Verstappen and Perez overhauled pole sitter Leclerc within the early phases. They continued to trade quickest lap occasions in the beginning of the course, and the defining second of the race comes when a Security Automotive is deployed on both aspect of the Purple Bull drivers.
Verstappen cleared his Mexican teammate and returned to the lead as he pitted below the yellow flags that appeared when Nyck de Vries stopped on the observe, after which Perez obtained below a Security Automotive.
Verstappen completed third, so he needed to beat Leclerc once more. Whereas it was a formality when the race began once more, he couldn’t move Perez as he ran to the checkered flag and needed to accept second place.
Leclerc delayed a delayed cost from Fernando Alonso to complete third, which meant the two-time champion’s 2023 podium run was over – however fourth nonetheless represented one other sturdy factors pull for the Aston Martin driver.
Carlos Sainz crossed the road in fifth on the different Ferrari, heading off Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes within the closing phases, whereas Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and George Russell’s Silver Arrow scored minor factors after an in depth encounter within the early pits.
Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg superior from the pit lane to remain in points-scoring positions for a lot of the race as they prolonged their first race on exhausting tyres. Nonetheless, late obligatory pit stops meant they relied on extra Security Automotive drama that by no means got here.
McLaren driver Lando Norris superior to the factors with a late transfer on Hulkenberg earlier than gaining one other spot when Ocon pitted. On the identical time, Yuki Tsunoda accomplished the highest 10 to avoid wasting a outcome for AlphaTauri.
Oscar Piastri, Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen and Pierre Gasly narrowly missed factors as they accomplished an in depth midfield bundle forward of last-placers Ocon, Logan Sargeant, Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas – the latter 3 times to the pit lane amid tire issues.
Bottas’ Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu entered the pits late because of an unspecified technical drawback, and De Vries was unnoticed of the opposite race after his aforementioned go to to the wall at Flip 5 within the early phases, inflicting deadly injury.
With consecutive Baku victories added to 2021 Grand Prix After the victory on the observe, Perez outstripped Verstappen’s championship and headed in single digits for the subsequent spherical of the season, which can happen every week later in Miami.
Perez, who additionally took house the Driver of the Day award, may have been extra within the drivers’ standings had it not been for Russell’s late cease, who used a set of sentimental tires to seize the quickest lap bonus factors.
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