Sergio Perez has won the first sprint race of the Formula 1 season. He prevailed on Saturday (April 29, 2023) in Baku ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and world champion Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull.
With eight points for victory, Perez reduced his gap to team-mate Verstappen in the overall World Championship standings to 13 points and gained self-confidence for the Grand Prix on Sunday (1 p.m.) on the demanding street circuit in Azerbaijan.
“It was a lot of pressure” meanwhile said winner Perez. “Finishing with the most points was the main goal today.” Of course he also wants to compete in the Grand Prix “fight for victory”, said the second overall.
Russell vs Verstappen – a scene that caused trouble at Red Bull
The favorite Verstappen was particularly annoyed by an action by Mercedes driver George Russell. The Briton pushed past him at the start and damaged the defending champion’s car in the process. “That was an extremely tough manoeuvre, Max almost landed in the wall”said Red Bulls motorsport consultant Helmut Marko on Sky: “The car was damaged a lot more than we first thought.”
After Verstappen parked his Red Bull, a large hole was visible in the side box. “It is like it is”said Verstappen, who quickly focused on Sunday’s feature race.
The only German in the field, Nico Hülkenberg, only finished 15th in his Haas racing car at the Caspian Sea.
Formula 1 season with six sprint races
A total of six sprint races will take place this year. For the first time in Baku there was a separate qualification five hours before the start.
In the so-called sprint shootout, Leclerc had secured pole position, just as he had for the main race. Championship leader Verstappen is second in the fourth round of the season on the Caspian Sea. The next sprint will take place in Spielberg, Austria, in early July.