Another 1-2 for Red Bull
Sergio Pérez has trumped teammate Max Verstappen in Baku. The Mexican from Red Bull won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and thus recorded his second victory of the season.
Reigning world champion Verstappen was close behind Pérez for most of the race, but was unable to get close enough to attempt an overtake. The Limburger had to settle for second place. A good distance from the two Red Bulls, Charles Leclerc, who had started the race from pole position, drove his Ferrari to third place. Verstappen retained first place in the championship. He saw his teammate, who had already won the sprint race on Saturday, catch up. The Mexican is only 6 points behind: 93 to 87.
It looks like the battle for the world title will be between the two Red Bull drivers this year. Pérez could not match the Dutchman in the previous two years, but this year he is more prominent and has already stated several times that he wants to fight for the title and will not hesitate to attack his teammate. In Baku he put his money where his mouth is.
Verstappen had a good start. He patiently continued to drive behind Leclerc for the first few laps and blasted past him on the long straight on lap four at 342km/h to take the lead. In the tenth round Nyck de Vries hit the wall with his AlphaTauri and fell out. He was parked on the track, so the race management declared a neutral phase. That turned out wrong for Verstappen. The race leader went in for his pit stop before the safety car was on track. Pérez and Leclerc took advantage of Verstappen’s wrong timing and returned to the track in front of the Dutchman after their pit stop under the safety car.
Verstappen quickly passed Leclerc into second place after the restart and immediately went on the hunt for his teammate, but Pérez lived up to his reputation as a recognized racer on street circuits. Verstappen did not manage to get closer quickly. The difference remained just above second for many laps, preventing him from using his DRS on the long straight and placing an attack.
Towards the end of the race, the two Red Bull ruffs on the wearing tires found it increasingly difficult to take the sharp corners in Baku. They regularly grazed a fence or wall, but kept their car on the track without damage.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl