Tag: Azerbaijan GP

Alonso encouraged despite first missed podium of the season

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin can take great encouragement from the fact he nearly finished on the podium in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite feeling the team had a bad weekend, Sergio Perez led home a Red Bull one-two in a race where the two …

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin can take great encouragement from the fact he nearly finished on the podium in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite feeling the team had a bad weekend,

Sergio Perez led home a Red Bull one-two in a race where the two leaders were pushing, leaving Alonso to fight it out with polesitter Charles Leclerc for third place. Leclerc held on by a second on the final lap to end Alonso’s run of consecutive podiums but given how well Ferrari’s weekend panned out the Spaniard says it’s a further statement from Aston to be so close in the race.

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“Yeah it was very good, I’m very happy with the result and the pace of the car,” Alonso said. “I think the weekend was not maybe as competitive as the first three races but even with that I think in the race the car pace was very good, very strong, and we challenged for the podium. Only one second to Charles, so that’s very encouraging for us.

“On let’s say a bad weekend from Aston we are fighting for the podium against one of the best weekends for Ferrari – they were on pole position for the Sprint race, pole position for the main race, and they were just one second in front of us on Sunday, so good news.”

In a race where there was little in the way of action, Alonso did provide a highlight when overtaking Carlos Sainz into Turn 4 – not a traditional passing spot – after the early safety car.

“I had a lot of grip on that restart so I could have him probably in Turn 3 already but then it was into Turn 4. I don’t know, no clear explanation but the car was working really well.

“It was good. It was crucial because to overtake the Ferraris is never easy, so that overtake put me in a train with Charles and the race was easier after that.”

After suffering DRS issues earlier in the weekend, Alonso says he had no such problems during Sunday’s race but, despite the pass on Sainz, he feels his cause wasn’t helped by the timing of that safety car negating Aston Martin’s advantage over Leclerc.

“(DRS) worked, a lot of speed! I’ve never been that fast on the straight for the whole weekend! So I was happy with everything on the car.

“The strength of the car for whatever reason is still the tire degradation that seems a little bit better than the others, unfortunately with the safety car we all put on the hard tires and that tire was very robust until the end. Without that safety car I think the Ferraris were struggling a lot in the first stint, so maybe Miami is a better chance for us.”

“We are more stuck than before” – Wolff

Toto Wolff says the current era of Formula 1 cars have proven themselves to be poor to drive with the focus on which teams can produce the least bad chassis. Red Bull has dominated under the new technical regulations that re-introduced ground effect …

Toto Wolff says the current era of Formula 1 cars have proven themselves to be poor to drive with the focus on which teams can produce the least bad chassis.

Red Bull has dominated under the new technical regulations that re-introduced ground effect and put a lot of emphasis on performance from the floor, with Sergio Perez’s double victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ensuring it has won every race and Sprint so far this season.

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Wolff says Mercedes’ weakness is not due to its downforce levels but how the car handles, something he says is a frustration about the current rules.

“I think for our car it is more about the ride control than sheer downforce,” Wolff said. “We could put a lot of downforce on the car but the car would be too low and too stiff. (Red Bull) you can see on the onboard, the car is barely moving on the straights or over bumps, corner balance looks easy and you look at all the other onboards and the cars are tricky. So I think generally the ground effect cars are s*** cars, it’s just who has the least s******st is ahead.”

While Wolff is unsure how long it will take for the field to eventually converge towards closer performance levels, he says he doesn’t want to see the regulations changed to try and address Red Bull’s advantage.

“There is always the risk when you look at these cycles if a team is so far ahead, I think (in Baku) they were 20 seconds ahead of Leclerc and after 40 racing laps, so that’s half a second a lap. But at least we have seen they are pushing.

“Half a second is quite a long way to go. Either we have to do a better job all together to catch them up, or change the regulations, but I don’t think we should be doing the second one. So we need to win on merit, and winning on merit means being more clever. Having a steeper development slope than Red Bull.

“I think we can close it. If we get the platform right, it is less about adding ten points of downforce and more about giving the drivers a car that when they turn it into a corner they know the rear doesn’t overtake them. That’s the problem. Then we can catch up, but as we did last year it is better not to change the regulations again, as we did on our initiative to lose it again.”

Stating a belief that Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari were all of the same performance in Baku, Wolff also says the cost cap – while better for F1 overall – limits how quickly the trio can hope to catch up.

“We are more stuck than before because if you would be completely free we would bring a different chassis. So what we have to really decide carefully is what we want to upgrade. So we have a new front suspension for Imola, and then the aero upgrade that comes with it and floor.

“But if we were free we would bring double the amount of upgrades, but so would the others. It’s a relative game and you just need to be clever and taking the right decisions that bring the optimum amount of performance.”

Horner defends Verstappen pit stop timing despite lost lead

Christian Horner has defended pitting Max Verstappen from the lead just second before a safety car neutralized the race and promoted teammate Sergio Perez into first place and an eventual victory. Verstappen had been leading the race on lap 10 when …

Christian Horner has defended pitting Max Verstappen from the lead just second before a safety car neutralized the race and promoted teammate Sergio Perez into first place and an eventual victory.

Verstappen had been leading the race on lap 10 when Nyck de Vries struck the apex barrier at Turn 5 and broke his front-left suspension, forcing him to park his car halfway onto the Turn 6 run-off area.

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Red Bull Racing called Verstappen into the pits that same lap – he was exiting Turn 14 at the time of the crash, and as he dived into the pit entry, the incident was still covered by localized yellow flags.

Neither Perez, who was a close second at the time, not the more distant Charles Leclerc followed him into pit lane, and barely seconds after he rejoined the track, race control triggered a safety car to collect De Vries’s stranded AlphaTauri.

Perez and Leclerc took advantage of the reduced pace to make their stops at the end of lap 11, with both jumping erstwhile leader Verstappen.

“The problem was we didn’t have the visibility of De Vries; it was a quick shot of him and just a black set of lines,” Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner said. “It looked like he’d outbraked himself.

“All four wheels were on the car, he hadn’t hit the barrier and the engine was running.

“It looked like he’d select reverse and carry on. We never expected that to go to a safety car.

“Usually if you see a car in the barrier, it’s a safety car, but there was no sign of it having hit the barrier. It was only subsequently I think on the replays that you were able to see a track rod was broken.

“Obviously with 20/20 vision we’d have just done one more lap and gone from there.”

Horner said Verstappen was roughly in his ideal stop window anyway, particularly given the title leader was dealing with worse degradation than expected on the medium tire.

“We decided to pit Max because he was starting to struggle a little bit with the rears on his car, and Checo was obviously right up behind him,” he said. “So we decided from a strategy point of view it was the optimum time to take the stop.

“It was one of those things that sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t.”

Despite the turn good fortune, Pérez appeared to have the pace to win the race on merit, having closed to within DRS range of Verstappen before the safety car intervened and looking untroubled keeping his teammate at bay in the 38 laps after the resumption.

Horner was keen to emphasise that the Mexican, now just six points behind Verstappen in the title standings, had earnt the victory.

“Checo is definitely living up to his nickname of king of the streets,” he said. “He got a little bit lucky with the timing of the safety car, but having got the lead, he built close to a four-second lead at one point and controlled the race.

“He then had to get on and deliver. You’ve got Max Verstappen behind you, he’s not taking it easy.

“He used his opportunity and converted it into a great win.

“They were pushing each other hard … but we let them push all the way through. That was always the plan going into the race.

“And all credit to Checo, drove a great race today.”

FIA to reconsider parc ferme procedures after Ocon near miss

The FIA will reconsider its parc ferme procedures following a stewards investigation into people blocking Esteban Ocon’s entry into the pit lane on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Ocon had started the race from pit lane and run the first …

The FIA will reconsider its parc ferme procedures following a stewards investigation into people blocking Esteban Ocon’s entry into the pit lane on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Ocon had started the race from pit lane and run the first 50 laps on a set of hard tires hoping that a late red flag or safety car would grant his a free or cheap route into the points.

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With no sign of an incident as Sergio Perez started the final lap, the Frenchman was called into he pits to concede defeat on the strategy and make his mandatory tire change.

But when he entered pit lane, having navigated the entry chicane at more than 100 miles per hour, he was greeted by a crowd of people, most of whom appeared to be photographers, spilling into the fast lane and blocking his access.

They managed to dive out of the way of the car once they realized Ocon was still racing, avoiding a potentially dire collision, and Ocon took his pit stop.

The FIA is responsible for maintaining safety in pit lane and for securing the parc ferme area, and after the end of the race the stewards requested a representative of the governing body attend a hearing in relation to the incident.

In a judgement issued shortly afterwards, the stewards said the FIA would be required to “take immediate steps to reconsider these procedures and protocols with the relevant stakeholders (including FOM, the teams and the FIA) to ensure that this situation does not occur again”.

“The stewards heard from the FIA representatives and determined that the relevant representatives took steps to set up the parc ferme area and also permitted media and other personnel to gather in the start of the pit lane and the pit wall during the last lap of the race while the pit lane was open and before the final pit stop of (Ocon),” the stewards wrote in their ruling.

“We noted that it was not unusual for the representatives to allow such persons into the pit lane just before the end of the race, in the usual course of preparation for parc ferme and the podium ceremony. However, in this case there was one driver that had to pit in the last lap and this created a very dangerous situation for those that were in the pit lane at the time.

“We considered that it was fortunate that there were no serious consequences on account of what happened today.

“We stressed that the requirements of ensuring a safe and orderly event are paramount. This was acknowledged by the FIA team.”

Speaking before the ruling, Ocon said he wanted to see action at the next race to avoid the possibility of a repeat.

“We can’t wait for anything, it’s clear,” he said. “You need to wait until all the cars are past the checkered flag and ensure there is no racing in the pit lane any more until you start prepping the podium.

“It’s not a mystery, it’s very simple.

“I don’t understand why we’re starting to prep the podium and prep the ceremony while we’re still racing. There’s one lap to go, there’s still people that didn’t pit.

“I’m arriving at 300 kilometers per hour, I’m braking very late, and I the people around. This is crazy.

“It could have been a big, big one today, and it’s definitely something that needs to be discussed. It’s something that we don’t want to see.”

The Frenchman, who finished 15th, said he needed to take evasive action to avoid hitting one of the bystanders.

“I had to lift off, I had to back off,” he explained. “I would not have liked to be the one in the middle there, at the speed we are arriving there, especially so close to the line.

“If I missed the braking point, it’s a big disaster.”

It’s the second time breach of the circuit perimeter in as many races, with Australian Grand Prix organizers having been summoned to the stewards following a spectator track invasion on the last lap of the race in Melbourne earlier this month.

Last year’s Australian Grand Prix also saw people enter the pit lane before the end of the race and shortly before Alex Albon’s last-lap pit stop.

Red Bull “in another league” – Leclerc

Charles Leclerc says Red Bull Racing’s RB19 is in another league compared to the rest of the grid after finishing a distant third to a dominant Sergio Perez-Max Verstappen one-two. Leclerc started from pole position and held off both Verstappen and …

Charles Leclerc says Red Bull Racing’s RB19 is in another league compared to the rest of the grid after finishing a distant third to a dominant Sergio Perez-Max Verstappen one-two.

Leclerc started from pole position and held off both Verstappen and Perez at launch, but his defense of the lead was destined to be short-lived.

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Verstappen breezed past him on lap 4 once DRS had been activated, and Perez wasn’t far behind, demoting Leclerc to third on lap 6 before the Red Bull Racing drivers charged up the road to an eventual 21-second victory over the Ferrari driver.

It was the 15th time Leclerc failed to convert a pole position into a grand prix victory, but he said he never stood a chance in Baku.

“They are in another league when it comes to race,” Leclerc said. “The really good [qualifying] lap managed to put us at the front, but over 51 laps it was just not possible; they have so much more pace than we do in race pace.”

Red Bull Racing’s prodigious top speed has been a talking point all year, particularly with the DRS activated. It’s given both Verstappen and Perez a notable advantage when battling through the field and doesn’t appear to come at the expense of reduced cornering performance.

