2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Championship standings

Verstappen leads with 69 points, 15 ahead of Pérez and 24 ahead of Alonso in third. Red Bull lead the Constructors’ Championship with 123 points; Aston Martin are second with 65, Mercedes third with 56.

Previous race

At Melbourne, Verstappen recovered from wheelspin off the line — allowing Hamilton and Russell through — to retake the lead by lap 12 and win ahead of Hamilton and Alonso. The race set a new record for red flags with three: the first after Leclerc’s crash with Stroll, the second after Albon’s heavy impact, and a third following a multi-car collision at the final restart. Russell retired with a power unit failure on lap 18 after debris lodged in a cylinder.

Sprint format

This is the first sprint weekend of the season, and the first under the new format. Friday features a single free practice session followed by Grand Prix qualifying. Saturday opens with the “sprint shootout” — three knockout segments of 12, 10, and 8 minutes — to set the sprint grid, with medium tyres mandatory in SQ1 and SQ2, and softs in SQ3. The sprint is held Saturday afternoon, with the Grand Prix on Sunday.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C3, C4, and C5 compounds — designated hard, medium, and soft.

Track changes

The second DRS activation point is moved 100 metres farther ahead, now positioned 447 metres after turn 20.