formula 1 victory.
Leclerc just about hung on to 3rd place, crossing the line a close eight tenths of a second ahead of Fernando Alonso, who came home in fourth.
DRIVER OF THE DAY – SERGIO PEREZ
What a superb weekend for the Mexican driver, whose two victories closes the gap to Verstappen in the standings to just eight points ahead of the Miami Grand Prix next weekend.
There would always be question marks as to whether Red Bull would allow their drivers race once they were ahead of the rest of the pack today. Luckily, the team did just that, and it showed that Perez was the superior driver on the circuit as Verstappen had no answer to his pace.
Perez’s performances so far this season will give him hope that he can keep up the championship fight to his team-mate.
KEY MOMENTS
LAP 4/51: VERSTAPPEN TAKES THE LEAD – Leclerc will have a real fight on his hands to keep Verstappen behind him this lap. The Red Bull has a 8 km/h speed advantage down the straight even without the DRS. Let’s see if he can get the job done. And easy as you like, Verstappen breezes past the Ferrari and takes the lead as we start Lap 4.
LAP 11/51: SAFETY CAR – De Vries in the AlphaTauri is stranded at Turn 6, and it has triggered a safety car. Before the call is made, Red Bull opt to pit Verstappen, but Perez stays out. The defending World Champion may have lost out badly there as well as Hamilton, as a lot of drivers will now have a free pit stop!
LAP 14/51: VERSTAPPEN BACK INTO P2 – Perez opts to go back to full racing conditions fairly late down the straight as the safety car comes in to bunch the field up, and he just holds off Leclerc into Turn 1 and remains out in front. Verstappen then gets past Leclerc into Turn 3 to take second place. Alonso makes an outrageous move past Sainz into Turn 6, and he moves up into P4!
LAP 30/51: VERSTAPPEN DROPPING BACK – Verstappen has now dropped back to 2.2 seconds behind Perez on the race track. He has reported to his engineer that he is having some differential and engine braking issues, which may explain the lack of pace during this part of the race.
LAP 51/51: PEREZ WINS! – Perez produces an excellent display in the Red Bull to take the chequered flag and his second win of the season. Verstappen finishes in second place two seconds down the road, with Leclerc in P3!
