SERGIO PEREZ

Perez and Leclerc entered the race tied for second in the points standings after Verstappen didn't pull over for his teammate on the final lap in Brazil. And while Perez charged towards Leclerc in the final laps, he was still over a second behind Leclerc at the checkered flag. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished fourth to ensure that Ferrari finished second in the constructor’s standings to Red Bull while Mercedes’ George Russell was fifth. Perez won two races in 2022 as Red Bull won 17 of the season’s 22 races. Leclerc won three races while Sainz won the British Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has won a record-extending 15th race of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to conclude one of the most dominant seasons in Formula One history.

Max Verstappen's mother poured fuel on the fire between her son and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez after the drivers' incident at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Mercedes driver George Russell has won his first race in Formula One by 1 1/2 seconds at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

MEXICO CITY — (AP) — Max Verstappen set the Formula One record for wins in a season Sunday at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he scored his 14th victory to break the record shared with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Paired with wins at Miami, Montreal and now Mexico City, Verstappen swept the North American portion of this year's F1 schedule. Red Bull has now won nine consecutive races, tying the team record set in 2013. The team has won 16 of 21 F1 races this season with Verstappen and Sergio Perez, winner at Monaco and Singapore. But the fans love their native driver and, before the race, Perez took a ride around the track on the back of a convertible Volkswagen.

Max Verstappen set the Formula One record for wins in a season Sunday at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he scored his 14th win to break the record shared with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

MEXICO CITY — (AP) — Max Verstappen inched closer to a record 14th victory of the Formula One season by holding off a pair of Mercedes and Mexican favorite Sergio Perez to win the pole Saturday for the Mexico City Grand Prix. It was the sixth pole of the season for Verstappen, who clinched his second consecutive F1 title earlier this month. Hamilton qualified third, behind teammate George Russell, as the Mercedes drivers seek their first win of the season. He was second to Verstappen a week ago at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where Verstappen raced to his record-tying 13th win of the season. Verstappen has not promised to give Perez any favors to help Perez win in front of his adoring fans, but Perez did himself no favors in qualifying fourth.

Max Verstappen inched closer to a record 14th victory of the Formula One season by holding off a pair of Mercedes and Mexican favorite Sergio Perez to win the pole for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The interview was arranged by Cash App, the official financial education partner of Red Bull Racing, and Christian Horner, the head of the Formula One team, was happy to talk about sponsorship activation in the United States. Horner is now the villain at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he's trying to put a bizarre month behind him. Red Bull heads into Sunday's race seeking a ninth consecutive victory — and either a record 14th win of the season for Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez becoming the first Mexican driver to win an F1 race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Lewis Hamilton has just three races remaining to avoid the first winless season of his illustrious Formula One career.

F1 returns this weekend with the front end of a North American doubleheader in Austin, Texas and the United States Grand Prix. Here is what you need to know to for the United States Grand Prix:United States Grand Prix TV/streaming scheduleFans in the United States can watch practices, qualifying and the race on TV via the ABC/ESPN family of networks or stream it via ESPN or F1TV Pro. Perez and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton follow at +700 apiece, while Leclerc and Sainz Jr. both enter at +1000. No race at COTA has been won from outside the front row, making Saturday’s twilight qualifying session all the more important. United States Grand Prix weatherThe forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 80s to lower 90s.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start on pole position for the United States Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso remembers the quiet times in Austin.

Formula One team Red Bull has been found to have breached budget regulations last season.

SUZUKA, Japan — (AP) — Red Bull driver Max Verstappen clinched his second consecutive Formula One drivers’ title by winning the Japanese Grand Prix in the rain at Suzuka on Sunday. Verstappen has been dominant all season and claimed the title with four races remaining. The Dutchman started from pole in pouring rain only for the race to be stopped after two laps as several cars crashed. It was resumed two hours later with 28 of the 53 laps completed and Verstappen leading the whole way. They were the only drivers who could have overtaken Verstappen for the title.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen clinched his second consecutive Formula One drivers’ title by winning the Japanese Grand Prix in the rain at Suzuka.

SUZUKA, Japan — (AP) — Max Verstappen of Red Bull will be on the pole for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix as he attempts to clinch his second straight Formula One drivers' title. However, that has not been crucial for Verstappen, who has won 11 times this season — often starting from a non-pole position. Verstappen finished first in qualifying on Saturday with a winning lap time of 1 minute, 29.304 seconds at Suzuka. Verstappen is guaranteed of taking the season title if he wins the race on Sunday and also gets a bonus point for turning the fastest lap. He could also win the championship for a second straight year without a victory depending the other results.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull will be on the pole for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix as he attempts to clinch his second straight Formula One drivers’ title.

