Leclerc claimed both pole positions on offer at the Baku round, topping Friday qualifying and Saturday’s new sprint race qualifying session, but he couldn’t convert the latter into victory as he was reeled in by Sergio Perez in the sprint.
But the Ferrari driver did hold on for second place ahead of Max Verstappen, who clashed with George Russell on the opening lap of the sprint, which resulted in sidepod damage and the pair exchanged heated views immediately after the race.
