Leclerc slots between Pérez and Vertsappen in Azerbaijan Grand Prix sprint race

Whether during the “real” Grand Prix, contested on Sundays, or during sprint races, these events organized the day before, over a much shorter distance, thwarting the domination of the drivers of the Red Bull team is a matter of prowess. This is what the Monegasque Charles Leclerc succeeded at the wheel of his Ferrari, Saturday April 29, in the streets of Baku, in Azerbaijan. The Ferari driver finished second, behind Mexican Sergio Pérez but ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen.

On the shores of the Caspian Sea, theater of the 4^e round of the Formula 1 season, Leclerc, who started in pole position, predicted it: “It will be difficult to keep the reins” against the overpowering Red Bull. Despite a good start, then a good recovery after the intervention of the safety car at the start of the race, the Scuderia driver only resisted Pérez’s RB19 for eight laps (out of 17).

“The Red Bulls still have the advantage in the race, but we must not forget how far we were in the previous meetings”welcomes Leclerc, who offers Ferrari its best ranking in the race since the arrival of Frenchman Frédéric Vasseur at the head of the team in January.

At the back, Verstappen, double reigning world champion and third on the grid, had a hectic start to the sprint. In the fight to keep his position against the Briton George Russell (Mercedes), the Dutchman was hit by his opponent’s Mercedes and his single-seater was damaged at the level of the pontoon.

“I just don’t understand why take so many risks in the first round”, he railed against Englishman Russell after the finish. Russell finishes 4^e ahead of the other Ferrari, that of Carlos Sainz, 5^e.

A nightmarish weekend for Alpine

Spaniard Fernando Alonso, in great shape since the start of the season at the wheel of his Aston Martin, ranks 6^e at the end of this sprint race which was contested for the first time on an urban circuit since the introduction of the format in 2021.

Just over 100 km long, covered in about thirty minutes, the sprint race offers a few points in the championship: from eight points for the first to one point for the 8^e.

In the driver standings, Leclerc, 10^e before this sprint, goes back to the 8^e place, with 13 points. Verstappen (75 points) is still well ahead and still ahead of teammate Pérez (62 pts), Alonso (48) and seven-time British champion Lewis Hamilton (40).

At the rear, the image of the sprint will certainly remain that of the tire of Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) packing up on the Baku track. The Japanese had to give up.

On the side of the French at Alpine, Pierre Gasly finished 13^e and Esteban Ocon, 18^e, far from the points. In Azerbaijan, the tricolor team is currently living through a nightmarish weekend. On Friday, Gasly saw his engine go up in smoke just a quarter of an hour after the start of practice, while Ocon returned immediately to the garage to check for a potential problem in the back of his car. Later in the day, Gasly only qualified 19^eand Ocon 12^e for Sunday’s grand prix. Ocon was also penalized for having ” got out [sa monoplace] of the parc fermé regime”. As for the sprint race, the Normand will again be forced to start from the pits on Sunday.