Red Bull’s Sergio Perez put together the perfect performance in Baku to claim the race victory at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
After winning yesterday’s Sprint race around the Baku City Circuit, the Mexican driver started well to jump past Charles Leclerc before benefitting from an early safety car which saw him jump teammate Max Verstappen in the process.
Despite then being put under serious pressure for a few laps by his teammate, Perez pulled away to claim a second race win of the weekend and his second Grand Prix victory in Baku.
Verstappen came home in P2 with a gap of 17 seconds to Leclerc who finished on the podium for the first time this season. That top three finish will take the pressure off of Ferrari shoulders for now after a poor start to the season.
Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll, George Russell, Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten in Azerbaijan and all took home valuable World Drivers’ Championship points.
F1 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix results
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 19 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 15 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 12 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 10 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 8 |
| 7 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 6 |
| 8 | George Russell | Alpine | 5* |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 2 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1 |
| 11 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | |
| 12 | Alex Albon | Williams | |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | |
| DNF | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | |
| DNF | Nyck De Vries | AlphaTauri |
* denotes fastest lap
Sergio Perez’s win was never really in doubt
After taking the Sprint race victory yesterday, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez would have come into today’s race with all the confidence in the world.
That soon paid off as he got past Charles Leclerc early on to assume P2 on the road before an incident involving AlphaTauri’s Nyck De Vries brought out the safety car. His teammate Max Verstappen had pitted just before the incident and as a result, Perez assumed the lead of the race as he made his first and only stop of the race.
Despite his Dutch teammate piling the pressure on to begin with following the race resumption, Perez then pulled away to take his second race win of the weekend and his second Grand Prix victory in Baku.
Safety concerns following Esteban Ocon’s late pit stop
A set up change under parc ferme conditions saw Alpine’s Esteban Ocon start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane and as such, he opted to start the race on hard tyres.
That strategy decision meant that the French driver nearly completed the whole race on the same set of tyres but due to rules in place, all drivers must make at least one pitstop in every Grand Prix.
As such, Ocon then came into the pits on the final lap but there was nearly disaster as photographers and crews were already scattered across the pit lane thinking that it was closed.
Thankfully nobody was injured in the incident as Ocon slowed down to avoid a collision but serious questions will be raised with the FIA over how such a situation was allowed to develop in Baku.
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023 live updates, highlights: As it happened
CHEQUERED FLAG: Sergio Perez wins the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix!!! Red Bull's Mexican maestro completes his perfect weekend and claims both victories after his Sprint win yesterday. The Baku City Circuit becomes the first track in his F1 career where he's won on multiple occasions.
Lap 48: With a 3.3 second gap to Verstappen, this race is Perez's to lose with just three laps remaining here in Baku.
It looks like the order will stay similar throughout the top order with nobody in the DRS zone at the moment.
Lap 46: After what must have felt like a lifetime, Norris finally gets past Hulkenberg to jump into P10. The Brit has been in the points every time around Baku so far during his F1 career.
Lap 44: Such has been Perez's dominance today, the Mexican driver now sits 20 seconds clear of Leclerc in P3. The Ferrari man posts the fastest lap of the race however.
Lap 42: As Hamilton continues to chase Sainz, his Mercedes teammate Russell is looking to get past Stroll and into P7 on the grid. He's within one second to the Canadian and is looking dangerous.
Lap 40: Sainz continues to fight off the advances of Hamilton as Perez increases his lead to 3.5 seconds out in front. The Mexican won yesterday's Sprint race and could claim a second full-length race victory here in Baku after also winning here back in 2021.
Lap 38: Hamilton has Sainz in his sights and now sits within one second to the Spaniard. He can't get close enough down the long straight but he nearly tries a move down the back straight into corner three.
Elsewhere, Alfa Romeo retire Zhou Guanyu due to a problem.
Lap 36: Perez and Verstappen continue to trade fastest laps as they look to claim that extra available point. The gap remains at 2.6 seconds for now.
Lap 34: We have 17 laps left of this race and discussion now switches to tyre life.
Most of the drivers out there have been on hard tyres for around 20 laps but will those last until the end? We haven't heard anything contrary to that just yet but we'll see in the near future.
Lap 32: Of the 19 cars still racing here, only two currently sit in the DRS zone at present as this race begins to grind its way to the chequered flag.
Verstappen clips the barrier at corner 15 but there's no damage.
Lap 31: Just behind the front two, Alonso is beginning to pile the pressure on Leclerc for the final podium spot. The veteran has been taking chunks out of the time gap between the duo over recent laps.
Lap 30: Verstappen is now on the radio saying that his engine braking is 'not good'. The gap opens up to 2.5 seconds to Perez now.
Lap 28: Many drivers over the past few seasons have wilted under pressure from Verstappen but Perez is holding stronger for now.
The gap is up to 1.7 seconds as the Mexican driver looks to pull out a bigger gap.
Lap 26: Hamilton is beginning to turn the screw and hunt down Sainz for P5 on the grid. The Mercedes driver was within the DRS zone but the Spaniard responds with an upturn in pace.
Lap 24: Verstappen just can't get into his teammate's DRS split at the minute which is crucial for this race victory. He sits 1.3 seconds behind Perez who's putting together another great performance this afternoon.
Lap 22: Looking further down the order and Ocon is the big winner so far today. He started this race from the pitlane but sits in P9 now though he's yet to make a stop.
Lap 20: Stroll makes a mistake at corner 16 and as a result, Hamilton gets past the Aston Martin man down the long straight.
Lap 19: Verstappen pumps in the fastest lap of the race so far as he hunts down Perez for the lead of this race.
Leclerc is now over six seconds back from the pair in P3.
Lap 18: Stroll absolutely thumps the wall at corner five just like De Vries did a few laps ago but his Aston Martin car is fine to continue for now. He's under pressure from Hamilton now!
Lap 17: DRS is enabled again after that safety car period. Perez leads his teammate by 1.5 seconds out in the lead - he needs to keep that gap!
Lap 15: The two Mercedes cars do battle and Hamilton overtakes Russell down the start/finish straight. That was a tidy move from the seven-time world champion!
Lap 14: The safety car is in and we're racing here again in Baku! Perez gets away despite Leclerc having a look at the first corner but he compromises his line and Verstappen gets back up into P2 shortly after.
Just behind, Alonso dives down the inside of Sainz at corner six. What a move that was!
Lap 13: Replays show that De Vries clipped the wall which snapped his suspension at corner five. His poor weekend for AlphaTauri ends with retirement.
Lap 12: It's absolute chaos in the pit lane as everyone comes in to make stops. As a result, Perez now leads in Baku!
He jumps his teammate thanks to the timing of the safety car and Leclerc is back up into P2.
Lap 11: The safety car is out! De Vries continues his nightmare weekend as he locks up at corner three and retires from this race.
Lap 10: Hamilton peels off into the pit lane and Alonso moves up to P5. The Spaniard would have overtaken down the straight regardless so that's a timely move from Mercedes.
Perez is beginning to pressurise Verstappen out front as the Dutchman pits.
Lap 8: There's a couple of early pitstops as Albon, Bottas and Gasly all swap onto hard tyres. They'll try to make this race a one-stop now but the track temperature means that tyres are degrading faster than usual.
Lap 7: Aston Martin are forming a plan against Hamilton here for P5. Alonso has just sat back as he reckons that the Brit's tyres are already struggling around this warm track. Stroll is just behind his teammate and getting a tow from his DRS to stay in touch in P7.
Lap 5: There's still plenty of time left in this race but Verstappen is beginning to break away out front. Just behind, Perez overtakes Leclerc and is up into P2 after using DRS down the long straight.
After Leclerc there's a 2.5 second gap to Sainz who is under pressure from Hamilton and Alonso.
Lap 4: Verstappen leads the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!! The Dutchman easily gets the move done down the start/finish straight with the benefit of DRS. Leclerc now has Perez right on his tail as well.