F1 continues the flyaway section of its schedule with the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend at the iconic Suzuka Circuit. Having hosted its share of dramatic title deciders in the past when it was the final race on the calendar, it could see another this weekend, although much less compelling than, say, Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost. Japanese Grand Prix TV scheduleFans in the United States can watch practices, qualifying and the race on TV via the ESPN family of networks or stream it via ESPN or F1TV Pro. Best odds for the Japanese Grand Prix (per BetMGM)Max Verstappen (-165)Charles Leclerc (+300)Lewis Hamilton (+800)Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg likes Mercedes' Russell to finish in the top six (-400) despite the low return and Mick Schumacher to finish ahead of Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen (+100). F1 drivers Top 5 entering SuzukaMax Verstappen, Red Bull - 341Charles Leclerc, Ferrari - 237Sergio Perez, Red Bull - 235George Russell, Mercedes - 203Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari - 202Japanese Grand Prix weekend weatherThe forecast calls for rain during Friday's practice sessions, clear conditions for qualifying on Saturday and showers on Sunday, so we could see some mixed tire strategies if the circuit is wet when the race starts.

Max Verstappen’s Formula One title celebration was put on hold after the Red Bull driver placed seventh at a chaotic Singapore Grand Prix won by his teammate Sergio Perez.

F1 enters the "flyaway" section of its schedule, with the final six rounds to be contested off the European continent, starting with the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Racing would have returned a week earlier, but the FIA canceled the Russian Grand Prix (scheduled for Sept. 25) after that country's invasion of Ukraine in February. Only Verstappen (11 wins), Leclerc (3), Perez and Sainz (1 apiece) have stood atop the podium this season. While Verstappen has the race wins edge this year over Leclerc at 11-3, Leclerc has won the pole position battle 8-5. Singapore Grand Prix weekend forecastThe weather in Singapore looks to be hot and muggy with precipitation possible, most likely on race day.

F1 enters the "flyaway" section of its schedule, with the final six rounds to be contested off the European continent, starting with the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Racing would have returned a week earlier, but the FIA canceled the Russian Grand Prix (scheduled for Sept. 25) after that country's invasion of Ukraine in February. Here is what you need to know to for the Singapore Grand Prix:How to watch the Singapore Grand PrixFans in the United States can watch practices, qualifying and the race on TV via the ESPN family of networks or stream it via ESPN or F1TV Pro. While Verstappen has the race wins edge this year over Leclerc at 11-3, Leclerc has won the pole position battle 8-5. Singapore Grand Prix weekend forecastThe weather in Singapore looks to be hot and muggy with precipitation possible, most likely on race day.

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen made quick work of a safety car restart to win the Dutch Grand Prix in front of 100,000 adoring fans, and make it four straight wins for the first time in his F1 career.

Max Verstappen produced a brilliant final lap to take the pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix just ahead of Charles Leclerc.

Formula One champion Max Verstappen quickly carved his way through the field from 14th to win the Belgian Grand Prix and widen his lead in the standings.

Carlos Sainz Jr. will start from the pole Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix because runaway Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was among the many drivers to be hit with grid penalties.

Formula One champion Max Verstappen overcame a spin and his worst starting spot of the season to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and stretch his lead to to 80 points in the standings over Charles Leclerc.

Formula One champion Max Verstappen supports banning abusive fans from races but believes drivers have limited influence in curbing the boorish behavior seen at recent events.

Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen has won the French Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc crashed out as Ferrari’s woes resurfaced, falling 63 points behind the Red Bull driver in the championship.

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)Max Verstappen now has a 63-point lead over Charles Leclerc after winning the French Grand Prix. Verstappen took the checkered flag 10 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton after Leclerc crashed out of the race from the lead before his first pit stop. Leclerc had held off Verstappen over the race’s opening laps and Verstappen pitted first. But Sainz was on worn medium tires and Ferrari called him in for a second pit stop. He also had to serve a five-second penalty on the pit stop for an unsafe release from his first pit stop under the caution.

Charles Leclerc used help from Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. to beat Formula One leader Max Verstappen and take pole position for the French Grand Prix.

“Those fans don’t represent us as a sport, they don’t share our values and they’re not welcome here. As simple as that," said Perez of Red Bull. Your words are powerful and you have a responsibility also to the readers.”F1 should “continue to take a stand” against such behavior, Hamilton added, and noted soccer has taken proactive measures. “What we saw last weekend is sad and I don’t think it represents the core value of our sport and the true fans,” Gasly said. One week earlier, Verstappen and his Red Bull boss Christian Horner were booed by a pro-Hamilton crowd at Silverstone during the British GP.

