(Baku) Sergio Pérez took advantage of a safety car exit to beat team-mate Max Verstappen to win the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.
In doing so, the Red Bull driver completed a one-two after winning the sprint race held on Saturday. He also extended his team’s winning streak, winning the first four events on the 2023 calendar.
Pérez took the lead when he managed to save time on a pit lap while the safety car was on the track, after Verstappen had pitted a lap earlier.
“Good job guys, we dominated this weekend,” Pérez told his team members on the radio. “We are in the fight, guys. »
PHOTO DARKO BANDIC, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sergio Perez
Second behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari at the start of the race, Verstappen passed it on the long straight at the end of lap three, the first where drivers could make use of the wing-mounted drag reduction system back of their car.
Verstappen’s maneuver was similar in all respects to the one Pérez pulled off on Leclerc en route to his victory in Saturday’s sprint race.
After Verstappen took the lead on Sunday, Pérez needed just two more laps to imitate the Dutchman and take second place ahead of Leclerc.
As a result, the Red Bulls had just confirmed their status as the dominant team in Formula 1.
Pérez then took advantage of the presence of the safety car after Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) went off the track caused by a broken suspension, at 11e tower, just after passing the Verstappen pits.
The exit of the safety car ensured that Pérez and Leclerc lost less time following their pit stops and passed Verstappen.
The Dutchman regained the advantage over Leclerc at 14e lap, one lap after the restart, and thereafter the two Red Bulls broke away from the rest of the field.
Pérez completed the race in one hour 32 minutes 42,436 seconds, just over two seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Leclerc placed third, more than 21 seconds behind the winner.
PHOTO SERGEI GRITS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
From left to right: Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen on the podium
For Leclerc it is a first podium in 2023 after a sluggish start to the season, and he said the Red Bulls have been “in another league” in terms of race pace.
Helped by a spectacular maneuver to restart the race, Spaniard Fernando Alonso led his Aston Martin to fourth place. His Quebec teammate Lance Stroll finished seventh behind Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
With his victory, Pérez (87 points) approached six points behind Verstappen, leader in the general classification. The two riders each have two victories, but Pérez lost ground at the previous stop in Australia, where he finished fifth.
Moreover, Pérez is the only driver to have won on the Baku street circuit more than once. In his last five races on this track, he has four podiums.
Jokingly, Perez quipped that he has “two and a half” career wins in Azerbaijan, including Saturday’s sprint race.
“Things are what they are”, launched, philosopher, Verstappen about his result on Sunday. In passing, he described as “unfortunate” the exit of the safety car.