Not every win is a landmark one for Red Bull, but the numbers keeping adding up with each instance that they are victorious.
The team’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory was their 25th one-two result, with Sergio Perez leading home Max Verstappen.With their fourth win from four grands prix in their first season with engines now badged as “RBPT Honda”, those units now have as many victories as Mugen-Honda, another F1 engine builder that used Honda designs.
As for Red Bull’s drivers, they also had some statistical landmarks to celebrate beyond extending their advantage at the top of the 2023 standings.
His team mate Verstappen may not have been most pleased to be runner-up for the 28th time in his F1 career, but his 81st podium finish means he has now achieved the feat more times than Ayrton Senna did in his career. With a 23rd consecutive points-scoring finish there are now only three drivers who have gone on longer scoring runs than Verstappen. He has now also drawn level with Rubens Barrichello, the third most experienced driver in F1 history, for consecutive starts as he has started the last 167 grands prix.
Red Bull scored 57 from a possible 59 points last weekend. That means they are still capable of becoming the first team ever to score more than 1,000 points in a season over the course of the year.
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That would be a significant increase over the 759 points they amassed last season. However there are several factors in their favour.
Red Bull already have 180 points compared to 113 after four races last year. There is an extra round on the calendar this year plus three more sprint events, adding up to an further 88 points available. And they have a much greater performance advantage over their rivals than they did 12 months ago.
There are 911 points available over the remaining races so Red Bull could even afford a no-score in one of the remaining rounds and still break the 1,000 barrier. It’s still a tall order, though:
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Finishing behind the Red Bull pair in Baku was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who drew level with Jacky Ickx with his 25th podium finish and also claimed his 19th F1 pole last weekend.
Verstappen responded by improving to 1’44.474 on the next lap, but Alonso bettered that by 0.233s too. There was even more pace in the bag for Verstappen, and he met the chequered flag having completed the final tour in 1’44.232. That was 0.009s faster than Alonso, who did not improve on the final tour.
But then Mercedes’ eighth-placed George Russell, who had pitted for a fresh set of soft tyres, finished the race by setting a 1’43.370, securing the sixth fastest lap of his career by a massive 0.862s.
That achievement puts him level with seven drivers, including world champions Mike Hawthorn, Phil Hill and Emerson Fittipaldi. It was Mercedes’ 101st fastest lap in F1.
Alonso ended up finishing Sunday’s race in fourth, with team mate Lance Stroll in seventh. With the pair having finished sixth and eighth respectively in Saturday’s sprint race, it meant Aston Martin ended the weekend having surpassed 200 points since their return to F1 in 2021.
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The sprint race was the seventh in F1 history, and Baku was the sixth track to hold one. Perez became the fourth driver to be a sprint winner, and it marked the second occasion he has made the top three in a sprint race. Verstappen has now done that six times out of seven by finishing third, while Leclerc’s second place was his third sprint race podium.
The late changes to the race weekend format meant this was F1’s first round since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix to feature two qualifying sessions. On that occasion the drivers’ best times from each were combined to determine the grid, and Kimi Raikkonen triumphed with a combined time of 2’30.323.
Have you spotted any other interesting stats and facts from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix? Share them in the comments.
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2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Aston Martin radio messages reveal how “older brother” Alonso helps Stroll
- How slashing practice to a single hour in Baku tripped up F1 teams
- Bottas: “Rapid improvement needed” at Alfa Romeo
- Red Bull could become first team to score 1,000 points in a season
- Aston Martin hoping DRS fix works in Miami after Stroll manages fault in race
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
3rd May 2023, 13:15
At first, I thought it was a joke but the math makes it possible, although extremely unlikely. I think it’s a given they’ll break the current record. I would not be surprised if they hit 900.
Le Jimster (@lejimster82)
3rd May 2023, 13:26
Yeah, I agree.. 900 seems very doable if their form continues most of the year, that allows for the odd mistake or problem along the way. But 1000 would need to be near perfect for the rest of the season and while they are dominant right now, I do feel the gap will close by the end of the year.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd May 2023, 14:15
Third consecutive Azerbaijan GP weekend with Leclerc starting in the pole position.
Additionally, he became the fifth different driver this season to finish a race in the top three.
Both Mclarens reached Q3 for the first time this season.
Sargeant’s first Q2 appearance.
Gasly & De Vries formed the last row in race starting order for the second time, albeit the other way around to Bahrain GP.
Coincidently, they had the same starting positions for the sprint.
Besides Checo’s first sprint victory, Albon got his first sprint point.
The former also became the first driver to reached the chequered flag 1st twice in Baku, i.e., he became the location’s first double-winner & he also got his first non-third finish in a sprint, as all of his previous sprint finishes were for third place.
Zhou’s second consecutive Baku DNF, meaning he still hasn’t reached the chequered flag in a proper Baku race.
Russell’s fastest lap is only 0.361 seconds slower than the lap record from 2019 (1:43.009).
He also became the fourth different driver to achieve the FLAP bonus point in as many races.
Tommy Scragend
3rd May 2023, 16:52
Not quite. Zhou didn’t get the bonus point in Bahrain because he finished outside the top ten.
In fact, including Abu Dhabi 2022, the last five races have had different drivers achieve the fastest lap, with four of them getting a point for it.
Jere (@jerejj)
4th May 2023, 5:47
@Tommy Scragend
I temporarily didn’t recall Zhou finishing below P10 in Bahrain, but four different drivers have set the fastest lap.
Darryn Smith (@darryn)
3rd May 2023, 16:23
1000? What a joke. Liberty needs to start handing out 25000 points for a win. I would really love to see a team rack up a million points.
Qeki (@qeki)
3rd May 2023, 18:44
@darryn Like currency todays 1000 points is equal to early 2000s 200 points. Everything needs to be bigger and better and faster and so on in todays world.
SteveP
3rd May 2023, 19:05
If you’re looking to crown Max “Pinball Wizard” do note that although he hasn’t stopped crashing into things, it’s much less frequent, although the gravitational attraction to Mercedes does still seem to exist.
Mayrton
4th May 2023, 8:24
Exactly. The points system changes, hence a team will score more. Purely politically driven article again aimed at sheep.
paulgilb (@paulgilb)
3rd May 2023, 22:26
First time since Russia 2021 that Williams have got both cars into Q2.
Leclerc scored more points in the Sprint than he managed in the first 3 races of 2023.
Alonso has scored exactly 15 points in every race weekend so far in 2023.
Red Bull are the only team without a DNF so far this season.
Ferrari keep alive their run of at least 1 podium every year since 1981.
27th consecutive season in which at least 1 Mercedes-powered car has managed a fastest lap.
17th consecutive season in which at least 1 British driver has set a fastest lap.
Perez’s last 5 victories have come at street/temporary circuits.
First time since Brazil 2010/11 that Red Bull have managed consecutive 1-2’s at the same circuit.
First circuit at which Leclerc has managed 3 poles.
Force India/Racing Point/Aston Martin have finished in the top 6 in every Baku GP.
Thanks to statsf1 and the official F1 site for some of these.
frood19 (@frood19)
4th May 2023, 7:12
@paulgilb you could sort of argue that his first win came at a temporary circuit too, though it’s obviously not one that gets dismantled after use like all the others.
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
3rd May 2023, 23:11
Since good deeds do not go un-punished, there is a flip side to earning soooo many points.
The FIA license renewal fee includes a line item or 2,100 Euros for each point earned in the previous year.
If Red Bull gets to 900 points (which I doubt) it will cost C. Horner 1,890,000 Euros (or upwards of $2 M USD) for drivers license renewals. Ouch.
Even the one lap glory run from Russel for FLPA on Sunday will cost him 2,100 Euros come next spring. The FIA giveth and the FIA taketh away.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see, should Red Bull seal the deal on the title early, them backing off in some way to avoid bagging even more points. If driver’s licensing fees and salaries are included in the Cap, it would make sense in some way.
Bruno
4th May 2023, 3:25
I think that drivers salaries are not included in the budget cap.
Excluded:
“All costs of Consideration provided to an F1 Driver, or to a Connected Party of that F1
Driver, in exchange for that F1 Driver providing the services of an F1 Driver to or for
the benefit of the F1 Team, together with all travel and accommodation costs in
respect of each F1 Driver.”
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
4th May 2023, 17:32
Yes, understood. Driver’s costs are currently not included.
There has been some talk, mostly coming from the midfield teams it seems, to expand the scope of the Cap to include driver’s salaries.
This came up following the last contract signed with MB and SLH. Can’t imagine why.??
Seems a rather contrarian approach to be penalizing teams and drivers for success, cap inclusion or not, it is still an expense, sorry, FIA revenue stream.
Señor Sjon
4th May 2023, 12:23
Only Red Bull and Mercedes have won Sprint races.