The speed delta between Verstappen and Leclerc as the Dutchman breezed into the lead was more than 21 miles per hour.

“I think they found something we didn’t yet,” Leclerc said. “That’s where our focus is at the moment.

“Everybody is working flat out to try and understand what we can do in the races, especially to just get more performance.”

Perez and Verstappen enjoyed an advantage of around 0.5s per lap over Leclerc after the safety car, though the average margin was closer to a full second immediately after the race restarted as the two drivers pushed each other in a battle for the lead.

Combined with a long battle with Fernando Alonso, which he won by only 0.8s, it was the result was enough for Leclerc to doubt how much Ferrari had managed to close the gap this weekend, having sounded more optimistic about the team’s progress on Saturday.

“Honestly, the feeling is a little bit better, but when I see the gap – and I’m pretty sure when you have this you’re not pushing at 100 per cent – we don’t really know how much we’ve cut the gap,” he said.

“But the feeling is a little bit better. Again, the Aston Martin was really quick today, so we still have a lot of work to do.”

Carlos Sainz, who toiled to fifth more than 24 seconds behind Leclerc, said he wasn’t convinced Ferrari was genuinely the second-quickest car.

“If you look in detail at are race pace compared to the Astons and the Red Bulls, they still have relatively much better race pace than qualifying pace compared to us,” he said. “This is very high up on our list of things that we want to understand, because definitely the points are on Sunday and that’s where you want to be quicker.”

Perez seizes safety car advantage to take Azerbaijan victory

Sergio Perez led Max Verstappen to a dominant Red Bull Racing one-two finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a conveniently timed safety car catapulted him into the lead. Verstappen and Perez trailed polesitter Charles Leclerc at the start, but …

Sergio Perez led Max Verstappen to a dominant Red Bull Racing one-two finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a conveniently timed safety car catapulted him into the lead.

Verstappen and Perez trailed polesitter Charles Leclerc at the start, but there was no holding them back once DRS was activated. Verstappen breezed past on lap 4 with an almost embarrassing advantage of 19mph, and Perez followed him through two tours later.

The Mexican was the quickest driver on track at that point, and he reeled off a series of fastest laps to close to within a second of his leading teammate and set up a duel for the lead.

Verstappen pre-empted the fight by diving into the pits on lap 10 for his tire change, but the race turned on its head only seconds later when the safety car was deployed.

Nyck de Vries had snapped his front-left suspension glancing the apex barrier at Turn 5 and parked his AlphaTauri on Turn 6, requiring the race to be neutralized – and gifting Perez a free pit stop.

Perez and also Leclerc jumped Verstappen with their cheap tire changes, and though it took the Dutchman only three corners to move back up to second place, he couldn’t close the gap to his teammate. The pair traded fastest laps as they galloped away from the field, but Perez always had fractionally more in hand, as he had appeared to have had before the safety car, and continuously stretched his advantage.

In the final 10 laps the gap grew to more than three seconds, and it was clear the right was over. Perez cruised towards his second victory of the year and sliced his title deficit down to six points.

“It really worked out today for us,” he said. “We managed to keep the pressure on Max – I think we had better deg on that first stint – and it was looking good already from that side. Then the safety car came and bunched everyone up.

“I think it was very close between us. We pushed to the maximum today. We both hit the walls a few times. We were pushing out there. But we managed to keep it under control.”

Verstappen rued his bad luck with he timing of the safety car but said poor car balance meant he was in contention for much for the race anyway.

“With the balance I was struggling to be really consistent,” he said. “Once I got that sorted I would say the last 10 laps were actually quite good again.

“A little bit too late, but … at the end of the day a good result.”

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Leclerc drove admirably to hold onto third place ahead of the wily Fernando Alonso, who launched several waves of attack against the Ferrari driver but always found his attempts to close the gap rebuffed by Leclerc’s excellent pace through the middle sector of the track. It was Leclerc’s first grand prix podium this season and it more than doubled his points haul for the season.

“[Red Bull] are in another league once it comes to the race,” he said. “Over 51 laps it’s just not possible. They have so much more pace than we do in race pace.”

Carlos Sainz finished a long way adrift of the podium battle in fifth, some 19 seconds behind Leclerc on a weekend the Spaniard described as damage limitation. He spent the final half of the race defending against Lewis Hamilton, who tried in vain to overcome his Mercedes car’s lack of straight-line performance.

Lance Stroll finished seventh ahead of George Russell despite being jumped by the Englishman in pit lane during the safety car. The Canadian snatched the position back almost immediately at the restart but couldn’t make an impression on Hamilton ahead. Russell took the bonus point for fastest lap after stopping on the final tour

Lando Norris finished ninth after a tight battle with Yuki Tsunoda, who took the flag 10th to collect the final point of the race.

Oscar Piastri finished a commendable 11th after suffering a nasty bout of food poisoning all weekend, having reportedly lost around 6 pounds since arriving in Azerbaijan.

Alex Albon finished 12th ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Pierre Gasly.

Esteban Ocon finished 15th after a bizarre last-lap pit stop that saw the Alpine enter the pits after photographers and other personnel had been released into pit lane for the post-race procedures.

Ocon had started the race from pit lane and run the entire race with a single set of tires hoping for a late-race red flag or safety car that never eventuated, dropping him from ninth to out of the points on a difficult weekend for Alpine.

Logan Sargeant finished 16th ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, who used the same long-stint strategy as Ocon, while Valtteri Bottas finished a listless last after making three pit stops.

Verstappen unsold on sprints – ‘Just scrap the whole thing’

Max Verstappen wants Formula 1 to scrap sprint weekends and focus instead on finding ways to close the field after the first Saturday of the year run to the tweaked trial format. F1 introduced the sprint format in 2021 as a trial to address the …

Max Verstappen wants Formula 1 to scrap sprint weekends and focus instead on finding ways to close the field after the first Saturday of the year run to the tweaked trial format.

F1 introduced the sprint format in 2021 as a trial to address the balance between competitive track time and practice sessions. This year there will be six sprint rounds, the first of which is this weekend in Azerbaijan.

Under the original sprint rules, qualifying was moved to Friday and set the grid for a 30-minute, 62-mile race in the previous qualifying slot in the schedule on Saturday. The results of the sprint would then set the starting order for Sunday’s grand prix.

The rules were tweaked this week to give the sprint its own qualifying session and to have the results stand alone, with Sunday’s grid instead set directly by qualifying on Friday evening.

Verstappen has been the sprint format’s highest profile critic, and earlier this year he intimated that too many changes to the weekend schedule could see him pull the plug on his F1 career early.

Qualifying and finishing third for the first sprint of 2023 in Baku has done little to change his mind.

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“Just scrap the whole thing,” he said when asked what changes he would make to improve sprint schedule. “I think it’s just important to go back to what we have and make sure every team can fight for the win. That’s what we have to try and aim for and implement.

“I got bored through today’s qualifying, to be honest. I like to have one particular qualifying where you put everything in it, and that was yesterday, which I of course enjoyed.

“Then you have to do it again today, like, ‘My god, another qualifying.’ I just don’t really enjoy that.”

Verstappen had earlier criticized sprint racing for being against the “DNA” of Formula 1, and after recovering to third after a first-lap battle with George Russell that left him with significant car damage, the Dutchman reiterated his belief that the shortened races weren’t compatible with the grand prix tour.

Instead he wants the sport to find ways to make the grid more competitive without tinkering with the format.

“It’s not proper racing — more gambling,” he said. “I think I’ll have more success in Vegas if I go to the casino.

“I like racing; I’m a pure racer. I think this is more for the show, and of course it is important to have entertainment, but I think if all the cars are closer, you create…better entertainment than trying to do it like this.

“It feels like you have a football match it’s 3-0 for one team and then suddenly you just say, ‘Let’s reset it to 0-0 and go again.’ I find it a bit unnecessary, these kinds of things.”

