A pretty uneventful Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku which saw Red Bull take their 25th 1-2 in their history, a second win for Sergio Perez at the circuit and of the season and finally confusion at the end which saw Esteban Ocon drive into the pit-lane full of people.
2 Wins in 2023 for Checo!
Sergio Perez achieved his second win of the season as he won by around 3 seconds over his teammate Max Verstappen. Perez took the lead after the safety car was deployed on lap 11 which benefited the Mexican after Verstappen had pitted the lap before. Perez led the rest of the race to win Red Bull's 25th 1-2 and become the first driver to win twice at Baku.
Safety Car Action
The safety car came out on lap 11 as Nyck De Vries had broken his front left suspension on turn 5 which sent him going straight into turn 6. The same lap the safety car was deployed, Verstappen made his pit-stop from the lead of the race after leading since lap 4 when he overtook pole-man Charles Leclerc. This resulted in Perez and Leclerc coming out in front of Verstappen.
When the safety car pulled into the pits, Verstappen overtook Leclerc for P2 immediately and Lewis Hamilton who also lost out because of the safety car gained 2 places to climb to P8 behind teammate George Russell. Just 1 lap later, Russell was overtaken by his teammate into turn 1.
A Race to Forget for Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo had a race to forget in Baku as Zhou Guanyu was forced to retire on lap 37 out of 51 (issue not known) and Valterri Bottas in the other Alfa was forced to pit 3 times and came last of the runners in P18. I'm sure Alfa Romeo will be hoping for a better race next time out in Miami.
Pit-Lane Drama at the End
Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon both started the race from the pit-lane and were the only 2 drivers to start on the hard tyre. Both drivers went long hoping for a safety car or a red flag but one never came. Hulkenberg pitted on lap 49 out of 51 and then Ocon pitted on lap 50 out of 51.
However, organisers of the pit-lane hadn't been told that Ocon still needed to pit in the race and closed the pit-lane in order to prepare for post race procedures such as the podium. People moved the barrier quickly and rushed out of the Alpine's path to avoid being hit by the moving car. The incident is currently under investigation at time of writing.
FASTEST LAP: GEORGE RUSSELL - 1:43:370
DRIVER OF THE DAY: SERGIO PEREZ
MY GP RATING: 6/10