Pérez beats Verstappen to win Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Associated PressBAKU, Azerbaijan — After a dominant win, with a dose of luck, Sergio Pérez seems increasingly like a Formula One title contender. Red Bull’s status as the leading team isn’t in doubt but now it’s 2-2 on wins between Pérez and his teammate Max Verstappen and the Dutchman’s lead is down to six points. “We are in the fight, guys.” Pérez took advantage of a fortunately timed safety car to beat Verstappen to the victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, adding it to the sprint he secured the day before, as Red Bull kept up its winning start to 2023. The Dutch driver said he wanted Red Bull to review “if there was anything we could have done different” on the call to pit, since de Vries had already stopped before Verstappen came in. Fernando Alonso finished in fourth place, showing strong pace for Aston Martin after issues in qualifying on Friday, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Jr. for Ferrari and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who recovered after losing out in the safety car period like Verstappen.