Carlos Sainz finishes fifth and Verstappen and Leclerc complete the podium
MADRID, 30 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Mexican driver Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez (Red Bull) has conquered this Sunday the victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, fourth round of the Formula 1 World Cup, while the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) have finished in the ‘Top 5’, fourth and fifth respectively.
With the sixth victory of his life, the second of this season, ‘Checo’ commanded a podium that was completed by the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who consolidated his leadership and the Red Bull double, and the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) , who was unable to defend his pole position on the Azeri street track.
Meanwhile, Alonso, who started sixth, was on the verge of signing his fourth podium in four races after finishing fourth, eight tenths behind the current runner-up in the world, and Sainz, who had started from fourth place, fell to the fifth final.
In an uneventful start in Baku, positions remained at the top of the grid after the lights went out, with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) leading the initial ‘little train’ ahead of the two Red Bulls.
However, the privileged position lasted just three laps for the Monegasque, which it took for Verstappen, showing off his power, to overtake him at the end of the main straight. ‘Checo’ also fulfilled his threat two laps later and overtook the ‘Scuderia’ driver at the same point as his teammate.
Behind, the Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) was conservative and warned Alonso. “Tell Fernando that I’m not going to attack, we’re playing the same game,” said the American on the radio while the Spaniard was already threatening the fifth place of the British Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
It was in the tenth round when ‘Checo’, hit by DRS and taking advantage of the tire degradation of ‘Mad Max’, rose to the lead, just as the safety car was announced due to the accident of the Dutchman Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) in turn 6. Then began the festival of stops that confirmed the leadership of the Mexican.
Once the ‘safety car’ disappeared, Verstappen passed to Leclerc and Alonso did the same with Sainz, positions that they would consolidate and in which they would remain until the checkered flag. The Asturian still put pressure on the Monegasque, who escaped with 20 laps to go with a spectacular change of pace; In the final stretch, he rushed his options, about to enter the DRS zone with the Ferrari, but he did not have time to finalize his play.
The only unknown of the final turns was to see who was awarded the extra point of the fastest race lap; Alonso began a brutal fight with Verstappen for the prize, but it was the British George Russell, in his last lap, who took the upper hand.
After the ‘Top 5’, Hamilton was fifth and Stroll, Russell, the British Lando Norris (McLaren) and the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) closed the ‘Top 10’. The next appointment, in a week in Miami (United States).