The only thing in doubt after 10 laps, really, was which Red Bull would win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. But even that, by the end, was no contest.
Sergio Pérez outclassed both the field and his teammate, Max Verstappen, to win on Sunday in Baku. The finish was Pérez’s second victory of the season — Verstappen has won the other two events — and marked the third time in four races that Red Bull’s cars had crossed the line first and second.
The results also left little doubt about Red Bull’s advantage over every other team in Formula 1 this season, when they have been fastest in practice, in qualifying and on Sundays. But it also set the stage for a long, hot summer of racing between the two Red Bull drivers; Pérez now trails Verstappen by only six points in the season standings.
“Well done guys, we dominated this weekend,” Pérez told his team over the radio after his victory. “We are in the fight.”
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari grabbed a consolation prize by finishing third, just holding off Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin. It was Leclerc’s first podium finish of the year, but he — just like everyone else — was well beaten by Red Bull. Again.
Near Disaster
For the second consecutive race, Formula 1 narrowly avoided tragedy when people came onto the track before the race had ended.
In Australia it had been fans who encroached, slipping through gaps in the fencing to gain access to the track even as the cars were still racing at full speed. On Sunday, the scare came in pit lane, where photographers, crew members and safety officials who had come out of the garage area to watch Pérez and Verstappen cross the finish line were sent scrambling when Alpine’s Esteban Ocon entered the area at racing speed.
The photographers were gathering in front of the area in pit lane where the podium finishers park their cars before the awards ceremony, and team mechanics — including those from Red Bull — were celebrating on the pit wall.
But the race, at that point, was not over. Ocon’s stop was not optional if he wanted to claim the points earned from his finish. Drivers must complete at least one pit stop to change tires during a race, and he had not been in yet.
Organizers of the Australian Grand Prix opened an investigation after the track incursions in Melbourne, which one acknowledged “could have been horrific.” But those appeared to be the result the fault of fans.
A Formula 1 spokesman told reporters in Baku that would do the same after Sunday’s incident, in which the people on the track were accredited photographers — most likely ushered onto the track by stewards — and crew members far more familiar with the dangers of racing.
Sunday’s Race in Photos
When the Race Turned
Almost immediately. Ferrari’s Leclerc started on pole position but even he admitted he might not hold the lead for long. He was correct.
Verstappen passed him on Lap 4. Pérez overtook Leclerc three laps later. At that point, the only question seemed to be which Red Bull would win. An early appearance by the safety car — after Verstappen had pitted — allowed Pérez to flip their order and take the lead, and the race was never close after that.
What They’re Saying
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Pérez, on the 1-2 finish by Red Bull: “We pushed to the maximum today. We both hit the wall a few times. We were pushing out there. The way Max pushed me was really hard, but we managed to keep him under control.”
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Leclerc, on chasing Pérez and Verstappen every week: “Honestly the feeling is a little better, but when I see the gap, we still have a lot of work.”
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Verstappen, consistently the world’s most unhappy runner-up: “You keep learning. It can never be perfect all the time.”
Drivers’ Championship Standings
Red Bull’s biggest challenge over the next month may be keeping the peace between its drivers as they scrap for the championship. That race just got a lot tighter:
