Azerbaijan Top 5

Number 1: George Russell vs Max Verstappen

Lap one almost always leads to drama and the Azerbaijan Sprint Race was no exception. This week the drama is between George Russell and Max Verstappen. Russell forced Verstappen wide into one of the turns causing the two drivers to make contact. This contact led to one of the Red Bull side pods being damaged. It didn’t seem to affect Verstappen’s race but nevertheless, he was angry. Verstappen confronted Russell after the race about the incident but Russell seemed unbothered.

The two-time world champion referred to Russell as “Princess George” during an interview with the Dutch media when asked about the incident. Russell then labeled the whole thing pathetic. “Something you learn as a kid is that if you’re going to give something, you’ve got to be willing to take it as well.”

Verstappen has been known to make similar moves in the past but it seems he’s not a fan of being on the losing side.

Number 2: Drama in the Pit Lane

As the race concluded people began entering the pit lane to get ready for the post-race ceremony. What these people failed to realize was that Esteban Ocon hadn’t yet made the mandatory pit stop. Alpine called their driver in on the last lap to meet the requirement. The people standing in the pit lane then came face to face with Ocon’s car as the driver came in.

While this was arguably the most entertaining part of Sunday's race, it still shouldn’t have happened. Someone could have been seriously hurt if Ocon hadn’t been able to slow down or the people hadn’t gotten out of the way.

Number 3: First Sprint of the Season

Sprint races have become a regular feature on the F1 calendar. This year, the calendar features six Sprint weekends and Azerbaijan was the first Sprint weekend of the year. Not only that, F1 introduced a new style of Sprint racing on the Tuesday of race week.

In previous iterations, the Sprint race results set the grid for Sunday’s race. Now Friday’s Qualifying session sets the grid for Sunday’s race and the Sprint events take place independently. A Sprint Shootout replaced the regular morning practice on Saturday. This shootout featured a three-session format to set the Sprint race grid. The Sprint race still awards points to the top eight finishers but it doesn’t alter the grid for the regular race.

Sprint weekends are always interesting and this one proved to be no different. From Verstappen and Russell’s incident to Yuki Tsunoda losing a tire on lap one, it was entertaining from start to finish. Logan Sargeant never even made it to the Sprint race due to his crash in the Shootout.

The next Sprint race won’t be until Austria in July so we will have to wait and see if the format continues to promote a more entertaining race weekend.

Number 4: Good Luck for McLaren

I’m a McLaren girl so I’m always going to try and hype them up. This weekend they deserve it! Both cars made it into Q3 for the first time and this was Lando Norris’s first Q3 appearance this year. Oscar Piastri finished Qualifying in tenth place while Norris came across the line in seventh.

Piastri made it to the second session of the Sprint Shootout only missing the third session by about a hundredth of a second. Norris made it to the third session despite not being able to participate due to not meeting the tire requirements. Piastri was able to gain one place during the Sprint while his teammate had a rather unlucky Sprint race, losing seven places. Thankfully the results no longer affected the race on Sunday.

Norris finished Sunday’s race in ninth place earning him two championship points. Piastri sadly fell just out of the points in 11th place. Despite only one car finishing in the points, this was still a good weekend for the team.

Number 5: Sergio Perez in the Title Fight

Verstappen still has the lead in the championship but this week’s race brought his teammate, Sergio Perez, a little bit closer. Perez not only won the race but he also won the Sprint race. Earning 33 points in one weekend made the gap between first and second just six points. The Mexican driver has made it known that he’s here to fight for a title but is Red Bull really going to let him fight their golden boy?

All eyes are on Miami this week as the teams head to the Sunshine State. Race coverage will be on ABC this week since this is the first trip to the States this season. Coverage starts at 2 pm Eastern and the race begins at 3:30 pm. A full schedule for the race weekend can be found on ESPN.