In a thrilling F1 Azerbaijan GP Sprint, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez emerged victorious, while Max Verstappen was left fuming after a collision with George Russell on the opening lap resulted in damage to his car (Sky Sports, 5 hours ago). Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc managed to grab the pole position for the Azerbaijan GP despite crashing during the race (Motorsport.com, 11 hours ago).
Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, expressed his frustration at Russell, questioning the latter’s decision to take “so much risk” during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Motorsport.com, 6 hours ago). Verstappen’s doubts about his future in F1 were further underscored amid concerns regarding the racing schedule and format (Sky Sports, 2 days ago).
The first F1 Sprint format played out on the streets of Baku on Saturday afternoon, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completing a pole double by topping the Sprint Shootout (Sky Sports, 10 hours ago). Leclerc’s impressive performance was marred by a crash during the process, but he still managed to secure the pole position (Motorsport.com, 11 hours ago).
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Perez emerged as the winner of the Azerbaijan GP sprint event, giving him a head start for the fourth round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship on Sunday (Motorsport.com, 5 hours ago). The revised F1 Sprint Shootout format was showcased for the first time during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, attracting attention from fans and participants alike (GPFans, 10 hours ago).
In other racing news, Fernando Alonso rued his Aston Martin’s DRS issue during the Baku F1 qualifying, which prevented him from securing a higher position than sixth (Motorsport.com, 1 day ago). As the racing world continues to grapple with developments and new formats, it remains to be seen how the remainder of the season unfolds for these top competitors.
