Driver standings after sprint race | Perez closer to Verstappen after win

The first sprint was not too spectacular, but it did make the World Cup standings a little more exciting. Sergio Perez has reduced the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen by two points, with Charles Leclerc also making a big jump.

Perez started the sprint ahead of Verstappen with Ferrari driver Leclerc on pole. The Dutchman had a poor start, losing third place to George Russell after some contact in the process. The contact left the two-time world champion with substantial damage and prevented him from progressing beyond P3. Perez had the speed up front though and soon managed to overtake Leclerc and win the sprint.

Gap narrows at the top

With the Mexican's victory and Verstappen's damage, Perez took two more points than the Dutchman, narrowing the gap to his teammate slightly. Furthermore, Leclerc made a jump in the World Cup standings with the seven points the Monegasque got for his second-place finish. The Ferrari driver had only scored six points before the sprint in Baku.

Russell close to Sainz

George Russell suffered no damage from the incident with Verstappen on the first lap and therefore finished neatly in fourth place, closing in on Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard is having a disappointing weekend in Azerbaijan. Sainz is a lot slower than his teammate Leclerc but still finished fifth in the sprint, limiting the damage.

World Cup standings after sprint in Baku

1. Max Verstappen: 75 points
2. Sergio Perez: 62 points
3. Fernando Alonso: 48 points
4. Lewis Hamilton: 40 points
5. Carlos Sainz: 24 points
6. George Russell: 23 points
7. Lance Stroll: 21 points
8. Charles Leclerc: 13 points
9. Lando Norris: 8 points
10. Nico Hulkenberg: 6 points
11. Valtteri Bottas: 4 points
12. Esteban Ocon: 4 points
13. Oscar Piastri: 4 points
14. Pierre Gasly: 4 points
15. Zhou Guanyu: 2 points
16. Yuki Tsunoda: 1 point
17. Kevin Magnussen: 1 point
18. Alexander Albon: 1 point
19. Logan Sargeant: 0 points
20. Nyck de Vries: 0 points