Perez: A really nicely executed race

Sergio Perez started the Sprint Race from second on the grid, but bided his time at the start, then went on to hunt down Charles Leclerc, benefiting from the superior race pace of the RB19, on a day when teammate Max Verstappen was out of sorts in the Sprint Shootout qualifying third, and getting involved in a first lap incident with Mercedes' George Russell.

Perez reflected on his Sprint in Red Bull's race brief; he said: "It was key to make sure we had good pace, good rhythm and that we pushed in the key moments of the race, that really made the difference today.

"I had to push quite hard initially to get past Charles, especially at the restart because on the first lap I could see he had good pace and very good mechanical grip. Later on, I was able to make the move early enough and that to me was important," the Mexican explained.

"In the end I think it was a really nicely executed race and it's been a great weekend from the whole Team so far. I am really proud of my Team because we have come back from a four week gap and then straight into a new format. We have done a tremendous job but tomorrow is what matters and we must focus on that now.

"I am confident I will be fighting for the win tomorrow but let's see, it is Baku and anything can happen! I just have to make sure I deliver when it happens," Perez concluded.

Verstappen added: "It was a bit of a messy first lap and then with the damage I think it was a bit tricky to pull forward throughout the rest of the Sprint.

"I think overall third was fine, and to manage the damage that we had, we did alright. I need to look into the data to see how much the damage affected the race today, but it's never ideal to have a hole in the car.

"Looking ahead to tomorrow, we have a good race car, you could see that today with Checo's performance. I think the most important thing tomorrow is to stay out of trouble and I think we can go for the win," the Dutchman concluded.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner summed the team's Saturday up; he said:"Hard racing today. There was unfortunately some contact which resulted in quite a bit of damage to the side pod and that cost Max in performance. Tomorrow is what it is about though. Max starts on the front row and with a very good chance. He's a very competitive driver and will come back strong tomorrow afternoon.

"By contrast, Checo had a much better race," he added of Perez. "He didn't put a foot wrong. He was sensible on the first lap and wanted to get the job done quickly so he could focus on managing the tyres. He had a blinding middle sector on the second lap, made the pass and was able to eek out a gap.

"Then once he broke Charles's DRS he was able to bring it home from there. Fantastic driving and a well deserved win," the Briton concluded.