United Formula One drivers are determined to help stamp out abusive behavior from some fans with Lewis Hamilton saying F1 must fight harder together to combat this and Sergio Perez urging life bans for abusers.

Charles Leclerc has revived his Formula One title challenge by holding on to win the Austrian Grand Prix for a third victory of the season.

Max Verstappen comfortably won the sprint race from pole at the Austrian Grand Prix while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. almost collided as they scrapped behind him.

F1 Canadian Grand Prix Auto Racing Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, celebrates after winning the Canadian Grand Prix auto race Sunday, June 19, 2022, in Montreal. He noted he trailed Charles Leclerc by 46 points following the third race of the season. But there was no challenge and by the time Sainz cleared Alonso for second on Lap 2, Verstappen had already built a lead of 2.4 seconds. George Russell was fourth as Hamilton beat his new teammate for just the second time in nine races this season. Perez exited the race after just nine laps with a gearbox issue, the fourth Red Bull mechanical failure this season between Perez and Verstappen.

F1 Montreal GP Auto Racing Red Bull Racing Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, drives during the third practice session during the third practice session at the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP) (Jacques Boissinot)MONTREAL — (AP) — Max Verstappen overcame slick conditions to win his second pole of the season, and Fernando Alonso used the wet track to earn his first front row start in a decade in rainy qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. The Saturday run for Verstappen, the reigning Formula One champion and current points leader, was no surprise even though its the Dutchman's first career pole at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Instead, it was 40-year-old Alonso who brought the crowd to its feet with a thrilling run to qualify second. Sergio Perez crashed his Red Bull in the second session and wound up 13th — the first time he'll start lower than fifth this year.

AlphaTauri says Pierre Gasly is “100% confirmed” to return to the team next season, and reigning F2 champion Oscar Piastri is being heavily scouted for a promotion into a Formula One seat in 2023.

Marcus Ericsson had to leave Formula One to become a global superstar and achieved the goal Sunday when the Swedish driver won the Indianapolis 500.

Monaco F1 GP Auto Racing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico celebrates on the podium after winning the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Sunday, May 29, 2022. Verstappen now leads Leclerc by nine points in the standings; Leclerc has two wins this season, Verstappen and Perez have combined for five victories as Red Bull and Ferrari have claimed all seven races. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner patted Perez on the back as he walked alongside the driver following the race. Perez is in a contract year and both Red Bull and Perez have said discussions on an extension would ramp up over the summer months. When the rain subsided enough to start the race, Leclerc led the field on a rolling start and started clocking fastest laps.

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez held on to win Sunday’s rain-marred and chaotic Monaco Grand Prix.

Monaco F1 GP Auto Racing Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during qualifying session at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) (Daniel Cole)MONACO — (AP) — Charles Leclerc positioned himself to reclaim the Formula One points lead from reigning champion Max Verstappen by winning the pole for the Monaco Grand Prix. Leclerc was already atop the leaderboard Saturday when a crash by Sergio Perez stopped the session with about 30 seconds remaining. Despite the contact with Perez, Sainz qualified second as Ferrari locked out the front row for Sunday's race. He won the pole a year ago but was unable to start the race because of damage to his Ferrari suffered in warmup.

Charles Leclerc positioned himself to reclaim the Formula One championship lead from reigning champion Max Verstappen by winning the pole for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton drove at the Monaco Grand Prix with his nose stud in after Formula One’s jewelry ban was put on hold.

Lewis Hamilton can still race with his jewelry intact. “It feels like my eyeballs are coming out of their sockets,” Hamilton said after a pair of practice sessions around Monaco's downtown streets. Hamilton has been at odds with Formula One's governing body since the FIA ruled drivers cannot compete while wearing jewelry.

The Miami Grand Prix was hot, from the party scene to the weather, but it faced nearly impossible expectations. The celebrity watching was top level, certainly for a motorsports event. There was Paris Hilton, using a portable fan to cool herself as she danced in front of the McLaren garage on race day.

Max Verstappen used an aggressive early pass on Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc then controlled the inaugural Miami Grand Prix to pick up his third win of the season.

Ferrari stormed to the front of the grid for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix as Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. locked up the front row in Saturday qualifying.

The Formula One team Red Bull has landed another billion-dollar American company as a sponsor.

