I have really missed Formula 1 after that long break. Maybe the Azerbaijan GP wasn't as fun as the Australian GP but I still enjoyed it in some parts especially. Seeing safety car in the race was nice as it made things more interesting. Because it was like safety car changed the fate of the race indeed. Perez saw a good chance and benefited from it nicely. Verstappen must be very unsatisfied with pitting right before safety car entered.
Verstappen and Perez had problems at Turn 15 quite many times. This turn is quite problematic for all the drivers on the grid actually. But these two drivers didn't crash into the wall at least. Russell's pitting before the end of the race to have the fastest lap was worth it. Verstappen was already angry at Russell due to his hitting his car from the side in the sprint race. Losing the fastest lap to him must also be annoying for Verstappen.
Finally Leclerc was on podium and this is a start for him and Ferrari at least. Let's see if we would see consistency from now on.
I saw a lot of people were saying they missed F1 too and it was good to watch a new race but I think it was rather a boring one. Already red bull is unbeatable, on top of that, hiding tires throughout the race made the race even more boring. The fastest lap fight in the last laps was seriously weird. If your tires have performance, they should have raced properly. Even if the result did not change, we would see at least 1-2 actions.
The question now should be:
can Perez fight for the title against Max until the end of the season?
I don't think the other team can gain 1 second per lap in races to compete with them.
The gap is only six points for now and it is normal to think about this as a result. However I'm not sure whether Perez can be that much consistent throughout the season. Because he tends to make more mistakes than Verstappen normally. If he doesn't work hard regularly for keeping this level then I think Verstappen will pull away from him at some point this season.
Perez seemed pretty decisive about competing hard against Verstappen in this season according to his statement before the season started. Because you know there was some problem between these drivers last season. Perez couldn't see the same help he does for Verstappen. Instead Verstappen even managed to make him annoyed by making an interesting statement after that. Maybe this ambition can help Perez stay in the title fight for a longer time.
He is the driver who will never be Redbull's Rosberg. yes, all the priority of redbull is verstappen of course, but let's talk straight, perez is never a driver like Max. So, if redbull treats both drivers equally, perez is not someone who can push Max. Of course, perez must be given his due.