Formula 1 fans, start your engines!
Calling all you F1 fans out there! Get the popcorn ready this weekend as the high-octane motorsport action awakens from its 4-week slumber this weekend to bring us the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
What’s more, Sunday’s Grand Prix also brings with it a slight change of format, as this will be the first of 2023’s six Sprint weekends. Of course, the change in format has courted its fair share of controversy, with Red Bull, Aston Martin and Alpine’s top brass all voicing their concerns about this move.
However, changes to the format aside, the normal talking points remain, namely, will anybody be able to stop the juggernaut that is Red Bull and Max Verstappen? Will any of the chasing pack throw a cat amongst the pigeons?
With all of the above in mind, there’s no time like the present to take a look ahead to this weekend’s action.
Complete and utter domination. That’s the only way which you can describe Red Bull’s stranglehold on Formula 1 this season as they’ve completely obliterated the competition so far. With 3 races in this year’s calendar down, Red Bull have picked up 3 wins, 3 pole positions and 2 1-2s with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez ruling the roost in the Driver’s Championship standings, cruising home to victory with a 38 and 20 second margin over the nearest non-Red Bull car in the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively.
What’s more, Verstappen also knows what it takes to win in Baku, after taking the chequered flag when here last.It would arguably take nerves of steel to bet against the reigning champion picking up yet another win here given his red-hot form.
That being said, despite their recent dominance, Red Bull will also be wary of counting their chickens just yet as the 4-week break, which has come due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, could potentially disrupt their winning momentum as it’s given the competition a golden opportunity to take stock, make any necessary upgrades to their cars and potentially close the gap.
One such team who’ve been hard at work honing their car over the break is Mercedes. Silver Arrows supremo Toto Wolff stated that his team have been working flat out on consistently rolling out upgrades to their car over the next few races, with team designer James Allison explaining that the focus will be on finding extra downforce and using different suspension components to improve the W14’s balance and driveability.
One man who’ll be hoping that his team’s hard work pays dividends is Lewis Hamilton. The 7-time Drivers Champion grabbed a second-place finish in Australia before the break and will be eager to get a first win since 2021 under his belt as he seeks to prove that he’s still a force to be reckoned with on the track.
This year’s surprise packages Aston Martin are also set to deploy their first real upgrades to their car, such as a new rear wing, as they seek to build on their impressive start to the season. Seasoned veteran Fernando Alonso has been rolling back the years in 2023 so far, placing 3rd in each of this season’s 3 opening races. Has he got what it takes to go one better and bring home the bacon on this occasion? Only time will tell!
Last but not least, we turn our attention to Ferrari. Although Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. showed breathtaking glimpses of what they were capable of last season, it’s been a very slow start to the season for The Prancing Horse so far. Not only has Leclerc already been hit with 2 DNFs in the first 3 races, but Ferrari failed to pick up any points in Australia.
With time running out to stay in the hunt for the Constructors’ Championship, Leclerc and Co. badly need to start getting points on the board. That being said, it’s worth noting that Baku hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for Ferrari over the years, as they’ve registered just 3 podium finishes at this track and had to suck up the pain of a double retirement at this track last year.
Could this be the year they finally break their curse or will the gods of F1 heap yet more misery on the Italian stallions?