Sergio Perez (Image credit: AP)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won the race, while Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Alpha Tauris’ Pierre Gasly finished second and third.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won a dramatic and chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday after teammate Max Verstappen suffered a high-speed crash and the race was suspended for some time. Verstappen was uninjured but was seen utterly disappointed and dejected as he headed for victory before the crash happened with three laps to go. This is Perez’s first win for Red Bull and only the second of his career. Oddly enough, Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton, who was in P2 after the crash, didn’t even make it into the top 10, while Aston Martins Sebastian Vettel and Alpha Tauris Pierre Gasly took second and third.
The drama on the streets of Baku meant that Verstappen retained the lead in the drivers’ championship.
Perez said: “I am so happy for today. Usually Baku is pretty crazy, but I have to apologize to Max.
“He deserved the win today and it would have been good for the team to get a 1-2, but the win is a fantastic result.
He took the lead when his team-mate Verstappen’s left rear tire crashed high-speed on the straight as he was about to take his second straight win and the third of the season.
“Tires,” called a distraught Verstappen on the team radio.
After a red flag that lasted more than half an hour to clear Verstappen’s battered car from rubble, the Grand Prix continued with a sprint over two laps to the checkered flag.
Hamilton appeared to have the measure of Perez but turned on Turn One and gave Perez an unlikely victory.
Pole sitter Charles Leclerc was fifth and Hamilton like Verstappen 15th out of the points.
(With AFP inputs)
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