Which means we’re finished here; thanks for your company, and do join us for Miami next week! Peace out.
And here’s Giles Richards’ race report:
Also going on:
Of course, we reconvene very quickly – next week, in Miami. That’ll be an entirely different affair, and I daresay Verstappen is up for that one given a lead at the top of the driver championship now whittled to six points.
Those Leclerc lines, transcribed: “They are in another league when it comes to the race,” he said of Red Bull who finished 21 seconds. “We are working out what we can do in the race to close the performance to Red Bull.”
And just kicking-off:
To read…
Driver standings
1 Verstappen (Red Bull) 93
2 Perez (Red Bull) 87
3 Alonso (Aston Martin) 60
4 Hamilton (Mercedes) 48
5 Sainz (Ferrari) 34
6 Leclerc (Ferrari) 28
7 Russell (Mercedes) 28
8 Stroll (Aston Martin) 29
9 Norris (McLaren) 10
10 Hulkenberg (Haas) 6
Updated
Don’t miss this…
Time for the Mexican anthem.
“Not the most interesting race,” says Perez; “loneliest race ever,” says Leclerc, then “you were unlucky” to Verstappen, who admits Perez didn’t get the rub last year in Jeddah. Versatappz really has the confidence of a champ; he doesn’t seem bothered, especially, by his ill luck today because he has unshakeable confidence it’ll be him atop the podium at the end of the season.
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Perez, the only man to win two Azerbaijan GPs, admits he and Verstappen both clipped walls, and he had a bit of luck not blowing up. But he thinks he and his team did well to hold off Verstappen.
Verstappen says it can’t be perfect all the time, some days you learn, and he got unlucky with the safety car but otherwise had a bit of an issue with his car and once he sorted it the last 10 laps were OK. Told it’ll be a tough, close season, he sounds less convinced, saying that remains to be seen.
Updated
Leclerc says he thinks his car is a bit better but Red Bull have found something they haven’t and though everyone’s working hard, when it comes to racing speed they can’t compete.
Finishing positions
Sergio Pérez (Red Bul)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Alexander Albon (Williams)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Logan Sargeant (Mercedes)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) DNF
Nyck De Vries (AlphaTauri) DNF
“You got a little unlucky with the safety car there,” Horner tells Verstappen, but adds that it’s a long season and this is a good team result. “It is what it is,” says the champ perceptively.
“Well done guys! Well done!” Perez tells his team, punching the air. “Vamoooooossssss!”
Sergio Pérez wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Red Bull!
Max Verstappen of Red Bull is second, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari third; George Russell does indeed bag the fastest-lap point.
Updated
Lap 51/51 Confusion in the pit lane as Ocon looks ready to come in, but there are people all over it, photographers I think and others there to celebrate, forced to duck out of the way as he speeds in! What on earth?! No one was hurt, but it’s not the point: that was dangerous as hell.
Updated
Lap 50/51 Today is the anniversary of Roland Ratzenberger’s death, at Imola in 1994, so tomorrow is that of Ayrton Senna; what a dreadful weekend that was.
Lap 49/51 Verstappen sets a fastest lap time, then Alonso trumps it. But he’ll have to accept fourth just as Hamilton will have to handle sixth, Sainz in front of him hanging on easily enough.
Lap 48/51 This has been a surprisingly uneventful race. It’s been clear for quite some time how it was going to end, and Alonso, for all the joy of his big words, is still 2.887s behind Leclerc.
Lap 47/51 Perez has driven an almost-perfect race. Verstappen just can’t get close to him, and his lead at the top will be down to maximum six points, depending on the fastest lap situation.
Lap 46/51 We cut to Norris, he bins Hulkenberg at t7 and forces his way into the points, streaking clear. Well done Lando! Meantime, Leclerc puts in another fastest lap, while Piastri closes on Tsunoda, currently 12th.
Lap 45/51 Russell has enough time over Ocon, 22.341s, so that he could pit and try for a fastest lap, but in the meantime, he’s still eighth.
Lap 44/51 Leclerc puts in the fastest lap of the race, and the Ferrari is seriously improving as a car. I guess it’s fair to wonder where this pace has been until now, but perhaps he figured that he’s never getting Verstappen so may as well nurse himself to third and a podium.
Lap 43/51 Alonso tries to make a charge, but Leclerc puts in the fastest first half of a lap while, at the back, Gasly overtakes Sargeant to go 15th.
Lap 42/51 It’s telling how little time we’ve spent discussing the battle for P1, which tells us that Perez is driving a quietly tremendous race. Now here comes Hamilton again, but he’s a little shy of Sainz so can’t make a telling move
Lap 41/51 Hamilton bousts down the straight, he’s much quicker than Sainz, but as he gets DRS, both straights end before he can pass.
Updated
Lap 40/51 Alonso, we’re told, asked his team how many laps were left.:
“14”
“Good number, let’s go and get Leclerc. The gap, though, is 4.386, so.
Lap 39/51 Perez increases his lead to 3.585s, and let’s have a run-down.
1 Perez
2 Verstappen
3 Leclerc
4 Alonso
5 Sainz
6 Hamilton
7 Stroll
8 Russell
9 Ocon
10 Hulkenberg
11 Norris
12 Tsunoda
13 Piastri
14 Albon
15 Magnussen
16 Sargeant
17 Gasly
18 Bottas
Lap 38/51 Great stuff from Sharl Leclerc, who’s increased a lead over Alonso that wasn’t much more than a second to over three. Oh, and Zhou has retired; this hasn’t been his season so far.
Lap 37/51 Hamilton, relegated to 11th by the safety car after coming out of the pits, can read Sainz’s bumper stickers now, but he can’t get quite close enough to challenge.
Lap 36/51 Hamilton and Sainz are duelling for fifth, 0.810s between them, as Crofty notes this is not the most eventful of races – especially for Baku, which tends to inspire action and overtaking.
Lap 35/51 I wonder if this weekend might be seen a coming-out for Perez. I mean we know he’s good, but if he can hold off Verstappen over an entire race, that’ll give him such a fillip.
Lap 34/51 Perez is handling the slower parts of the course really well, and we’re on board with him as he catches the wall at t15; “what happened there?” threaten his team. He leads by 2.277., but Verstappen is closing a little.
Lap 33/51 Gasly, in 19th, takes out Bottas for go 18th, while Perez leads Veratappen by 2.398s. There’s nothing we’re seeing which suggests Perez won’t win this race handily.
Lap 32/51 Alonso is gaining on Leclerc in third, but as I type that, Leclerc puts in a really good lap that re-establishes a lead of around 1.8s, so safe from DRS.
Lap 31/51 With 20 laps to go, we’re thinking two-stop strategies, with Red Bull unlikely to risk changing Verstappen at this point in case we get another safety-car situation.
Lap 30/51 Verstappz complains that the engine breaking isn’t working well relative to the diff, and Perez is now dominating on the slower corners. It’s only when he has slipstream that Verstappen s quicker, and Perez’s lead is now 2.384s.
Lap 29/51 “Time for Perez to shine by winning this ahead of Verstappen,” emails Yash Gupta. “He is much more than just being a sidekick to Verstappen. With Red Bull so dominant, think Perez will push more for himself.”
Yup, and Verstappen has just told his team his engine-breaking isn’t working well.
Lap 28/51 Alonso is lapping faster than Leclerc, the difference between them 2.170, and if he can get in front, he can finish third for the fourth race in a row – which’d be a new record.
Updated
Lap 27/51 Stroll has done a good job in fending off Russell to hang onto seventh – the gap between them is 1.271s – but Russell is also preserving his tyres, so.
Lap 26/51 We hit the halfway mark and David Croft notes that the gap between Perez and Verstappen has stayed pretty much the same for 20 or so laps. I guess things might be decided by the stop strategy.
Lap 25/51 Perez leads by 1.431s, and the gap to Leclerc in third is now 11.685s. Alonso is 2.671s behind that, and these last few laps have been pretty quiet.
Lap 24/51 Hamilton might have an overheating situation while, in front, Verstappen sets another fastest lap. But so far, Perez is keeping him off.
Lap 23/51 Perez leads, then Verstappen, Leclecr, Alonso, Sainz, Hamilton, Stroll, Russell, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Norris, Tsunoda, Piastri, Albon, Gasly, Magnussen, Zhou, Sargeant.
Lap 22/51 We’ve now got a scrap for first and second between Perez and Verstappen; behind, Leclerc is 9.49s away.
Lap 21/51 Verstappen sets another fastest lap – he trails Perez by 1.345s, then Perez corners poorly – while poor old Stroll now has Russell behind and trying to overtake.
Updated
Lap 20/51 A terrible piece of cornering from Stroll allows Hamilton to use DRS to shoot by with the greatest of ease. He goes fifth, 1.235 behind Sainz.
Lap 19/51 Perez leads Verstappen by 1.461s, and this should be a terrific tussle. Remember, no team instructions, which sort of tells us Red Bull are so confident in their car they don’t need to make sure Verstappen wins the driver championship, he just will.
Lap 18/51 Hamilton has DRS but can’t get at Stroll, while Verstappen has put 5s between him and Leclerc, setting another fastest lap.
Lap 17/51 Stewards have had a look at Russell’s pit-lane behaviour and decided it’s fine.
Lap 16/51 Perez was briefly investigated for resiting his overtaking but he’s let off, and leads Verstappen by 1.506. We then see Stroll clip a wall, but unlike De Vries, he doesn’t seem to jiggered his car.
Lap 15/51 Perez sets a fastest lap than Hamilton rinses by Russell and we see Verstappen passing Leclerc; he used the slip, then made sure he had the inside line, so though Leclarc’s Ferrari speed was OK on the straight, round the bend he had no hope.
Lap 14/51 Leclerc goes at Perez who holds him off; Verstappen goes at Leclerc who holds him off … then cannot! Verstappen goes second, Stroll diddles Russell following his snide overtake in the pit-lane, and Alonso takes out Sainz at the largely consolidatory t6!
Lap 13/51 The safety car still runs and Perez leads by 1.774s from Leclerc with Verstappen a further 0.956s behind, followed by Sainz, followed by Alonso, followed by Russell. The safety cars dips out and we’re properly back under way again.
Lap 12/51 De Vries has to retire for the first time in F1 and we see him clipping a wall, which then sent him into another wall. And we also see some lovely snide driving from Russell, sneaking up on Stroll as he sought to pit but had to hang back because Alonso, his teammate, was in front.
Lap 12/51 Perez, Leclerc and Sainz pit, Russell and Stroll too. Perez leads, from Leclerc from Verstappen, now behind because of the safety car – that’s unfortunate for him – from Sainz from Alonso.
Updated
Lap 11/51 A yellow flag, so Verstappen stops and there’s no room for Perez so he keeps going; the safety car comes out.
Updated
Lap 10/51 Perez closes on Verstappen, the gap 0.732s, and he’s got a chance here! Hamilton meanwhile, stops and is now 12th. Verstappen then tells his team he’s got problems with his tyres while, De Vries looks to have spun!
Lap 9/51 Alonso is sure Hamilton’s tyres are graining, so is still waiting behind him, whole Piastri comes in hoping to come out ahead of Tsunoda in 15th but doesn’t.
Updated
Lap 8/51 Verstappz leads by 1.627s but lets his team know he clipped a wall at turn four … then we learn he just recorded the fastest lap of the race. He seems fine.
Lap 7/51 Albon is pitting and comes out ahead of Gasly and Bottas – who’ve also pitted – I think changed to mediums.
Updated
Lap 6/51 Stroll and Alonso decide the latter won’t attack the former; Alonso, in front in sixth, thinks Hamilton, fifth, has issues with his tyres, so rather than jigger himself attacking, he wants to wait and allow things to deteriorate.
Lap 6/51 Yup, there we go: Perez skates by Leclerc on the outside and now he can get at Verstappen – there don’t appear to be team orders, so this should a straight race.
Lap 5/51 Not this time! Perez screams down the final straight but can’t quite get by before the first corner. Leclerc, though, is on notice, the gap between them 0.586s while, in fifth, Hamilton is starting to worry Sainz.
Lap 4/51 Verstappen leads by 1.006s, with Perez a further 0.636s behind. It feels like a matter of time before those two swap places.
Lap 3/51 Watching via drone, we can see how much quicker on the straight Verstappen is than Leclerc, but Leclerc’s straight-line pace is pretty good too. However next time round, Verstappen will have DRS and here he comes, bousting by effortlessly! These Red Bulls are rapid.
Lap 2/51 Verstappen gains on Leclerc and our standings are:
1 Leclerc
2 Verstappen
3 Perez
4 Sainz
5 Hamilton
6 Alonson
7 Stroll
8 Norris
9 Russell
10 Tsunoda
11 Pistri
12 Albon
13 Magnussen
14 Sargeant
15 Gasly
16 Zhou
17 De Vries
18 Bottas
19 Ocon
20 Hulkenberg
Lap 1/51 Verstappen gets away quicker than Leclerc but Leclerc hangs on, Stroll makes up two places, Russell has made up two places, and we’ve got two yellow flags out but for debris, our trackside lads reckon.
AND AWAY WE GO!
Updated
Talking of driving, I just had a flashback: I was driving back from a football match in Bolton and, feeling sleepy, reached for my water to pour over my head, did it, and realised I’d picked up the Cherry Coke instead.
