The first running of the new F1 Sprint format played out on the streets of Baku on Saturday afternoon.
There was no shortage of action in the opening stages with George Russell and Max Verstappen going wheel to wheel before Yuki Tsunoda collided with the wall at turn 13, bringing out an early safety car.
The Dutchman fought back at the restart to retake P3, while Fernando Alonso picked off Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc's grip on the lead lasted the better part of eight laps with Perez cruising past the Monegasque driver at turn one with help from Red Bull's immense DRS.
The Mexican scampered off into the distance to take a well-earned victory, while Leclerc held off Verstappen to secure a valuable eight-point haul for Ferrari.
READ MORE: F1 Driver Salaries: How much do Hamilton, Verstappen and co earn?
Here are the timesheets from Saturday evening in Baku:
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023 Sprint Race results
Here are your Sprint Race timesheets from Baku:
1. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - Winner
2. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - 4.463 secs
3. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +5.065s
4. George Russell [Mercedes] - +8.532s
5. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +10.388s
6. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +11.613s
7. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +16.503s
8. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - +18.417s
9. Alex Albon [Williams] - +21.757s
10. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +22.851s
11. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +27.990s
12. Zhou Guanyu [Alfa Romeo] - +34.602s
13. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +36.918s
14. Nyck de Vries [AlphaTauri] - +41.626s
15. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] - +48.587s
16. Valtteri Bottas [Alfa Romeo] - +49.917s
17. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +51.104s
18. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +60.621s
19. Yuki Tsunoda [AlphaTauri] - DNF
20. Logan Sargeant [Williams]- DNS
What points are awarded in F1 Sprint Races in 2023?
Okay so the top eight drivers will all score world championship points - from eight down to one.
Is there Formula 1 today?
Yes, and we got a double dose with the first ever Sprint under the new format.
Qualifying for Saturday's Sprint (the 'Sprint Shootout') kicked off in the early afternoon on Saturday local time.
The session started at 12:30 local time - 09:30 UK, 10:30 CET, 04:30 Eastern Time, 01:30 Pacific Time.
That session set the grid for the 100km Sprint Race later in the day. That started at 1730 local time, 1430 in the UK and 1530 in Central Europe. In the United States your times are 0930 EST, 0830 CST and 0630 PST.
Who is the current F1 world champion?
Dutchman Max Verstappen of Red Bull is the defending two-time F1 world champion after taking the title in 2021 and 2022.
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