The first sprint weekend of the 2023 season faced drivers at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the pressure on all 20 more intense than ever due to two more competitive sessions than a usual weekend.
Some drivers wilted under the added pressure, but some performed admirably in spite of it. Red Bull once again were the victors, and the top four teams dominated the top eight positions in the race, leaving the rest of the field to scrap among themselves for the final points-paying positions.
Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen – 7/10
Sprint Qualified: 3rd (1 place behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 3rd (2 places behind team mate) Qualified: 2nd (1 place ahead of team mate, -0.104s) Grid: 2nd (1 place ahead of team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 2nd (1 place behind team mate)
- Fastest in practice before qualifying second on the grid in Friday qualifying
- Beaten by team mate in sprint race qualifying, then suffered sidepod damage after contact with Russell in the sprint race
- Finished third in the sprint race, then lined up second on the grid for the grand prix
- Held second at the start before passing Leclerc for the lead on lap three
- Pitted just before Safety Car, dropping to third, but overtook Leclerc immediately at the restart
- Tried to chase down team mate for the lead but had to settle for second at the finish
A rare occasion when Verstappen appeared to lack the race pace of his team mate. Even if he lost the lead with the Safety Car, he was coming under pressure from Perez behind just before he pitted. He made light work of Leclerc after the restart and tried to bide his time to put the pressure on his team mate, but just could not get close enough to challenge for the win. Still, a solid weekend where he should not be left too disappointed.
Sergio Perez – 7/10
Perez looked a genuine threat to Verstappen but had luck on his side Sprint Qualified: 2nd (1 place ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: Winner (2 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 3rd (1 place behind team mate, +0.104s) Grid: 3rd (1 place behind team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: Winner (1 place ahead of team mate)
- Qualified third after admitting final Q3 lap was “not ideal”
- Beat team mate to second in sprint race qualifying but could not deny Leclerc pole
- Overtook Leclerc for lead of the sprint race after DRS was activated, going on to win by four seconds
- Held third place at start of the grand prix and passed Leclerc on lap five, then reeled in his team mate ahead
- Gained the lead when Verstappen pitted before pitting next lap under Safety Car
- Led the field at the restart and maintained lead over team mate for the rest of the race to win by just over two seconds
A very impressive weekend for Perez. Although he could not quite match Verstappen’s pace on Friday, he was close. On Saturday, he was the better of the two Red Bull drivers and easily drove around Leclerc to win the sprint race. He may have been lucky with the timing of the Safety Car in the grand prix, but he was very much catching Verstappen prior to Nyck de Vries’ accident. It takes nerve to be able to hold off a double world champion in the same car for as long as Perez did.
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Charles Leclerc – 8/10
Leclerc was in stunning form around Baku Sprint Qualified: Pole (4 places ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 2nd (3 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: Pole (3 places ahead of team mate, -0.813s) Grid: Pole (3 places ahead of team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 3rd (2 places ahead of team mate)
- Second-fastest in practice before storming to unexpected pole position on Friday
- Backed up his Friday form by taking pole in sprint race qualifying despite hitting the wall on his final lap
- Lost the sprint race lead to Perez after DRS was enabled but held onto second ahead of Verstappen
- Led the opening laps of the grand prix but was passed by both Red Bulls in quick succession
- Gained second place back under Safety Car but lost it immediately at the restart
- Fell away from the Red Bulls and held third ahead of Alonso, beating him over the line by less than a second
A much-needed strong weekend to kick Leclerc’s season into action. As impressive as taking pole on Friday was, the fact he repeated the feat on Saturday morning showed it had been no fluke. In two starts from pole, he held the lead both times and could do little to prevent the Red Bulls from passing him later on. Third was the best possible result he could realistically have hoped for and even then he had to hold his nerve with Alonso attacking him at the end. A standout performance over the weekend.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 5/10
Sprint Qualified: 5th (4 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 5th (3 places behind team mate) Qualified: 4th (3 places behind team mate, +0.813s) Grid: 4th (3 places behind team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 5th (2 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Qualified fourth, eight tenths slower than team mate on Friday
- Qualified fifth in sprint race qualifying after final SQ3 lap compromised by team mate’s crash
- Held fifth position in the sprint race, finishing between the two Mercedes
- Ran fourth in early laps of the grand prix, pitting under Safety Car but was passed by Alonso at the restart
- Held off Hamilton over second half of the race, finishing just six tenths ahead but over 20 seconds behind team mate
A “very difficult weekend” by Sainz’s own admission. The results were not terrible by any means, but compared to his team mate, Sainz was simply not in the same league all weekend. There were no egregious errors, no major mishaps, but the inability to back up Leclerc in his fight against the Red Bulls on a weekend where the Ferrari was strong made Sainz look simply average by comparison.
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George Russell – 5/10
Russell enraged Verstappen with sprint race contact Sprint Qualified: 4th (2 places ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 4th (3 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 11th (6 places behind team mate, +0.004s) Grid: 11th (6 places behind team mate) Start: +2 places Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-S) Finished: 8th (3 places behind team mate)
- Failed to reach Q3 in Friday qualifying, admitting to a mistake on his final Q2 lap
- Qualified fourth for sprint race and clashed with Verstappen at turn two, eventually being passed by the Red Bull to finish fourth
- Picked up two places at the start and effectively gained three places pitting under Safety Car to sit sixth for restart
- Lost two places to Stroll and Hamilton at the restart to fall to eighth
- Spent the rest of the race in eighth place, eventually pitting for softs on penultimate lap to set the fastest lap
Finishing ‘last’ of the top four teams, Russell would likely have hoped for better from his weekend. He could not match the performance of his team mate on Friday, qualifying six places lower after narrowly failing to reach Q3. But he redeemed himself on Saturday, finishing fourth ahead of Sainz in the sprint race after earning the wrath of Verstappen. In the grand prix, the Safety Car worked out well for him but he dropped places at the restart before and could not follow team mate Hamilton in finishing ahead of Stroll.
Lewis Hamilton – 7/10
Sprint Qualified: 6th (2 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 7th (3 places behind team mate) Qualified: 5th (6 places ahead of team mate, -0.004s) Grid: 5th (6 places ahead of team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 6th (2 places ahead of team mate)
- Reached Q3 on Friday, unlike team mate, to secure fifth on the grid
- Beaten by team mate in sprint race qualifying and lost sixth to Alonso at the restart to finish sprint race in seventh
- Ran fifth in early laps of grand prix but pitted two laps before Safety Car, costing him track position
- Restarted in tenth, passing Hulkenberg and Ocon, then overtook team mate on the second green flag lap for seventh
- Pressured Stroll for fifth, eventually passing him after Stroll’s mistake at Turn 16
- Ran behind Sainz for the second half of the race but had to settle for fifth
A decent weekend for Hamilton when Mercedes lacked the same pace as Ferrari. His Friday qualifying effort was particularly solid, but his team mate out-performed him on Saturday and he slid back in the sprint race. He was back on form on Sunday, however, overcoming the unfortunately-timed Safety Car to quickly muscle his way back up to sixth. Could not pressure Sainz into giving up fifth place, but sixth was still not a bad result for Mercedes.
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Esteban Ocon – 6/10
Sprint Qualified: 13th (6 places ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 18th (5 places behind team mate) Qualified: 12th (7 places ahead of team mate, -2.231s) Grid: 19th (2 places behind team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (H-S) Finished: 15th (1 place behind team mate)
- Missed track time in sole practice session after team mate’s fire led to his car being stripped
- Took 12th on the grid in qualifying despite lack of preparation
- Reached SQ2 in sprint race qualifying to take 13th but had to change set up over legality concerns, forcing pit lane start
- Finished last in sprint race after pitting twice
- Started grand prix from pit lane and ran almost entire race on hard tyres, sitting in ninth before pitting as late as possible
- Narrowly avoided hitting photographers in the pit lane before fitting soft tyres for final lap, finishing 15th
A weekend where the odds seemed to be stacked against Ocon from the very beginning. Although his Alpine didn’t catch fire in practice, he still had to sit out the rest of the session. Then after a reasonable job in the two qualifying sessions, his races were heavily compromised by having to start from the pit lane. He did his best to make his long one-stop strategy work but needed a Safety Car or a red flag which never came. A disappointing weekend through no fault of his own.
