2023 Azerbaijan GP Sprint Race: Full Report & Highlights

Sergio Pérez delivered a commanding and composed drive on the streets of Baku to claim the first Sprint race victory of the 2023 season, beating Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen to the flag and collecting the full eight points on offer. In a Sprint packed with contact, debris, tyre gambles and mid-race drama, Pérez showed impeccable timing and clean execution to turn Red Bull’s potential into a decisive statement.

With the revised 2023 Sprint weekend format in play, the new ‘Sprint Shootout’ set the grid for the 17-lap dash. Leclerc secured pole in warm, settled conditions, while Pérez and Verstappen lined up just behind. Notably absent was rookie Logan Sargeant, whose heavy Shootout crash caused substantial damage and forced Williams to withdraw him from the Sprint. The grid shrank further when Alpine changed Esteban Ocon’s suspension under parc fermé rules, obliging him to start from the pit lane.

As lights went out—almost the entire field beginning on mediums, save for soft-shod Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas—Leclerc got the launch he needed to hold the lead into Turn 1, with Pérez protecting second. Immediately behind them, chaos erupted: Verstappen and George Russell went side-by-side through the opening complex, the Mercedes muscling past into Turn 3 after door-banging contact that left Verstappen furious on the radio. Replays confirmed Russell’s front wheel tapped the Red Bull and sent Verstappen into the wall before he rejoined in P4.

Before Verstappen could retaliate on track, further drama unfolded. Yuki Tsunoda clipped teammate Nyck de Vries exiting Turn 13, shedding his right-rear tyre and scattering debris across the circuit. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed with Leclerc ahead of Pérez, Russell, Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, while Fernando Alonso overtook Alex Albon to latch on to Lewis Hamilton for P6. Tsunoda, missing a wheel, limped back for repairs, rejoined, and was immediately recalled as the AlphaTauri was deemed unsafe—triggering a full Safety Car. Ocon took advantage with a cheap stop for softs.

Behind the Safety Car, Red Bull informed Verstappen he’d sustained floor damage. His reply—“How?”—was met with a dry response: “How do you think?” The reigning champion’s frustration only grew as he questioned how Russell had been allowed to keep the position despite contact.

Up front, Leclerc reported running over a “cut”—later confirmed to be a cat—before preparing for the restart on Lap 5. The Ferrari executed it perfectly and protected P1 at Turn 1, while Pérez held second and Verstappen immediately made amends by repassing Russell for third. Sainz defended P5 robustly, and Alonso swept past Hamilton for sixth as the race finally settled into rhythm.

By Lap 8, Pérez had closed in with DRS and launched cleanly past Leclerc on the main straight, taking the lead with authority. Pérez quickly extended a gap in clear air, while Verstappen reeled in Leclerc from third, running significantly quicker than the Ferrari. Further back, Oscar Piastri passed McLaren teammate Norris for P10, prompting Norris to abandon his soft tyres for mediums. Ocon soon followed suit, with Bottas complaining that his own softs were “starting to melt”.

As the Sprint entered its final phase, Lance Stroll cleared Albon for P8 to grab the final point-paying position, while Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg clashed in a spirited Haas-versus-Haas scrap over 11th. Pérez remained serene out front, with Leclerc holding Verstappen at bay for second place.

Across the closing laps, the midfield battles intensified. Ricciardo and Piastri swapped places, Alonso continued to attack Gasly and Piastri, and Stroll kept Albon and Piastri behind to safeguard P8. Pérez, meanwhile, cruised to the chequered flag almost five seconds clear of Leclerc, with Verstappen settling for third amid his earlier damage.

Russell and Sainz completed the top five, followed by Alonso, Hamilton and Stroll in the remaining points spots. Albon finished just outside the top eight, leading Piastri across the line.

Magnussen ultimately led Haas’ charge in P11, while Hülkenberg faded to P15 as his tyres fell away. This allowed Zhou Guanyu and the recovering Pierre Gasly and Nyck de Vries to move up the order. Bottas stuck with his softs and ended P16, followed by Norris, Ocon and the sidelined Tsunoda, whose afternoon ended in the pits.

2023 Azerbaijan GP Sprint Race Results

2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint Race, 29 April 2023