Sergio Perez doubles up in Azerbaijan after Red Bull blunder

Perez, Azerbeidzjan, Red Bull, Bakoe — Photo: © LAT Images

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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Perez doubles up in Azerbaijan after Red Bull blunder

Sam Hall

Sunday 30 April 2023 14:43 Updated: 19:03

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Sergio Perez became the first driver to score multiple wins at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Red Bull dominated in Baku.

The Mexican backed up his Sprint victory in a dreary Azerbaijan race to lead home team-mate Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc completed the podium as Fernando Alonso finished fourth and off the podium for the first time this year.

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But the main talking point of the weekend came on the penultimate lap when the pitlane was flooded by photographers as Esteban Ocon pulled in to complete his only stop of the day.

A steady start

Leclerc made a strong start as he led the field away from the start.

While things were polite at the front of the order, drivers in the lower order used their shoulders a little more, with Alex Albon sustaining front wing damage after making contact with Oscar Piastri at Turn 2.

Kevin Magnussen suffered similar damage after colliding with one of the Alfa Romeo drivers at the same corner.

Short-lived lead

As was the case in Saturday's Sprint, Leclerc was powerless to prevent the two Red Bull drivers from powering past once DRS was activated.

Losing the lead at the end of lap three, the Ferrari driver was down to third just two laps later.

'Inevitable' Azerbaijan Safety Car shakes up the order

The safety car regularly takes to the track in Azerbaijan and it appeared on lap 11 this time after Nyck de Vries struck the barriers at Turn 5.

The impact broke his front left suspension and left him stranded at the side of the track.

The interruption came midway through the pit-stop cycle with Lewis Hamilton one of the big losers, dropping from P5 to P10 with Mercedes having pitted him just one lap earlier.

Red Bull also caused the lead to change after anticipating the timing of the safety car incorrectly and pitting Verstappen too early.

Baku fails to deliver on past treats

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has often been one of the most exciting events on the calendar with the concrete walls claiming many drivers across the years.

But after the early safety car period, there was little for fans to get excited about with the hard tyres comfortably able to complete the entire race distance, something that Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg highlighted.

Both drivers had started from the pit lane and only pitted in the closing laps to complete their mandatory running on a second compound.

Late Ferrari charge confirms podium

Leclerc scored his first podium of the season after fending off a mid-race challenge from Fernando Alonso - the Aston Martin driver benefitting from the shuffle caused by the safety car intervention.

Ending the Spaniard's hopes of maintaining his 100 percent podium record for the season, Leclerc upped his pace in the closing stages.

But it was Goerge Russell that took the fastest lap of the race, fitting fresh soft tyres with two laps remaining.