The drivers are all carred, and we’re getting ready to go. Fifty-one laps, and the parade lap is away.
With whom would you rather have a jar: Christian Horner or Toto Wolff?
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I’ve always kind of wondered how these races would go if the cars were the kind of jalopy I bought for £400 when I was 17, an X-reg Fiesta with go faster stripes. Perhaps a few width restrictors, speed humps and roundabouts would also shake thingsa up.
Eight minutes to lights-out and barely a mention of Lewis Hamilton. He needs a proper car a-sap.
Toto Wolff tells Sky they had good moments yesterday when Russell was fast at the end, but thinks he needs to make up a few places quickly then be patient. On Russell/Verstappz, he says it’s emotional , banter, and a bit of fun.
There’s a chamber feel to this.
It’s pretty hot on the track, much more so than earlier in the weekend – we’ll see how that affects things. But for now, it’s anthem time.
Russell says no hard feelings with Verstappz and he’ll shake his hands when he sees him. But what’ll happen next time they meet wheel-to-wheel? He also says he was thinking about softs, but he got a message on his radio yesterday that Norris – who’s with him – was struggling on them.
Christian Horner says he could understand Verstappen’s vex yesterday, his car wasn’t working as meant to. But he shook it off quickly and both Red Bull’s drivers are free to race on a track that can be brutal – they just need to bring home as many points as possible.
Yesterday, Pérez overtook Leclerc from 0.569s behind. That must be terrifying for everyone not driving a Red Bull. Given the track, it seems unlikely his Ferrari will be in front for long, nor much of a threat once passed.
On that point, I should also say that overkill is annoying for fans, but for players things can be more painful. The mental and physical stress of competing so often, of being away from home all the time, and having so little time to relax is not easily borne.
Email! “Max is a great racer,” says Yash Gupta, “and he also polarises people with his style which I quite like: elbows out and stuff. However he’s bang on about this F1 schedule. It is getting crowded more and more and as a result I’m already starting to lose a bit of interest. F1 should take a look at football. You can only add so much stuff before traditional supporters get worn out. You can parade around higher sponsorship deals but ultimately it takes its toll. I’ve already lost interest in wrestling, cricket and same has started with football especially since November. With upcoming changes F1 might be next.”
Yes, I’d say cricket in particular is struggling with this issue – it feels like it’s in the throes of becoming two different things: Tests and T20. This is what happens when those who run ting think sport exists to make money, rather than makes money because it exists.
Or this piece:
This has nothing to do with F1 but also everything to do with F1 because it has everything to do with everything – see the piece below, for example.
For the first time in our history...
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) April 30, 2023
EMIRATES STADIUM. SOLD OUT. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/sTUNFjFOVp
Catch yourselves up on the weekend’s action so far:
Also going on:
Our grid
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Sergio Pérez (Red Bul)
Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Alexander Albon (Williams)
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Logan Sargeant (Mercedes)
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Nyck De Vries (AlphaTauri)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Ocon and Hulkenberg to start from pit-lane.
Updated
“It’s great racing track,” says Damon Hill, also bigging up Baku the city. If only it was so simple.
Preamble
Before the first race of the season in Bahrain, we discussed in these pages that, though we knew what was going to happen – Max Verstappen and Red Bull winning again, going away – in the course of that, stuff would also happen. And, as we get ready for Azerbaijan (land of fire), that very much looks to be the case.
We’ve got the new sprint-race format going – to the chagrin of the champion, naturally protective of an existing system that favours him – and following yesterday’s iteration, he and George Russell got into it after a little on-track contretemps. The ensuing accusations of dickheadery and vows of revenge – everything that no one wants to see – promise to sustain us through this term and hopefully for many more to come.
Also fascinating were Verstappen’s comments at the start of the weekend. “I have to be careful what I say now,” he said. “I’ve always said anyway that even if there weren’t any more sprint races, but if we keep expanding the calendar and the whole weekend is that long, at one point you question yourself ‘is it worth it?’ “I do like racing, I do like winning. I know that of course the salary and everything, you have a good life, but is it actually a good life?”
He went on to say that he’s enjoying it at the moment and has a contract till 2028, but also that he has other ambitions. Which is to say the sport is on notice: its current golden boy is already contemplating the end, which might come sooner than we thought. And beyond that, if the life it imposes on those involved is suboptimal even for the driver it’s bringing most success, perhaps something needs re-evaluating?
Lights out: 3pm local, 12pm BST
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