Red Bull’s Sergio Perez overtook Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to win the sprint at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Championship leader Max Verstappen finished third, after his car suffered damage in an early collision with George Russell’s Mercedes.

Russell took fourth, from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was sixth, with Lewis Hamilton seventh – the Briton losing out when Alonso made an opportunistic overtake to take advantage of the seven-time champion failing to pass Sainz into the first corner at the restart.

Leclerc, who has taken two pole positions in two days in Baku and will also start the grand prix at the front on Sunday, feared he would struggle to hold off at least one of the Red Bulls over a race – and so it proved.

This is the first ‘sprint’ weekend of the year and it runs to a new format to those events in the last two years. The Friday qualifying session decided the grid for the grand prix on Sunday.

Saturday is a whole separate day, starting with a qualifying session – known as the ‘sprint shootout’ – that sets the grid for this shorter ‘sprint’ race later on.

How did it all unfold?

The race was neutralised early in lap two after Yuki Tsunoda clouted the wall at Turn 15, tearing his tyre off and damaging his rear suspension.

Cars ran for five laps under the virtual safety car and then full safety car while the debris from Tsunoda’s accident was cleared.

When it restarted, Perez stalked Leclerc for two laps before easing past as soon as the DRS overtaking aid was enabled after two racing laps.

Leclerc stuck with him for some time, before beginning to lose his tyres with a couple of laps to go and finishing 4.5 seconds behind.

Perez’s win closed his deficit in the championship to Verstappen to 13 points.

Leclerc tried to stay within DRS range of Perez as long as he could, fearing an attack from Verstappen, whose car was damaged while fighting with Russell in a terrific side-by-side battle through the first three corners.

The two collided when Russell stayed on the inside at Turn Two. The Mercedes was on the inside and Russell tried to leave Verstappen room on the outside, but a lock-up meant he slid into the Red Bull and damaged Verstappen’s sidepod.

Verstappen was furious with Russell afterwards, going over to remonstrate with the Mercedes driver, after the Briton refused to accept he had been at fault and walked away.

Verstappen said in his television interview: “I don’t understand why you need to take so much risk in lap one, understeer into my sidepod and create a big hole.”

The damage would have caused significant drag on the Red Bull and almost certainly explains why Verstappen was not able to catch and pass Leclerc.

Russell was comfortably able to hold off Sainz, who in turn was concerned about Alonso but they raced without changing positions to the flag.

Wolff on Leclerc Mercedes link

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has admitted Leclerc is “on his radar” but “not for the short and medium-term” future.

Leclerc fuelled claims of a move from Ferrari to Mercedes by saying “not yet” when asked on Thursday whether he had held talks with the former champions.

Wolff backed Leclerc’s claim that there had not been any negotiations.

“The only time I talked with him is when we discussed where the gate is in Melbourne to board the plane,” Wolff said.

Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes expires at the end of this season, but on Saturday in Azerbaijan Wolff repeated his insistence both were committed to signing a new deal.

“Nobody doubts Charles’ ability and he is a good guy,” Wolff said. “He is 100% committed to Ferrari and we are 100% committed to putting pen to paper with Lewis.”

Wolff added: “Charles is a super-guy and for the long-term future someone you have to have on your radar but not for the short and medium term.”

Leclerc said on Thursday that he was “fully committed to Ferrari”, that he “loved” the team and a move was “not something in my mind”.

The 25-year-old is under contract at Maranello until the end of 2024.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said: “Charles confirmed that he is committed to the project and he wants to be world champion with Ferrari.”