(AP Photo/Luca Bruno) (Luca Bruno)Sergio Pérez looks around the top motor racing series in the world and sees a golden age for Mexican drivers. Its great,” Pérez said in an interview set up by Red Bull fuel partner Exxon Mobile. This golden era of Mexican racing would seem to hinge on Pérez and his next steps. A team representative cut off a question about his future with Red Bull and the series in general. O'Ward has expressed a desire to reach F1, and Pérez noted that Red Bull signed Mexican driver Noel León as one of its junior series drivers.

Sergio Pérez looks around the top motor racing series in the world and sees a golden age for Mexican drivers.

Charles Leclerc has completed a dominant weekend in his Ferrari after converting pole position into a comprehensive triumph at the Australian Grand Prix.

Leclerc missed out on a fourth career win, as Verstappen edged him by half a second, but remains top of the standings after two races. Verstappen overtook on the outside at the end of Lap 42. But it was a clever dummy by Leclerc, who dived straight back inside Verstappen on Turn 1 of the next lap. Perez started ahead of Leclerc, Sainz and Verstappen on the Jiddah circuit, which is about 11 kilometers (seven miles) from Friday’s attack. Perez got away cleanly from pole and Verstappen snaked past Sainz on the outside to move into third behind Leclerc.

Formula One defending champion Max Verstappen overtook Charles Leclerc three laps from the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for his first win of the season and 21st of his career.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez edged the Ferraris to seal a superb and unexpected first pole position for Red Bull in his 219th Grand Prix, Sky Sports reports.

(AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (Hassan Ammar)JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — (AP) — Sergio Perez took his first career pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand as Formula One continued amid heavy scrutiny on Saturday, the day after an attack on a nearby oil depot. Hamilton and other drivers previously expressed their concerns about racing in the region, mainly concerning Saudi Arabia's human rights record. The overnight airstrikes on Sanaa and Hodeida — both held by the Houthis — responded to the attack in Jiddah. The circuit is hosting an F1 race for the second time, after the inaugural race last December. Leclerc looked on for a second straight pole, after winning last Sunday's season-opening Bahrain GP from there, but missed an 11th career pole by .025 seconds.

Sergio Perez takes his first career pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Formula One races on amid heavy scrutiny, the day after an attack on a nearby oil depot.

Formula One champion Max Verstappen says he has a good relationship with Charles Leclerc and expects a clean title fight against the Ferrari driver this season.

Formula One champion Max Verstappen’s title defense turned into a nightmare when the Red Bull star retired near the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix and Ferrari clinched a 1-2 with Charles Leclerc winning ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton took an unexpected third place after Sergio Perez’s Red Bull also retired with the finish line in sight as the race finished under a yellow flag.

Three South Florida police officers are facing criminal charges in separate incidents: two accused of using excessive force during arrests and the other accused of purposefully shooting a fellow officer with a Taser stun gun.

NASCAR champion Kyle Larson is among those conflicted over the ending of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

After you receive this email, we will be selling 350 shares Cisco Systems (CSCO) at roughly $58.99.

Max Verstappen overcame a mistake in qualifying to grab the pole for the Formula One title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have qualified 1-2 for the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix, setting up a showdown between the Formula One championship contenders at the very start of Sunday’s race.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has ended a turbulent weekend with a stunning victory.

Lewis Hamilton beat rival Max Verstappen in qualifying to take pole position for Saturday's sprint race ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, although an engine change means the British driver is facing a five-place grid penalty on Sunday. Hamilton was more than 0.4 seconds ahead of his Red Bull rival in Friday's qualifying at Interlagos, having also set the fastest time in the morning's practice session.

Verstappen, who started third after struggling in qualifying, now leads Hamilton by 19 points with four races left in the season. Verstappen earned his ninth win of the season, second in a row and third career victory in Mexico City. Bottas was on pole, Hamilton second and Verstappen and Perez in third and fourth. That made him the first Mexican driver to lead the Mexico grand prix in race history. Perez earned a third straight podium finish for the first time in his career.

Max Verstappen stretched his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the Formula One season championship with a dominant victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Mexico F1 GP Auto Racing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, of Mexico, greets fans from outside the paddock during the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) (Eduardo Verdugo)MEXICO CITY — (AP) — Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton gave Mercedes its first front row lockout of the season, with Bottas claiming pole over teammate Hamilton in Saturday qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix. Hamilton trails Verstappen by 12 points in the championship with five races remaining. Verstappen and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez will start from the second row and Hamilton has a chance to tighten the championship. The Dutchman won Mexico in 2017 and 2018, and Hamilton won last year.

Mexico F1 GP Auto Racing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, of Mexico, greets fans from outside the paddock during the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) (Eduardo Verdugo)MEXICO CITY — (AP) — Home favorite Sergio Perez of Red Bull set the fastest time of the final practice before Saturday's qualifying at the Mexican Grand Prix, edging teammate and season championship leader Max Verstappen late in the session. Formula One returned to Mexico City after cancelling the race in 2020 because of the pandemic. The high altitude of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has been expected to favor the Red Bull cars. __More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Valtteri Bottas has won pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix and Mercedes earned its first front-row lockout of the season as Lewis Hamilton will start second.

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen dominated the second practice for Mexican Grand Prix with enough speed that he should be the race favorite.

Hamilton has won the U.S. Grand Prix five times and the Mercedes team was supposed to have the edge over Red Bull at this event. But it was Verstappen, the points leader, and fan favorite Sergio Perez who dominated qualifying and the Red Bulls flanked Hamilton headed into Sunday's race. It was a dramatic battle for pole in their season-long tussle for the championship, and set up a tense start to Sunday's race when Verstappen and Hamilton will sprint to the first uphill turn. Race organizers expected 120,000 fans for Saturday qualifying, and a sold-out 140,00 for Sunday's race. The crowd was loudest for Perez, who is from Guadalajara, Mexico and has called the U.S. Grand Prix a second “home” race for him outside the Mexican Grand Prix in two weeks.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen edged championship rival Lewis Hamilton for pole position in qualifying Saturday at the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)AUSTIN, Texas — (AP) — The red-hot rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton returned to the race track with a flip of the finger and an insult. It was mere minutes into the second practice when Verstappen and Hamilton found themselves side-by-side entering the long straight at the starting grid. But even without Herta there still may be an American driver on the way. Williams said Friday it signed 20-year-old Logan Sargeant to its driver development academy after three seasons in Formula 3. F1 hasn’t had an American driver since Alexander Rossi’s brief stint with Manor at the end of 2015.

Turkey F1 GP Auto Racing Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland leads at the start of the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix at the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) (Francisco Seco)ISTANBUL — (AP) — Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Turkish Grand Prix for his first victory of the season on Sunday, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished second to reclaim the overall lead from title rival Lewis Hamilton. He wiped away Hamilton's two-point lead and now leads the Mercedes driver by six points with six races left in a thrilling title battle that could go all the way to the final race in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton was getting increasingly agitated as he fell behind Leclerc and with Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri gaining on him. “Haha, yes!” Bottas shouted after his 10th career win and a much-needed one during a frustrating last season with Mercedes before joining Alfa Romeo next year.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Turkish Grand Prix for his first victory of the season while Max Verstappen finished second to reclaim the overall lead from title rival Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton had the fastest qualifying time at the Turkish Grand Prix but a 10-place grid penalty prevented him from extending his record pole streak.

Max Verstappen has won a rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen out-dragged Lewis Hamilton at the start of Formula One’s experimental first sprint qualifying race to take the pole for the British Grand Prix.

Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix from pole position to clinch a third straight victory and extend his lead over title rival Lewis Hamilton to 32 points after nine races.

APTOPIX Azerbaijan F1 GP Auto Racing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico steers his car during the Formula One Grand Prix at the Baku Formula One city circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sunday, June 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) (Darko Vojinovic)BAKU, Azerbaijan — (AP) — Sergio Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a two-lap shootout after championship leader Max Verstappen crashed while leading with a tire failure and Lewis Hamilton went off course trying to seize the win on the standing restart. Verstappen was four laps away from a second consecutive victory Sunday when his Red Bull suddenly slammed hard into the wall with a puncture to his left rear tire. Verstappen was fine but Red Bull was furious over a second failure of a Pirelli tire in the race and asked for a stoppage to allow tire changes for safety reasons. Perez was the leader but Hamilton shot past him in his attempt to win the race and reclaim the points lead from Verstappen.

Monaco F1 GP Auto Racing Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, left, during the start of the Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco, Sunday, May 23, 2021. Verstappen's second win this season and 12th of his career moved the Red Bull driver four points ahead of Hamilton overall. Verstappen finished 8.9 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. in second place and 19.4 seconds clear of McLaren's Lando Norris. It was the first time in five races this season that Hamilton and Verstappen have not finished 1-2, but Hamilton's chances were effectively ended when he qualifed a poor seventh on Saturday. But Mercedes could not fit Bottas' tires and his race ended.