We return to the urban circuits and it’s the turn of one of Red Bull’s favorites, the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the seventeenth of the Formula 1 World Championship, where Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez has amassed 4 podiums, two of them in victory.
The Guadalajara driver from Red Bull was one lap away from returning to the podium in third place, but after avoiding an overtake from Sainz, they collided on the straight at turn 16 and were out of the race. It seemed like a comeback after the problems with the RB20, as they seek as many points as possible and to overcome the difficulties they have faced since Adrian Newey’s departure from the Austrian team.
‘Checo’ Pérez started from the second row of the grid, alongside Carlos Sainz Jr., and although they battled directly for the last podium place, everything ended in the penultimate lap.
Results in Baku: How did F1 fare TODAY and how did ‘Checo’ Pérez do in the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Oscar Piastri wins the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a podium completed by Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
It was a great race for McLaren and Ferrari, where ‘Checo’ Pérez was one lap away from returning to the podium, as he kept Sainz behind him. Everything changed in the penultimate lap when Sainz collided with the Mexican, and both ended up outside the points.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) finished sixth; and Argentine Franco Colapinto (Williams) was eighth in his second race in the top category.
Here’s how the top 10 of the race finished
- Piastri
- Leclerc
- Russell
- Norris
- Verstappen
- Alonso
- Albon
- Colapinto
- Hamilton
- Bearman
Azerbaijan GP: Relive the minute-by-minute of ‘Checo’ Pérez’s race
- Lap 51: Piastri takes the lead in the race.
- Lap 51: The race at the Baku circuit ends.
- Lap 50: The virtual safety car ends with the race and victory for Piastri.
- Lap 50: What the heck…? Sergio Pérez complains about Sainz’s bad maneuver.
- Lap 50: After a battle between Sainz and Pérez, the Spaniard avoids Pérez’s overtake and they collide.
- Lap 50: Strong collision between Sainz and Pérez! Both are out of the race.
- Lap 48: Leclerc announces he has no grip on the rear tires, causing him to lose speed.
- Lap 47: ‘Checo’ Pérez suffers as he finds himself between the two Ferraris.
- Lap 43: Record fastest lap for Lando Norris.
- Lap 38: Problems for ‘Checo’? The Mexican increases his lead time.
- Lap 36: Ferrari engineers motivate Leclerc.
- Lap 33: Max Verstappen reports again that he has no grip in the third section of the RB20.
- Lap 33: Oscar Piastri holds his own and has a complicated maneuver with Charles Leclerc.
- Lap 27: Piastri maintains the first position with less than a second difference from Leclerc.
- Lap 21: Pérez returns to third place and wants to catch up with Leclerc.
- Lap 20: There’s a new leader! Oscar Piastri takes the lead of the race.
- Lap 18: Sainz goes to the pits, which benefits ‘Checo’ Pérez as he moves up to fourth place.
- Lap 16: Bad day for Yuki Tsunoda, who has to retire due to damage to the side of his car.
- Lap 15: Despite Norris’ order, Pérez passes the McLaren to move up to fifth place.
- Lap 13: After a pit stop, Pérez drops to sixth place.
- Lap 11: Colapinto is the first to pit and switches to hard tires.
- Lap 11: Problems continue in Red Bull! Max Verstappen complains that he has no grip in the car.
- Lap 10: ‘Checo’ Pérez is improving his rhythm to overtake Piastri.
- Lap 8: Latin power in Baku, Colapinto is getting closer to Fernando Alonso.
- Lap 5: ‘Checo’ Pérez gets closer.. he is one second behind Oscar Piastri from McLaren.
- Lap 4: Lance Stroll indicated that Tsunoda closed in on him, resulting in a minor touch.
- Lap 4: Yuki Tsunoda lost two positions in the early laps of the Grand Prix.
- Lap 1: Bad news for Lance Stroll who suffers a tire puncture after a collision with Tsunoda.
- Lap 1: What a start for Checo Pérez! The Mexican overtakes Carlos Sainz and secures third place. Max Verstappen also gains a position (P5).
- The lights go out: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is underway!
- Pre-lap!
- The Red Bulls are using medium tires like most of the grid.
- The race in Azerbaijan starts at 5:00 AM (central Mexico time).
How did the Formula 1 starting grid look this Saturday, September 14?
The Baku Urban Circuit experienced the qualifying session of the 2024 Azerbaijan GP on September 14. This location is memorable for ‘Checo’ Pérez as two of the six races he has won were here.
During the qualy, he always stayed in the top 10. There was even a moment when he held the provisional ‘pole’ in Q1. What is a fact is that this time he outperformed his teammate, Max Verstappen. He qualified for Q2 and Q3, finishing in fourth position.
After the activities on Saturday, here is how the starting grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned out:
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari)
- Sergio Pérez (Red Bull)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Franco Colapinto (Williams)
- Alexander Albon (Williams)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Haas)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
F1 Schedules: When and what time is the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix race in Baku?
After a week of pause where ‘Checo’ Pérez visited the Red Bull factory to work on problems, the Mexicans will have to wake up early and stay up late.
Yes, even though we celebrate the national festivities on September 15 and 16 here, the Formula 1 action will wake up all motorsport fans early on Sunday. Remember that the published schedules are in Mexico central time.
- Azerbaijan GP race: Sunday, September 15, at 5:00 AM.
F1 on the Baku street circuit: Where to watch the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix LIVE in Mexico?
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is known for its surprises, with frequent accidents and the need for a flexible strategy.
‘Checo’ Pérez has proven to be a driver capable of managing these challenging conditions and making the most of the opportunities presented to him, so watching him in action will be interesting.
The race, along with all F1 activities, can be followed on television or online.
F1 2024: What happened with ‘Checo’ in the qualifying session of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
‘Checo’ held first place for a large part of Q1 but was pushed down to tenth position and improved significantly in the second qualifying round, where he finished third.
However, Q3 proved more complicated not only for Pérez but for both Red Bull drivers. In the end, he will be one of the first to start
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen continues to face problems with the car, as ever since Adrian Newey announced his exit and recent incorporation into Aston Martin, Red Bull seems to be ‘limping’.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix: How has ‘Checo’ Pérez performed at the Baku circuit?
Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez has had an interesting performance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, one of the most exciting races on the Formula 1 calendar due to its urban circuit and often unpredictable nature.
Checo Pérez has shown several remarkable performances in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. In 2021, Pérez had an outstanding race, achieving his first victory with Red Bull Racing.
With information from EFE.