Team-by-team analysis
Saturday Sprint winner Perez won from third on the grid, taking the lead when Verstappen pitted on lap 11, just before the safety car was deployed. It was his second win of the season, sixth of his career, and left him six points behind Verstappen, who has also won twice. Perez is the first to win twice in Baku and five of his wins have been on street circuits. Verstappen led from lap four, but was third after his pitstop. He passed Leclerc again at the safety car restart on lap 14. Red Bull remain unbeaten this season. The podium was Verstappen’s 81st, one more than Ayrton Senna.
Alonso’s run of successive third-place finishes ended at three. The Spaniard made a daring overtake on Ferrari’s Sainz at turn six to secure fourth but, despite saving his tyres, could not catch Leclerc, who was a second up the road. Stroll made up two places at the start. He went side by side with Russell in the pitlane during the safety car, and was passed by Hamilton on lap 20. The Canadian also brushed the wall, without damage.
Mercedes fell further behind Aston Martin and now have Ferrari only 14 points behind. Hamilton started fifth, but pitted a lap before the safety car was deployed, dropping to 10th. Russell started 11th, but gained two places early on and moved higher when racing resumed, before Hamilton came through on lap 15 for seventh, then passing Stroll for sixth. Russell made a late stop for soft tyres and took the fastest lap bonus point.
Ferrari’s best race so far this year. Leclerc, second in the Saturday sprint, started on pole position and took his team’s first podium finish of the season. He led for three laps before DRS was activated and Verstappen steamed through, followed by Perez two laps later. Both pitted on lap 11 during the safety car in a double stop. Leclerc was then passed again by Verstappen and
Sainz by Alonso on lap 14.
McLaren brought upgrades and the points pulled them further ahead of Alpine. Norris started seventh, but lost out when he pitted before the safety car. He passed Hulkenberg to move into the points. Piastri started 10th despite struggling all weekend with a stomach bug.
Ocon started from the pitlane and did 50 of the 51 laps on a single set of new hard tyres, pitting on the final lap for softs and, alarmingly, finding photographers in his way as he entered. Gasly, whose car caught fire in Friday practice before he crashed in qualifying, overtook Bottas and Sargeant on a twostop medium-hard-hard strategy.
Hulkenberg started from the pitlane on a new set of hards after suspension setting changes and pitted two laps from the end. Magnussen started 16th, making contact with Bottas’s Alfa Romeo at turn two on the opening lap. He took a new front wing when he pitted on lap 11.
Bottas made three stops and was first to pit (on lap seven) after the contact with Magnussen. Zhou was told to pit and retire as engine temperatures rose.
De Vries started on hard tyres and triggered the safety car when he clipped the wall at turn five, broke his car’s front left track rod and was left stranded. Tsunoda was overtaken by Russell and Stroll at the start and was then sandwiched between the McLarens.
Albon suffered front-wing damage on lap one after contact with a McLaren. Sargeant did not take part in the Saturday sprint after crashing in the qualifying shootout. | Reuters