Formula 1: Sergio Perez did something no driver had ever done before
By Asher Fair
Sergio Perez’s victory in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit made him the first Formula 1 driver to achieve this hybrid era feat.
Sunday’s chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit saw Sergio Perez secure his second career Formula 1 victory and his first with Red Bull in what was his sixth start for the team, six months to the day after he secured his first victory driving for Racing Point in last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.
His victory in this 51-lap race around the 20-turn, 3.73-mile (6.003-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Azadliq Square, Baku, Azerbaijan came after teammate and race leader Max Verstappen had a tire blowout with just over five laps remaining, giving Perez the lead.
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On the ensuing restart with two laps remaining, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton briefly took the lead away from Perez, but he locked up his brakes and sailed into the turn one runoff area.
Perez hung on to win ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in second place and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in third.
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As a result, the 31-year-old Mexican — the same driver who set a record for the most starts before securing his first victory late last year — is the first driver to win at least one race with two different teams since the V6 turbo hybrid era back in 2014.
Perez is one of 10 drivers to win at least one race since this era began seven seasons ago. In fact, he is still the most recent driver to join this list, thanks to his victory in last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix. In the 2014 season, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton won for Mercedes and Daniel Ricciardo won for Red Bull. In the 2015 season, Rosberg and Hamilton both won again for the Silver Arrows, and Vettel won for Ferrari.
The 2016 season saw both Rosberg and Hamilton won again for Mercedes, and it saw Ricciardo win again for Red Bull. Max Verstappen also won for Red Bull. The 2017 season saw Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas win for Mercedes, Ricciardo and Verstappen win for Red Bull, and Vettel win for Ferrari.
In the 2018 season, Hamilton won for Mercedes, Ricciardo and Verstappen won for Red Bull, and both Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen won for Ferrari. In the 2019 season, Hamilton and Bottas both won for Mercedes, Verstappen won for Red Bull, and both Vettel and Charles Leclerc won for Ferrari.
Then last year, Hamilton and Bottas both won for Mercedes again, and Verstappen again won for Red Bull. Gasly won for AlphaTauri and Perez won for Racing Point. So far this season, Hamilton has won for Mercedes and both Verstappen and Perez have won for Red Bull.
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The seventh race on the 2021 Formula 1 schedule is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 20. This race, the French Grand Prix, is set to be broadcast live from Circuit Paul Ricard on ESPN beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hamilton won this race in 2018 and 2019 before it was axed from the 2020 calendar as a result of COVID-19-related restrictions.