Azerbaijan GP Results: What Happened During The Race That Ended With Drama
It's the first sprint weekend of the 2023 F1 calendar, but finally, after plenty of action, we have the traditional Grand Prix. And, well, it wasn't the most interesting.
McLaren proved their upgrades are working, Red Bull is still comfortably in the lead, but Ferrari is the standout today, with Charles Leclerc showing that when he doesn't have a streak of bad luck, he can be right up at the front of the pack.
Standout Moments
With Charles Leclerc starting in P1, he was able to maintain his lead on the first corner with Max Verstappen adamant to stay within DRS range behind him. But with the Ferrari driver doing his best to manage his medium tyres in the high heat, it was no surprise that the Dutchman was able to stay on his gearbox and eventually overtake him with the car's powerful DRS.
Mercedes' George Russell quickly gained two places, overtaking Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri of Alphatauri and McLaren respectively. Kevin Magnussen had a small impact, damaging his front wing, but according to Haas it didn't seem to be much of an issue.
Valtteri Bottas was the first to pit alongside Pierre Gasly and eventually Albon, with all drivers opting for the hard compound. It looked like the medium didn't last quite as long as teams were hoping. Hamilton was then asked to box, releasing him from the onslaught from Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
Nyck de Vries made a quick exit from the race after coming to a stop in Sector 1 after hitting the wall and damaging his front left suspension, forcing a safety car and giving Sergio Perez a very cheap pitstop while retaining his lead. Hamilton didn't do well from this, pitting the lap before the safety car, pushing him to P10. His safety car curse certainly hasn't disappeared yet.
Alonso took his chances as the safety car peeled in and took P4 from Sainz in a brilliant move. Unfortunately for Stroll, he soon after hit the wall, damaging his front left wheel lip. According to the driver, however, the "car is okay". It didn't take long for him to make a mistake, however, allowing Hamilton to edge closer and overtake under DRS. Continuing to struggle for pace, Russell was soon on his gearbox.
30 laps in and Verstappen complained about the RB19's engine braking, which could explain his lack of pace behind Sergio.
Bottass really had a bad day, pitting far more than the rest of the pack and consistently being at the back of the pack. A fair difference from 2019 where he qualified in pole position. His teammate Zhou Guanyu retired from the race on Lap 38, with the Chinese driver stopping in the pits and being wheeled in without much word from the team.
Continuing the activity in the pit lane, Mercedes were then seen readying tyres for George Russell as Hamilton took the fight to Sainz as he asked for more power down the radio.
Esteban Ocon finished the race with huge drama as he came in to pit on the last lap, but with a number of people on the pit straight, they had to jump out of the way of the Alpine as it pushed its way into the pit straight as Russell, who just pitted, took home fastest lap.
Results
- Sergio Perez
- Max Verstappen
- Charles Leclerc
- Fernando Alonso
- Carlos Sainz
- Lewis Hamilton
- Lance Stroll
- George Russell
- Lando Norris
- Yuki Tsunoda