Perez overtakes Leclerc to win first sprint race of 2023 in Baku
Starting from second on the grid, Perez remained behind Leclerc in the opening phase of the race which was halted by a Safety Car period due to Yuki Tsunoda.
Once Tsunoda’s debris and wheel was cleared it wasn’t long until Perez powered past Leclerc into Turn 1.
Perez took the lead on Lap 8 of the sprint before opening up a comfortable 4.4s lead over Leclerc to take the victory.
Leclerc kept Verstappen behind at the chequered flag, with the Red Bull driver nursing minor floor damage following contact with George Russell on the opening lap.
Once Verstappen got past Russell, having lost out on Lap 1, the Mercedes driver settled into fourth behind the leading trio.
Carlos Sainz finished fifth after overtaking Lewis Hamilton at the Safety Car restart, fending off Fernando Alonso in sixth.
Hamilton finished seventh, while Lance Stroll rounded out the points in the sprint after overtaking Alex Albon on Lap 12 at Turn 1.
Albon was ninth ahead of Oscar Piastri, who rounded out the top 10.
Piastri enjoyed a strong sprint race, overtaking McLaren teammate Lando Norris early on, who was forced into a pit stop after starting on the less durable softs.
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