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The much-awaited fourth round of the 2023 F1 season took place this weekend with Sergio Perez taking his second Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory.
The Mexican had a near-perfect weekend in Baku after his frustrating run last time, at the Australian Grand Prix. He managed to secure consecutive wins - the sprint and the main race. His team-mate Max Verstappen finished second, with the points gap between the two Red Bulls now down to six in the drivers' standings.
As reported by Sky Sports, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised Perez for his performance, describing his weekend in Baku as "sensational."
"He (Perez) has had a sensational weekend. He has always been amazing at this track. I don't know what it is about Azerbaijan. He absolutely excels here and he got a little lucky with a Safety Car today but he converted that and pulled a gap and had the pace."
Describing the unlucky call for Verstappen, who was brought into the pit right before a safety car, the Briton added:
"He really controlled the race, so a phenomenal drive by him all weekend. We had already committed to the stop (for Verstappen).... but sometimes, things like that don't go your way. His misfortune was Checo's good fortune."
This was the first race weekend of the 2023 F1 season where Fernando Alonso finished outside the top three. Yet, he continued to strengthen his P3 position in the standings with a 12-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton, who stands fourth.
Charles Leclerc, despite starting on pole, was unable to defend against the significantly superior pace of the Red Bulls. The Monegasque managed to take his first podium of the season, while Carlos Sainz had yet another underwhelming weekend.
Ferrari F1 team principal Fred Vasseur was certainly pleased with the progress made by the Scuderia this weekend. In a post-race media interaction, he said:
"It is a good one overall, the pole position and the podium today. The motivation for the team is always important and you have to take the positives. I think the pace over one lap was there and now we have to improve a bit on the long stint. We will now have to learn from the race. We want the win but it is not an option. I think at least in Baku it is quite difficult to fight."
George Russell and Charles Leclerc are currently head-to-head in terms of championship points, with Lance Stroll down by one point in the drivers' standings.
Lando Norris and Nico Hulkenberg make up the last two places in the top 10. F1 rookies Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries are yet to score their first championship points and hence remain in the bottom two of the standings.
Here are the 2023 F1 Driver Standings after the Azerbaijan GP