Russell and Verstappen at odds over sprint clash

George Russell says Max Verstappen should have known the risks associated with trying to hold position around the outside of a corner after the two drivers made contact on the first lap of the Azerbaijan sprint. Verstappen started third alongside …

George Russell says Max Verstappen should have known the risks associated with trying to hold position around the outside of a corner after the two drivers made contact on the first lap of the Azerbaijan sprint.

Verstappen started third alongside Russell, whose third place grid spot gave him the inside line for the first three corners, and the Briton made the most of it by claiming the apex of all three and forcing the Dutchman to try to cling on with a wider line to hold position.

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Both got through the first corner cleanly, but Russell’s front-right wheel tagged the left side of Verstappen’s car as they exited Turn 2, tearing a hole in the RB19’s sidepod and causing other minor damage.

Verstappen then slid wide at Turn 3, which gifted Russell the place until after the safety car restart, when the positions were swapped back around for good.

The Dutchman was furious about the collision and made a beeline for his rival in parc fermé, where they engaged in a brief argument captured by television cameras.

“It’s not purposeful, mate,” Russell said. “I’ve got no grip. I’m just locking up.”

Verstappen replied dismissively: “Mate, we all have no grip. We all need to leave a little bit of space”.

Russell walked away from the scene, but Verstappen shouted after him: “But expect next time the same, you know” before calling him a d***head under his breath.

Speaking after the exchange, Russell said he didn’t expect Verstappen to be so worked up about the contact.

“When he came over to me I thought he was coming over to say good battle, nice fight,” he said. “I was very surprised how angry he was.”

Russell said there was no ambiguity in his mind that he was entitled to claim all three corners with the inside line, protesting that it was up to Verstappen to avoid doing damage to his car.

“I think, from my side, his position was already lost,” he said. “Ever since eight years old in go karting, if you’re on the inside at the apex of a corner, it’s your corner, and if a driver is trying to resist a position on the outside, they’re taking a huge risk.

“On lap 1 on a street circuit, I was really quite shocked. He was trying to hold the position, but equally I’m here to fight. I’m here to win. I’m not just going to wave him by because he’s Max Verstappen in a Red Bull.

“He’s leading the championship, it was a little bit surprising from my side. I’ve got less to lose, and I went for it. Part of racing.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Verstappen said Russell lacked perspective in trying to barge past a faster car.

“I mean it’s a bit of common sense,” he said. “I think you just have to picture yourself as well – I mean, [Mercedes] are off the pace, and to risk that much on lap 1 I think it’s not very rewarding anyway because I will get him anyway in the next few laps.

“The potential to damage your car as well, not only my car — of course I had a hole in my sidepod, but he could also get a puncture and then his race is over as well.”

The Dutchman suggested Russell lacked experience battling at the front.

“I would [have tried] to fight but not run into someone, because that’s not what you want to do – but that’s something maybe you also learn over time.

“I mean, of course I had my moments as well when I just started in Formula 1 where you make some silly ,mistakes or lock-ups or potential damage. Maybe it’s just part of the learning curve.”

Perez overhauls Leclerc for Baku sprint win

Sergio Perez eased to a comfortable victory at the Azerbaijan sprint ahead of Charles Leclerc. Perez started from second alongside Leclerc but couldn’t jump the Ferrari off the line. The race was then neutralized at the end of the first lap with a …

Sergio Perez eased to a comfortable victory at the Azerbaijan sprint ahead of Charles Leclerc.

Perez started from second alongside Leclerc but couldn’t jump the Ferrari off the line. The race was then neutralized at the end of the first lap with a safety car owing to Yuki Tsunoda crashing his car at Turn 14.

Leclerc managed the restart beautifully when the race resumed on lap 6 of 17, but his SF-23 wasn’t a match for the RB19’s straight-line speed, particularly with DRS enabled down the long front straight.

On lap 8 Perez had breezed past, his rear wing wide open, and he galloped to a straightforward victory by 4.463s.

“To get away with maximum points today was the main objective, but obviously we know that tomorrow is the main race,” Perez said. “I think there was good learning today.

“P3 (on the grid) is not ideal for tomorrow’s race, but I’ll give it a go and fight for the win.”

Leclerc tried to stick with Perez, but his attention soon had to turn rearwards, where Max Verstappen had appeared after recovering from a slow start.

Verstappen was sucked into a battle with George Russell off the line that saw the two make contact into Turn 2 as the Mercedes car attempted a dive down the inside.

The light collision inflicted some bodywork damage to the Red Bull machine – including a big gash down the left-hand sidepod – and Verstappen then did himself no favors by kissing the wall at the outside of Turn 3, which handed Russell the position shortly before the safety car intervened.

Verstappen struck back at the restart and set his sights on the top two, but his damaged car wasn’t up to the task of closing down the Ferrari despite getting within DRS range, and Leclerc was allowed to escape with second position.

The Monegasque said the result confirmed his suspicions that Ferrari still hasn’t closed the gap in race pace.

“It confirms a little bit what we thought,” he said. “The Red Bull still has the upper hand in the race.

“But we again must not forget how far we were behind in race pace two races ago. We did a step forward.”

Verstappen was still fuming about the Russell incident after getting out of the car and accosted the Briton in parc ferme.

“I just don’t understand why you need to take so much risk on lap one,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense.

“It’s fine. We still got into P3, got some good points, but it is what it is.”

The gaps through much of the field stabilized in the final three or four laps as drivers struggled to keep their tires from graining.

George Russell kept Carlos Sainz at bay to secure fourth, while Fernando Alonso moved up from eighth to sixth after his Aston Martin’s faulty DRS started working again.

Lewis Hamilton pipped Lance Stroll in the final points-paying places of seventh and eighth.

Alex Albon finished ninth ahead of Oscar Piastri, Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu, Pierre Gasly and Nyck de Vries.

Nico Hulkenberg had been battling with Haas teammate Magnussen but suffered sudden onset of tire graining in the final few laps that dropped him to 15th.

Valtteri Bottas was one of two drivers to start on the soft tire rather than mediums and complained his rubber was “melting” in the closing stage of the sprint.

He finished only just ahead of Lando Norris, who was the other soft-starting driver, but the Briton pitted for mediums on lap 10 in a strategy decision that will surely have generated some useful data for the team ahead of Sunday.

Esteban Ocon was the final finisher after starting from pit lane owing to a suspension change made in parc ferme. He will also have to start Sunday’s grand prix from the pits.

Azerbaijan grand prix contract extended to 2026

The Azerbaijan grand prix will remain on the Formula 1 calendar until at least the end of 2026 after inking a new three-year deal. Except 2020 due to the pandemic, the Baku race has been a mainstay of the calendar since its debut in 2016, then with …

The Azerbaijan grand prix will remain on the Formula 1 calendar until at least the end of 2026 after inking a new three-year deal.

Except 2020 due to the pandemic, the Baku race has been a mainstay of the calendar since its debut in 2016, then with the European Grand Prix moniker, and has established itself as one of the sport’s most popular street circuits for its quirky mixed-speed layout and unpredictable results.

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No driver has won in Baku more than once and only Charles Leclerc has taken more than one pole position.

“The Baku City Circuit has become a hugely popular venue for Formula 1,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said. “It is an incredible circuit which always delivers huge drama and has played host to some of the most exciting races in recent memory.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with the country of Azerbaijan and look forward to continuing our growth together.”

This year Azerbaijan is hosting its first sprint round and the first of six sprints for the season.

The circuit is also the first to trial the tweaked sprint rules that have carved out Saturday as a standalone day featuring sprint-specific qualifying sessions ahead of the 62-mile sprint race.

The new format, combined with the sport’s booming worldwide popularity, has seen the race sell an unprecedented number of tickets this year, according to Azerbaijan youth and sport minister Farid Gayibov.

“Today’s agreement has come during a weekend that sees us hosting a record number of fans from over 100 countries, which only serves to make this moment even more special,” he said.

“The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a source of great pride for the whole country.

“Ever since we first hosted this event in 2016, the economic, social, and cultural impact of the sport on our city and country has been remarkable.

“The past six races have been some of the best and most dramatic in the sport’s long history and we look forward to creating more magical moments for F1 fans at home and abroad over the next three years – starting with this weekend.”