Formula 1
CHECO OVERTAKES LECLERC FOR THE LEAD AND VICTORY IN BAKU SPRINT RACE CHARLES HOLDS OFF A MAD MAX FOR P2
CHECO: “It was key to make sure we had good pace, good rhythm and that we pushed in the key moments of the race, that really made the difference today. I had to push quite hard initially to get past Charles, especially at the restart because on the first lap I could see he had good pace and very good mechanical grip. Later on, I was able to make the move early enough and that to me was important.
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – APRIL 29: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 during the Sprint Shootout/Sprint race ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on April 29, 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
In the end I think it was a really nicely executed race and it’s been a great weekend from the whole Team so far. I am really proud of my Team because we have come back from a four week gap and then straight into a new format. We have done a tremendous job but tomorrow is what matters and we must focus on that now. I am confident I will be fighting for the win tomorrow but let’s see, it is Baku and anything can happen! I just have to make sure I deliver when it happens.”
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – APRIL 29: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari SF-23 leads Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on April 29, 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
MAX: “It was a bit of a messy first lap and then with the damage I think it was a bit tricky to pull forward throughout the rest of the Sprint. I think overall third was fine, and to manage the damage that we had, we did alright. I need to look into the data to see how much the damage affected the race today, but it’s never ideal to have a hole in the car. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we have a good race car, you could see that today with Checo’s performance. I think the most important thing tomorrow is to stay out of trouble and I think we can go for the win.”
LECLERC: “I didn’t fight too much [Perez] because I just wanted to try and keep my tyres – I knew this was our weak point. “I tried to stay within the DRS of [Perez] so he could pull me on the straight. “But that wasn’t enough. We were losing a little bit too much towards the end with the degradation.” “But [the sprint event] confirms a little bit what we thought the Red Bull still has the upper hand in the race. “But we again must not forget how far we were behind in race pace two races ago. So, we did a step forward. We are still not where we want to be.”
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