F1’s first sprint race of 2023 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix did not disappoint. Sergio Perez came out with the maximum of eight points with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who started on pole – ending up in P2. Max Verstappen could not catch the Ferrari after suffering damage following a collision with George Russell who started behind him.
Following the first ever sprint shootout, in which Leclerc secured top spot before crashing, it was Perez who clinched his first ever triumph in the sport’s seventh ever 64-mile (100km) dash. But the main drama came between Russell and Verstappen.
The duo tangled in turns one, two and three on the first lap with Russell getting past the Dutchman before later losing the place. But the Red Bull was left with a huge hole in his sidepod which ultimately stopped him finishing higher up than P3.
Verstappen was left furious with the Mercedes driver and he repeatedly complained about the incident on the Red Bull team radio throughout the 17 laps. Afterwards, the pair had words with one another in a tense exchange, with Verstappen appearing to call Russell a “d***head” as the Briton walked away.
Lewis Hamilton could only finish P7, meanwhile, picking up just two points.
Recap Express Sport’s live coverage of all the drama in Baku below…
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