Sergio Perez made the Sprint Race of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix his own, fourth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship, confirming that Red Bull is truly capable of winning every race this season. On the Baku street circuit, the Mexican managed every moment of the race well, ahead of a stoic Charles Leclerc and an enraged Max Verstappen. Let’s go, therefore, to deliver the report cards of today’s race.
THE REPORT CARDS OF THE SPRINT RACE OF BAKU
SERGIO PEREZ (Red Bull) 9: he knew that his race had to rely on two cornerstones: starting well and waiting for the right moment to take advantage of his DRS. Indeed, the Mexican is not wrong one iota. At the start he defends his second position well, so he stays within a second behind and waits for the right moment to attack the Monegasque. He does it and leaves him no way out. From then on he runs away and wins easily.
CHARLES LECLERC (Ferrari) 8: at the end of the race he talks about “maximum possible result achieved”. How to blame him? He does everything in his power to aim for victory. He gets off to a good start, he repeats himself after the Safety Car, so he has to be overtaken by Sergio Perez. In the final he seems to collapse from a tire point of view, but still manages to keep Max Verstappen behind. 7 points this Saturday, one more than he had won so far.
F1, Leclerc fights, but Red Bull is too strong: 2nd in the Sprint Race in Baku behind Perez
MAX VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull) 7: proof not from “Super Max”, but the explanation can be found in the gash in the left side of his RB19. Contact with George Russell at the start could have cost a very high price for the Dutchman who, despite an obvious impairment, was looking for second place right up to the last metre. Tomorrow, starting in second position, he is obviously the big favorite for the race proper.
GEORGE RUSSELL (Mercedes) 6.5: he sets fire to the early stages with a truly hand-to-hand duel with Max Verstappen, then gets the most out of his Saturday, aware that tomorrow, starting 11th, everything will be much more complicated. He keeps Lewis Hamilton at arm’s length and scores a point in his favor in the internal duel.
CARLOS SAINZ (Ferrari) 5.5: continues its Azerbaijani weekend with few jolts. Since P1 he had hinted that things were not going well with his SF-23 and, between qualifying and the Sprint Race, he largely confirmed it. Today he doesn’t go beyond fifth place and, only in the final stages, does he give the sensation of being able to really push. Tomorrow will be even more complicated for the Spanish.
FERNANDO ALONSO (Aston Martin) 6: sufficiency stretched for the Spaniard who, after the first three outings, immediately understood that his single-seater would have to run in defense in Baku. He stops in sixth position with the feeling of having really done his best.
LEWIS HAMILTON (Mercedes) 5: the “Black King” was confident of seeing substantial improvements on his W14 on this trip but, up to now, the Englishman is having a really gray weekend. Today never in the heat of the fight, he doesn’t go beyond a seventh position 16 seconds from the top. Far too little…
Photo: LaPresse
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