F1 2021: Sergio Perez wins Baku GP in chaotic finish after Red Bull teammate Verstappen suffers late puncture

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday as he crossed the chequered flag ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly on Sunday.

Perez, who started seventh on the grid in Azerbaijan, claimed the second F1 win of his career after winning the Sakhir Grand Prix last year in Bahrain.

Perez's Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen suffered a late puncture and that cost him the victory in Baku. After surpassing Lewis Hamilton during the pit stops, Verstappen had dominated the race but only to get disappointed when he failed to finish the race. With five laps to go, the Red Bull driver crashed at high speed in an incident almost similar to one suffered by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll at half-distance.

Both Verstappen and Stroll's cars were close to 200mph when their tyres failed and as result, they crashed into the wall but fortunately, both the drivers were uninjured. Verstappen's incident led to the red flag, leaving the race to end with a chaotic final two laps.

At the restart, Hamilton was placed second, next to the leader Perez. While the defending champion went ahead of Perez on Turn One, his tyres got locked up and he ran into the escape road, dropping to 15th at the chequered flag.

After 54 straight top-10 finishes, Hamilton did not earn a point in Formula One on Sunday. A retirement in Austria in July 2018 was the last time he didn't win any points when he featured in an F1 race. After contracting the coronavirus last season, Hamilton missed the Sakhir Grand Prix in December 2020.

In a post-race interview, Perez sympathised with his Red Bull teammate Verstappen, saying the Belgian- Dutch driver deserved the win in Baku.

"I'm so happy for today. Normally Baku is pretty crazy but I have to say sorry to Max. He deserved the win today and it would have been good for the team to get a 1-2 but the win is a fantastic result. We were lucky to finish the race and it was quite difficult to get to the end. He [Hamilton] had a very strong pace throughout the race, he pushed me for every lap onwards from the pit stop.

At the restart, I had a poor getaway and Hamilton got alongside me but I made the car as wide as possible and he didn't make the corner. This is definitely a strong boost of confidence for myself and the team," Perez was quoted by BBC Sport, as saying in the interview.

A 15th position meant Hamilton missed out on a chance to replace Verstappen at the top of the F1 2021 standings. While the Red Bull racer has 105 points after six races, Hamilton trails him by four points. With 44 points, Perez is currently on fifth place.

Meanwhile, former four-time F1 champion Vettel, who bagged his career's 122nd podium finish on Sunday, finished in the top three for the first time since the Turkish Grand Prix last season.

"It's a big deal for the team. We had a good start, made some positions and looked after our tyres. We had a really good pace at the (first) restart, which was brilliant for me, giving me another two positions. We preserved the tyres well and that was the secret to the pace we had. It was a great day overall. I'm over the moon for myself and for the team, it was great. A podium - we really didn't expect that," said Vettel, who finished in second place since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix.