Sergio Perez took advantage of Max Verstappen's misfortune to become the first Formula 1 driver ever to become a double race winner at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The five previous editions of the Baku race had ended with a new name on the top step of the podium each time. But Perez added to his 2021 success on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital with a typically controlled drive.
Charles Leclerc was on pole but lost out to both Verstappen and Perez early on. The Dutchman pitted from the lead for new tyres, while Lewis Hamilton was also among the first to stop for fresh rubber – but both were burned by a safety car when Nyck de Vries stopped on track.
Verstappen made light work of getting back ahead of Leclerc, but Perez had maintained his tyres well and maintained the gap well to take victory. The Ferrari driver held on to third as Fernando Alonso's podium streak ended, though he will no doubt be happy with fourth place.
Hamilton looked well placed to have a go at Carlos Sainz in the battle for fifth late on, but was unable to catch the Spaniard. Lance Stroll held off George Russell to keep seventh and add more points for high-flying Aston Martin, while Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda rounded off the points positions.
For all the pre-race hype, the start to the race was without much incident as everyone very politely left enough room for everyone else in the first few corners. The only contact of not came when Oscar Piastri was sandwiched by Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon – the Williams man coming off worst as he lost his front wing endplate.
Leclerc held the lead for the first few laps but, as soon as DRS was enabled, it became an impossible task. The Monegasque's one-lap pace was enough for him to snatch pole on Friday, but the race speed of the Red Bulls proved too much to resist and he was soon behind both of them.
But Verstappen's progress was harmed by a safety car which came moments after he pitted for new tyres. It meant those behind him got to make a cheap stop and dropped him to third behind Perez and Leclerc, while Hamilton was the biggest loser as he had also already changed tyres and dropped to 10th as a result.
Verstappen didn't even wait for the DRS to come online again after the green flags were waved, overtaking at turn three to retake second place immediately. To make matters worse for Ferrari Carlos Sainz was surprised by Fernando Alonso at turn six, where overtaking is usually tricky, as the more experienced Spaniard moved into fourth.
Russell had a really poor restart and was overtaken by both team-mate Hamilton and Lance Stroll, who he had moved past with an aggressive move in the pit lane. "Well that was a s*** restart, sorry guys," was his blunt message over the radio as he took responsibility for being caught napping as the green flags flew.
With Verstappen complaining over the radio about his brake balance, Perez was able to extend his gap slightly at the front to make himself a bit more comfortable. He caught the Tec-pro barrier on the entry to turn 15 which concerned his team for a second, but otherwise the Mexican was motoring along smoothly.
As had been the case with much of the race, the rest of it passed without incident. But there was a scary moment at the end when Esteban Ocon pitted on the final lap, but photographers had already entered parc ferme to prepare for the podium ceremony and had to leap out of the way of the Alpine.
