Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Max Verstappen Aiming For First Baku Podium

The Formula One schedule arrives in Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend
06:55, 09 Jun 2022

The Baku City Circuit is one of the eight counter-clockwise circuits currently in use in the Formula One calendar, and joins Mugello and Monza as the only circuits in which Max Verstappen hasn’t managed to secure a top three finish on. 

Last time out, we had a chaotic Sunday afternoon in Monaco where torrential rain interrupted the state of play and delayed the occasion by an extra hour. A red flag for Mick Schumacher’s incident past the ‘Piscine’ corner led to another stoppage and it was eventually won by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, as the Austrian energy drink behemoths continue to make hay at the top of the constructor’s championship table, with Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen settling for second and third respectively. 

After a brief week off, the collective head to the Caspian Sea to race in the Republic of Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku. Those that were watching last year will remember this race for the incidents that occurred, perhaps rather than an emphatic victory for Sergio Perez. Lance Stroll’s hard tyres gave way on his way out of turn 20, blocking the pit lane entry, which was then followed by a turbulent double restart, as Max Verstappen had a high-speed collision with the wall on the main straight, resulting in immediate red flags and the Dutchman kicking his car in anger. 

Title rival Lewis Hamilton was expected to take advantage of his opposition dropping points but locked up on the first turn of the standing-start restart, causing him to fall behind the rest of the grid before a 15th placed finish. 

This time round we shouldn’t see the same issues, as Pirelli’s new 18 inch tyres should be able to handle any debris better than their predecessors. Going into the race, Max Verstappen is the favourite to win at 11/10 with Betfred despite his shortcomings on this track in the past. His title rival Charles Leclerc has had five pole positions this season, with a current hot streak of three in a row at Monaco, Miami and Barcelona. There’s little doubt that he would’ve won in Catalonia too, but a mechanical failure caused retirement for the Monegasque so it would be a smarter bet to back him in the qualifying sessions where he is even odds to top the chart. 

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The key zones of the track remain the same as last year. The Baku City Circuit remains a relatively simple track to overtake on, with sector two through the castle seeming to be the only place to avoid traffic. DRS zones after turn two and turn 20 leave plenty of room for manoeuvres. It was even described by the usually harsh critic, Kimi Raikkonen, as “OK. It’s different and fun to drive.” 

Speaking of Charles Leclerc, turns 8, 9, 10 and 11 dissecting through the castle city walls will continue to be both a source of fun and pain for the driver’s championship leader. “I am stupid.” was the quote that the live broadcast chose when Leclerc misjudged the braking point and crashed straight into the barriers back in 2019. He then followed it up in a livestream of the F1 2019 video game, where he found the same barriers during an in-game qualifying session for the Azerbaijan GP. 

In terms of technical changes, Mercedes remain the main attraction thanks to the car’s inconsistency. The questions around it’s performance haven’t really been answered, with the progress made in Barcelona seemingly restored to an uncomfortable equilibrium post-Monaco as Lewis Hamilton failed to get past a stubborn Fernando Alonso and George Russell didn’t quite have the firepower to chase down the leading pack. 

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