Lap 3: DRS is enabled and that's good news for Verstappen as he chases Leclerc out front. Stroll and Russell have both made up two places further down the field.
LIGHTS OUT: It's away we go in Baku and Leclerc keeps the lead of the race off the line. Verstappen has a look heading into the opening corner but the Red Bull driver just doesn't have enough to make a move.
There's yellow flags in sector one as there's a collision amongst the backmarkers but all 20 drivers are still racing for now.
2 minutes to lights out: We're off for the formation lap ahead of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
15 minutes to lights out: The drivers are heading to the front of the grid for the national anthem. Not long left now until we go racing around the Baku City Circuit!
30 minutes to lights out: The pit lane is now open and the cars begin to make their way to the starting grid. It's another nice, sunny day in Baku which likely means that everyone will start on the medium tyres today.
45 minutes to lights out: It's been a bit of an up and down weekend again for Mercedes so far hasn't it.
Obviously we know that George Russell came together with Verstappen during yesterday's Sprint race which saw him finish in P4, but he starts in P11 today due to his poor showing in qualifying on Friday.
His teammate Lewis Hamilton starts in P5 for the Grand Prix but he massively struggled for pace during yesterday's race which could seriously hamper his finishing spot again this afternoon especially with Fernando Alonso starting just behind.
1 hour to lights out: A bit of pre-race house keeping next up and that's to say that Haas' Nico Hulkenberg will be starting this race from the pit-lane.
We already knew that Alpine's Esteban Ocon would be starting from the pits due to a setup change under parc fermé conditions but the German driver also suffers the same fate.
1 hour and 15 minutes to lights out: As mentioned before then, this is the third time that Leclerc has taken pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but he's failed to win any of those prior races.
In order to win this time, you'd have to imagine that he'll need to break the one second DRS zone as quickly as possible, as with it enabled those Red Bull cars look unstoppable once again. The Ferrari driver may also be aided by safety car breaks this afternoon as races in Baku usually see plenty of flags waved due to the track's nature.
1 hour and 30 minutes to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Leclerc starts from the front today, just like he did in the past three races in Baku, though he never managed to grab the race victory on any of those occasions. Will he take his first race win of the season today or will either of the Red Bull drivers carry on their fine form with another victory?
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023 starting grid
| Position | Driver |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc |
| 2 | Max Verstappen |
| 3 | Sergio Perez |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso |
| 7 | Lando Norris |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 9 | Lance Stroll |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri |
| 11 | George Russell |
| 12 | Alex Albon |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas |
| 14 | Logan Sargeant |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly |
| 18 | Nyck de Vries |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon* |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg* |
* denotes pit-lane start for the race.
What time does the F1 race start?
- Date: Sunday, April 30
- Start time: 12 p.m. BST / 7 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. AEDT / 3 p.m. local time
Sunday's 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. local time. Lights out will take place just after 12 p.m. BST.
Below is the complete schedule for the weekend's F1 events at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
| Date | Event | Time (BST) | Time (ET) | Time (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Apr 28 | Practice 1 | 10:30 a.m. | 5:30 a.m | 7:30 p.m |
| Friday, Apr 28 | Qualifying | 2 p.m. | 9:00 a.m | 11 p.m |
| Saturday, Apr 29 | Practice 2 | 10:30 a.m. | 5:30 a.m | 7:30 p.m |
| Saturday, Apr 29 | Sprint | 2:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m | 11:30 p.m |
| Sunday, Apr 30 | Race | 12 p.m. | 7 a.m | 9 p.m |
MORE: F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023: Time, schedule, TV channel, live stream
What TV channel is the F1 on?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports |
Where can I live stream F1?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | Kayo |
How to watch Formula 1 in the US
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you're an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.
How to watch Formula 1 in India
- TV channel: N/A
- Live stream: F1 TV Pro
No TV broadcast network is currently set to host the action throughout this year in India, though Formula 1 has launched F1 TV Pro in the country for the first time so fans can live stream the action.