Pierre Gasly – 3/10
Gasly’s weekend hardly improved from this point on Sprint Qualified: 19th (6 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 13th (5 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 19th (7 places behind team mate, +2.231s) Grid: 17th (2 places ahead of team mate) Start: +2 places Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-H) Finished: 14th (1 place ahead of team mate)
- Ended practice on fire due to a hydraulic leak after just seven laps
- Was able to take to the track for qualifying but crashed out of Q1 at turn three, leaving him 19th on the grid
- Eliminated in 19th again in SQ1 after Sargeant’s crash brought out the red flags, but gained four places in sprint race
- Pitted first in grand prix to sit 16th at restart, then passed Zhou for 15th
- Ran behind Albon before pitting for second set of hards, falling to the rear
- Overtook Bottas and Sargeant in the final third of the race, eventually finishing 14th
Another weekend to forget for Gasly. His frightening practice fire was not his fault, but crashing in qualifying absolutely was. Failing to escape SQ1 was another disappointment, but his sprint race performance was respectable. He went aggressive on strategy but it did not pay off and he was well out of points contention. He knows he is capable of better.
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Lando Norris – 7/10
Sprint Qualified: 10th (1 place ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 17th (7 place behind team mate) Qualified: 7th (3 places ahead of team mate, -0.33s) Grid: 7th (3 places ahead of team mate) Start: -1 place Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 9th (2 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Secured ‘best of the rest’ grid position in seventh
- Reached SQ3 in sprint race qualifying but did not participate due to lack of tyres
- Soft tyre gamble failed in sprint race, dropping him down the order with pit stop
- Ran eighth in grand prix before pitting just before Safety Car, costing him places
- Restarted 11th and held off Tsunoda for most of the race, passing Hulkenberg and gaining ninth from Ocon’s late stop
A very ‘2022’ weekend for Norris who gave McLaren about as good a result as they could have asked for. He beat an Aston Martin in Friday’s qualifying and reached SQ3 on Saturday but his team’s risk on soft tyres did not pay off and he had to admit defeat. He secured the best finish possible in ninth after the top four teams locked out the positions ahead, but after many laps in DRS range he only passed Nico Hulkenberg once the Haas’ tyres started to drop off.
Oscar Piastri – 6/10
Ailing Piastri kept his nose clean Sprint Qualified: 11th (1 place behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 10th (7 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 10th (3 places behind team mate, +0.33s) Grid: 10th (3 places behind team mate) Start: -1 place Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 11th (2 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Struggled with illness from food poisoning all weekend
- Followed team mate into Q3 but was three tenths slower on final lap to take tenth on the grid
- Just missed out on SQ3 in sprint race qualifying but scored a top ten finish
- Clipped by Albon into turn two at the start, dropping to 11th
- Restarted 13th and spent most of the race in train led by team mate, just missing out on final point in 11th
A physically difficult weekend for the rookie who had to deal with the effects of food poisoning and not being in the best condition. He could not match his team mate’s pace across the three days but still acquitted himself far better than his fellow rookies in the field. Got stuck in the close midfield train and could not find a way to pressure Tsunoda, missing out on a point. But he earns some credit for a mistake-free weekend despite being unwell.
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Valtteri Bottas – 4/10
Sprint Qualified: 17th (1 place behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 16th (4 places behind team mate) Qualified: 14th (2 places ahead of team mate, -0.06s) Grid: 13th (2 places ahead of team mate) Started: 16th Start: -5 places Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-H-M) Finished: 18th
- Reached Q2 unlike team mate but could only qualify 14th
- Eliminated in SQ1 in sprint race qualifying behind team mate then struggled in sprint race on soft tyres
- Hit from Magnussen behind at turn two, dropped to 18th then pitted very early for hard tyres on Sunday
- Pitted a second time for hards under Safety Car, restarting last
- Picked up a place when Gasly pitted but was soon overtaken again, pitting a third time and finishing as the last runner
A long, boring Sunday for Bottas that capped off a fairly frustrating weekend in Baku. Getting through to Q2 on Friday would be his highlight of the weekend as everything seemed to go wrong from there. Beaten by Zhou in sprint race qualifying, his gamble on softs did not pay off as his tyres “melted”. He wasn’t at fault for being hit at turn two which damaged his car but he simply had no pace in the race after the restart and had a lonely drive to be the final car running.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Car trouble ended Zhou’s race early Sprint Qualified: 16th (1 place ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 12th (4 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 16th (2 places behind team mate, +0.06s) Grid: 15th (2 places behind team mate) Started: 12th Start: -1 place Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: Retired (Cooling – L37)
- Just missed out on Q2 berth, failing to follow team mate through
- Beat team mate in sprint qualifying but also eliminated in SQ1 before picking up four places in the sprint race
- Dropped one place to Gasly at the start then lost two places at the restart to fall to 16th
- Overtaken by Magnussen, running in 16th until being called in to retire due to rising temperatures and engine fears
A “weekend to forget” for Zhou but more to do with the lack of speed from the Alfa Romeo than his own performance. After being beaten by his team mate on Friday, he had the better strategy for the sprint race and did a decent job to gain four places. In the grand prix, he struggled to go on the offensive and was passed by faster cars until eventually being retired as a precaution.
