F1 Azerbaijan GP: Anyone can drive in a straight line? Data shows where Max Verstappen lost out against Sergio Perez in the Baku Streets

Sergio Perez because of his racing skills was able to prove himself as the superior driver in Baku.

F1 Azerbaijan GP: Anyone can drive in a straight line? Data shows where Max Verstappen lost out against Sergio Perez in the Baku Streets

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Credits: Autosport)

For the ardent followers of the pinnacle of motor racing, the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was, surprisingly, a boring affair. It was an all-out Red Bull fight at the front end of the grid, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez disappearing into the distance. While the latter won the race, it has come to light that Perez won the event, not just because of the safety car advantage; his superior skills in the slow corner at the Baku street circuit played a big role as well.

Max Verstappen, the reigning World Champion, was dominant in the straight lines, but when it came to the slow corners, he just couldn’t match or outperform his teammate. Most of Verstappen’s strong sectors were from 16-20, whereas Perez had the upper hand, in sectors 1-12, which proved enough for the Spaniard to come away with the win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paB8g9gNb4g

FS Video

After getting ahead of the 25-year-old under the safety car, Sergio Perez never looked back and managed to maintain a decent gap between himself and Verstappen. He is popularly known as the king of the street circuits; the Mexicans once again proved why that is the case. His drive at the Baku street circuit was simply flawless.

Sergio Perez had everything going for him during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, from coming into the pitlane under the safety car to taking proper care of his tires, the 33-year-old did everything to perfection, and the end result is much deserved. With his latest victory in the 2023 season, he is now tied with his teammate in terms of victories this year.

Discover: “It is what it is, we learned a lot,” Max Verstappen sounds similar to Lewis Hamilton on team radio post Baku GP loss to Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen has got a stiff task during the 2023 F1 season

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen, since last year, has been in the habit of dominating his competition; however, with Sergio Perez’s upsurge in form this year, it seems the Dutchman would not have an easy road to the Drivers Championship again. As things stand, both have won 2 races each, and Perez is only 6 points behind Verstappen in the Championship.

Sergio Perez has amassed 87 points so far, whereas the reigning World Champion has 93 points to his name. The upsurge in the Mexican’s form is good for the sport, as none of the other F1 teams have got a package that is worthy of challenging the mighty RB19. The car has proved too much to handle for the rivals.

With four races out of the way in the ongoing campaign, there are still 19 to go. Considering how well Sergio Perez has performed so far in the campaign, would he be able to keep up his challenge in the Championship? Or would the 33-year-old soon run out of steam, just like last year?

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