The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was held on April 30th at the Baku City Circuit, a track known for being the fastest street circuit on the F1 calendar with lots of tricky corners. A part of the weekend was also a sprint race, traditionally taking place on Saturday.

This fourth race of the season only highlighted Red Bull's dominance in 2023 as Sergio Perez edged out teammate Max Verstappen for his second victory of the year. Perez, known for his skill on street circuits, took advantage of an early safety car to jump ahead after a well-timed pit stop. Despite Verstappen's efforts to catch up, Perez held on to secure the win. It was once again a 1-2 finish for Red Bull, with Verstappen crossing the line in second place.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position, finished third, securing his first podium of the season. While Leclerc performed well in qualifying, Ferrari struggled to keep up with Red Bull's pace during the race. He had to work hard to defend his position from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who finished fourth after another strong showing.

Aston Martin only continued with their impressive and surprising performance during the 2023 season. On the other hand, Mercedes had a more disappointing weekend, with Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth and George Russell eighth.

The race saw some excitement with a mid-race Safety Car caused by Nyck de Vries’ retirement, which shook up strategies. That was a bummer mainly for Verstappen as he pitted right before the Safety Car was deployed, and with many rivals still yet to pit, his victories hopes were basically gone, however, he at least managed to score second place after a right battle with Perez.

Perez's win tightened the championship fight between the two Red Bull drivers. The team’s commanding performance has also increased their lead in the Constructor’s Championship, while Ferrari and Aston Martin remained competitive for second place. The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is also Perez's most recent victory as he is struggling to even get to the podium this season.

2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix results: