2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP Sprint shootout: Winners and losers

The 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP sprint shootout was a fun little affair and it kept the fans on their toes. In the end, though, it was the same familiar smiling face of Charles Leclerc that rose to the top.

In a hotly contested session between the Red Bull drivers and Charles Leclerc, just like yesterday (April 28), it was once again the Monegasque driver who beat Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Unlike Friday, where we had a Charles Leclerc-Max Verstappen front row for the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP, for the sprint it will be Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez on the front row. Verstappen will start in P3 while he will have George Russell for company in P4.

After a frantic first-ever sprint shootout, who would be happy with how things panned out, and who would be a bit frustrated?

Let's find out as we take a look at the winners and losers of the sprint shootout.

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2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP Sprint shootout

Winner

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc could easily be considered the 'King of Baku' with the way he has dominated the track over a single lap. It is astounding to see how the Ferrari driver has maintained this level of dominance that we don't tend to see often in the sport over a track.

For the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Charles Leclerc will start both races in pole position. After an uncharacteristically poor race in Australia, this was the perfect way to bounce back from him.

Loser

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen was not too happy about losing pole position to Leclerc yesterday, that too on the final lap. The Red Bull driver does not like losing and more often than not, he tends to win in this sport.

However, losing to Leclerc yesterday and then getting out-qualified by Sergio Perez for the sprint wasn't the best look for Verstappen and he was not in the best of moods after the session.

Winner

Alex Albon

Alex Albon has been slowly but steadily making his name as the driver who could potentially find himself back in contention for a much better seat. Since his return to the sport with Williams, it has been one impressive performance after another from him.

What stood out at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP was the stark difference between Albon and Sargeant. While Sargeant looked strong enough to get close to his teammate, in the end, it was once again Albon who produced the best possible result for the team.

Loser

Alpine

Esteban Ocon's best lap in Q2 was still almost half a second slower than what was needed to make it to Q3. This kind of performance is almost shocking and it does show that the French team might need to take a step back and understand where the car lost all its speed. What is even more unfortunate is the way Gasly's weekend has panned out at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP.

The second Alpine driver will start both races in the back row and irrespective of the track, this is just not ideal for anybody.

Winner

George Russell

It takes a special talent to gain confidence in a car through a session, get better, and then in the final shootout, beat your teammate. It takes a generational talent to do that against Lewis Hamilton.

George Russell is that talent by the looks of it, and him securing a second-row start in that Mercedes is something special from the young driver. Beating Lewis Hamilton again in qualifying is a feather in his cap as well.

Loser

Aston Martin

Without the DRS issue, Aston Martin could have challenged for the second row, especially with Fernando Alonso. This is the first weekend of the season where Aston Martin has shown how there are still holes that need to be plugged if it has to be a front-running team.

These holes include having the operational acumen to mitigate a recurring DRS issue that has plagued the entire 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP weekend for the team. Aston Martin is looking at a tough race by the looks of it and it might take a lot from the team to bounce back.