Lance Stroll – 5/10
Sprint Qualified: 9th (1 place behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 8th (2 places behind team mate) Qualified: 9th (3 places behind team mate, +0.358s) Grid: 9th (3 places behind team mate) Start: +2 places Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 7th (3 places behind team mate)
- Hit by DRS fault in Friday qualifying and was out-qualified by Norris and Tsunoda
- Almost matched team mate in sprint race qualifying and only gained one net position in the sprint race
- Jumped by Norris and Tsunoda at the start, then pitted under Safety Car where he was passed by Russell in pit lane
- Restarted in seventh and passed Russell but mistake at turn 16 allowed Hamilton by him
- Spent most of the race being pursued by Russell but kept ahead of him to finish in seventh
With the top four teams taking up the top eight finishing positions, seventh place was an acceptable but unspectacular result for Stroll. He was smart enough to play the strategy game in the early laps behind his team mate but lost a place when Russell smartly beat him into the pit lane. He did gain the place back at the restart but he broke under pressure from Hamilton with a mistake. More solid points but easily the second-best of the Aston Martin drivers this weekend.
Fernando Alonso – 7/10
Alonso sprang a surprise on Sainz Sprint Qualified: 8th (1 place ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 6th (2 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 6th (3 places ahead of team mate, -0.358s) Grid: 6th (3 places ahead of team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 4th (3 places ahead of team mate)
- Suffered faulty DRS in Friday qualifying but secured sixth on the grid
- Only just beat team mate in sprint race qualifying to take eighth on the grid, then gained two places in sprint race
- Ran behind Hamilton after start then picked up fifth under Safety Car
- Overtook Sainz with bold lunge into turn four then ran fourth for rest of the race
- Pushed hard at the end of the race to catch Leclerc, finishing less than a second behind
On a weekend where the Aston Martin was not as strong as in the opening three rounds, Alonso again put in a strong weekend’s work. A solid qualifying position on Friday was followed by a decent sprint race passing Hamilton for sixth but he did benefit from the Safety Car timing to get ahead of the Mercedes in the grand prix. His pass on Sainz was brilliantly opportunistic and he spent most of the race chasing Leclerc, but could not beat him to the line. Another satisfactory weekend.
Kevin Magnussen – 5/10
Magnussen lost time with a spin in grand prix Sprint Qualified: 14th (-2 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 11th (+4 places ahead of team mate) Qualified: 18th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.662s) Grid: 16th (+4 places ahead of team mate) Start: +3 places Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 13th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
- Suffered technical problems in practice, then blamed an electrical problem in Friday qualifying for Q1 exit
- Reached SQ2 to line up 13th behind team mate for sprint race, finishing a respectable 11th
- Picked up three places at the start but picked up front wing damage in crush at turn two
- Ran off track at turn three, losing five places before pitting for front wing change
- Passed Zhou after Safety Car restart to run 15th, picking up two more places from the late stoppers to finish 13th
A challenging weekend for Magnussen who was never quite able to get into a rhythm after his weekend started with only eight laps in practice. Further technical problems in qualifying did him no favours, but he put in a solid day’s work on Saturday to gain places and finish 11th. It wasn’t his fault he suffered wing damage at the start of the grand prix but he then fell victim to turn three. After the restart, he passed Zhou but was unable to do better than that, despite likely being faster than cars ahead.
Nico Hulkenberg – 5/10
Sprint Qualified: 12th (+2 places ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: 15th (-4 places behind team mate) Qualified: 17th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.662s) Grid: 20th (-4 places behind team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (H-S) Finished: 17th (-4 places behind team mate)
- Eliminated 17th in Q1 after admitting he never got a fully clean lap in
- Beat team mate in sprint race qualifying but struggled with graining in the sprint race and fell back to 15th
- Forced to start from pit lane after changing set up under parc ferme
- Started on hard tyres and ran almost the entire race before pitting for softs
- Rejoined in 17th where he would finish
With the midfield as close as it is, every mistake or failure to maximise performance becomes costly and Hulkenberg’s weekend was a striking example of that. After struggling in the sprint race, he and Haas gambled on a set-up change for the grand prix. He drove valiantly to try and make his risky strategy pay off but never got the Safety Car or red flag he was ideally hoping for and there was little he could do when his tyres fell off.
Yuki Tsunoda – 6/10
Sprint Qualified: 18th (+2 places ahead of team mate) Sprint Finished: Retired (Damage – L2) Qualified: 8th (+12 places ahead of team mate, -3.048s) Grid: 8th (+10 places ahead of team mate) Start: -2 places Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 10th
- Reached Q3 for the first time in 2023 to secured a strong eighth on the grid
- Was very frustrated to be eliminated from SQ1 due to red flag while on track to improve on his last lap
- Angered even further after contact with team mate in sprint race start damaged front wing, leading to race-ending crash
- Dropped two places on the grand prix start then lost two further places after pitting before Safety Car
- Ran behind Norris for the bulk of the race, eventually passing Hulkenberg and gaining the final point when Ocon pitted
A frustrating weekend for Tsunoda that could have easily rewarded him more than he got. A strong performance on Friday earned him eighth on the grid but his luck ran out in sprint race qualifying and a minor clip from De Vries was all it took to end his sprint race. He spent most of the grand prix in a train behind Norris, unable to get passed but was rewarded with a point to give him something to smile about after being easily the better AlphaTauri driver.
Nyck de Vries – 2/10
De Vries endured a horrible weekend Sprint Qualified: 20th (-2 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 14th Qualified: 20th (-12 places behind team mate, +3.048s) Grid: 18th (-10 places behind team mate) Start: +1 place Finished: Retired (Crashed – L10)
- Sixth fastest in free practice
- Wheeled back into the garage with problem in Q1 but then crashed out in turn three, complaining of BBW problem
- Eliminated slowest in sprint race qualifying when caught out by red flag
- Clipped team mate on opening lap of sprint race, with Tsunoda blaming him for his front wing damage
- Crashed out of the grand prix early by clipping barrier at turn five
A poor, poor weekend for De Vries – especially after he went into Saturday’s sprint events eyeing a top ten result after a promising practice. He paid the price for not bailing out of turn three on his first Q1 push lap and could have left Tsunoda a little more room on the exit of the same corner at the start of the sprint race. He wasn’t the only driver to clip the barrier of turn five in the race but he was the only one who did it hard enough to damage his suspension. Three days to forget.
Alexander Albon – 7/10
Sprint Qualified: 7th (-8 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: 9th Qualified: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.577s) Grid: 12th (+2 places ahead of team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 12th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Easily reached Q2 but was eliminated 13th after feeling Sainz may have cost him time on his final lap
- Took an excellent seventh on the grid in sprint race qualifying, only just missing out on a point in ninth
- Picked up front wing damage on the opening lap of the grand prix after hitting Piastri
- Pitted early for hard tyres which cost him track position after Safety Car
- Overtook Zhou at restart to run in 14th, then picked off a struggling Hulkenberg late to finish 12th
Perhaps the biggest ‘victim’ of the new sprint race format, Albon’s solid weekend saw him have his best day on Saturday but he was denied points despite taking a top ten finish. In the grand prix, he was very lucky not to come off worse after hitting Piastri from far back at turn two and suffered karma when the Safety Car timing worked against him. Still, he showed solid race pace and can be pleased with his weekend’s efforts.
Logan Sargeant – 4/10
Sargeant finished the grand prix after missing sprint race Sprint Qualified: 15th (-8 places behind team mate) Sprint Finished: Did Not Start Qualified: 15th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.577s) Grid: 14th (-2 places behind team mate) Start: Held position Strategy: One-stop (M-H) Finished: 16th (-4 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Reached Q2 for the first time in his career but eliminated slowest in 15th
- Wrecked his car at turn 15 in sprint race qualifying and could not compete in the sprint race
- Lost out after pitting two laps before the Safety Car, dropping to 18th
- Gradually fell away from his team mate in the race and came home the last car on the lead lap in 16th
Take away Saturday and it was a fairly average weekend for Sargeant. He finally made it through into Q2 at the fourth attempt but went no further, which would have been a disappointment given the speed of the Williams down the long straights. His Saturday ended in the wall in sprint race qualifying but that was preferable to him crashing on Friday. In the grand prix, he just didn’t have the pace of team mate Albon.
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