Sergio Perez was the victor in the opening F1 Sprint race of the season in Baku, coming home ahead of Charles Leclerc and teammate Max Verstappen.
An earlier qualifying session determined the grid for the 17-lap dash, with Leclerc emerging on top as he had the day prior’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying run.
Perez was second on the grid, with Verstappen kept to the second row with George Russell keeping him company. Logan Sargeant couldn’t make the start of the race, the American crashing his Williams in qualifying and sustaining severe damage.
Once the lights went green, Leclerc quickly pulled away off the front, leaving Perez in second and Verstappen and Russell running side-by-side with their elbows out for third, the Brit eventually powering through, much to Verstappen’s displeasure.
A Virtual Safety Car was called for not long after, however, when Yuki Tsunoda hit the wall and scattered debris across the track. The Japanese driver was somehow able to limp back to the lane with three wheels for repairs, the mechanics sending him back out until the damage was revealed as terminal.
The Virtual Safety Car was eventually upgraded to a full and Verstappen was able to pick off Russell once the lights went green again.
Perez was also working on getting through Leclerc, the straight line speed of the Red Bull too much for the Ferrari on Lap 7 as the Mexican breezed past on the long straight with DRS assistance.
That was ultimately how the top four played out, with Perez pulling clear for a 4-second win over Leclerc, with Verstappen’s damaged car – following contact with Russell early – driven to third.
Russell held firm for fourth ahead of Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll, who rounded out the points.
That leaves just the main event, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix beginning at 11 pm this evening.
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