F1 Azerbaijan GP: 5 issues to be careful for

Max Verstappen took a shock, dominant win on the Italian Grand Prix final day out, beating each McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who’re preventing for the 2025 Components 1 title.

However will Crimson Bull’s world champion carry that type into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, or will the championship-leading McLaren outfit return to the highest in Baku?

There are storylines all through the grid, whether or not it’s the debate over who to put alongside Verstappen in 2026, the hopes at Ferrari, or the struggles of Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

So listed here are 5 issues to look out for on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

Is Crimson Bull’s Monza rebirth actual?

Verstappen stunned buddy, foe, and even himself together with his dominant victory in Monza. Forward of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the primary query is: how a lot of that efficiency was circuit-specific, and the way a lot factors to a structural enchancment at Crimson Bull, or perhaps a “rebirth” as Helmut Marko optimistically referred to as it?

On Sunday night in Italy, Laurent Mekies was fast to emphasize that a lot of the staff’s efficiency was certainly Monza-specific – such because the well-working low-downforce package deal and the teachings discovered from an abysmal 2024 race. That stated, Marko, Verstappen, and technical director Pierre Wache all pointed to a brand new method going into race weekends: relying much less on the simulator and information, and extra on driver suggestions.

Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing

Photograph by: Mark Thompson – Getty Photographs

The true check will are available Singapore, a avenue circuit that a minimum of on paper would not significantly go well with Crimson Bull. Azerbaijan provides a avenue monitor as nicely, however with its lengthy straights it ought to match the RB21 considerably higher. For that cause, you’ll be able to’t rule out one other standout Verstappen efficiency this weekend. It should be stated that the Dutchman – with only one win there in 2022 – doesn’t have the strongest monitor document in Baku, though he was on track for an additional victory in 2021 if it hadn’t been for a tyre failure to destroy his probabilities.

– Ronald Vording

The subsequent episode of The Papaya Household

How is McLaren going to reply to the criticism it obtained in Monza for its controversial driver swap? From what we find out about staff principal Andrea Stella, the papaya squad will merely follow its rules of equity, extra involved about its personal compass than that of the surface world.

Piastri took the request to let Norris by after a botched pitstop extraordinarily nicely given what’s at stake of their intra-team title battle, saying he and his team-mate intend to stay at McLaren for the lengthy haul, so it is a no-brainer to place the squad’s pursuits first.

However the championship chief’s preliminary bewilderment upon listening to the request, given Norris primarily misplaced out resulting from a sluggish tyre change which is a part of racing, steered Stella and CEO Zak Brown can have needed to a minimum of overview precisely how delicate their contact shall be as McLaren balances letting its drivers free to race versus defending the staff’s tradition and concord.

Maybe nothing will occur in Baku and one of many two drivers will merely have the higher hand and canter off into the sundown. However given how finely poised their battle is, with Norris barely faster in Monza after a powerful spell for Piastri, perhaps this weekend we’ll see a pure head-to-head given the slipstreaming nature of Baku. Final 12 months Piastri defeated Charles Leclerc after a gripping avenue brawl. What’s going to occur if Norris manages to play the function of the Ferrari man this time?

– Filip Cleeren

Tsunoda working out of time to avoid wasting his F1 profession

Yuki Tsunoda, Crimson Bull Racing

Photograph by: Pirelli

The writing seems to be on the wall at Crimson Bull for 2026. Isack Hadjar is about to develop into Verstappen’s team-mate, simply learn what Marko stated after his Zandvoort podium, whereas Arvid Lindblad will be part of junior squad Racing Bulls.

This could depart a straight-up shootout between Verstappen’s present team-mate Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson for that seat alongside Lindblad. However, given Tsunoda spent 4 seasons on the Faenza outfit earlier than being promoted to Crimson Bull this 12 months, it wouldn’t serve any occasion nicely for him to move again to Racing Bulls as he approaches his late 20s.

So, Tsunoda’s final hope is popping round his state of affairs at Crimson Bull, which could appear miraculous given he’s solely scored 9 factors throughout 14 grands prix weekends and has proven little indicators of enchancment. However he wants to seek out one thing, and rapidly – like, this weekend – in any other case Tsunoda is out of F1.

To take action, he wants to finish a clear grand prix weekend. In Monza, for instance, the 25-year-old confirmed tempo by being inside two tenths of Verstappen in Q1 and Q2, however failure to place collectively an optimum lap within the last session left him tenth on the grid. Tsunoda was then caught up within the midfield battle, left with flooring injury, and could not discover clear air in the course of the grand prix as he ultimately completed outdoors of the factors.

It’s simply little issues like that that are holding him again. Crimson Bull has stated it would goal to announce its 2026 line-up across the finish of October and Hadjar has already confirmed his value, so it’s now as much as Tsunoda to point out his.

– Ed Hardy

Antonelli out of Europe – however out of bother?

Enjoyable stat: throughout 9 European races, Antonelli scored solely three factors. His solely summer time spotlight was his first F1 podium, which, curiously, got here in Canada. However geography wasn’t the foundation trigger; because the Italian himself steered, Mercedes’ rear-suspension replace launched in Might modified the automotive’s traits. Not solely Antonelli, however George Russell additionally struggled with the revised spec, with Canada proving the lone outlier.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photograph by: Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto by way of Getty Photographs

Since reverting to the earlier model in Hungary, Antonelli says his confidence has improved, but the outcomes haven’t shifted dramatically: ninth in Budapest and tenth at Monza. His race tempo was good at Zandvoort, however a conflict with Leclerc ended his factors bid. The advance is there, however so is the stress. In Monza, Toto Wolff referred to as his driver’s efficiency “underwhelming”, the primary time the Mercedes chief has publicly put the Italian on the spot after beforehand shielding his protege.

With Verstappen staying at Crimson Bull and his 2026 seat seemingly being safe, Antonelli nonetheless has loads to show over the remainder of the season. Can he reset because the championship leaves Europe for Baku?

– Oleg Karpov

Is Baku Leclerc’s and Ferrari’s finest likelihood to win?

The one approach to get the tifosi in your facet is profitable, and that is precisely what Ferrari hasn’t managed to do but this 12 months. At this stage final season Carlos Sainz had gotten off the mark early in Australia to alleviate some Italian stress, with Leclerc incomes emotional wins at each his and Ferrari’s houses: Monaco and Monza.

Ferrari is not a complete flop this 12 months; it nonetheless holds second within the championship, helped by underperforming second drivers at Crimson Bull and Mercedes. But it surely nonetheless has a gaping gap within the 2025 part of its trophy cupboard. The squad’s finest likelihood to win got here at Monaco, the place qualifying specialist Leclerc simply missed out on pole – and subsequently victory, given Monaco’s traits.

However a much less anticipated pole in Hungary has given the Scuderia renewed perception that it will not have to finish the present period with the ignominy of a winless season, even when Leclerc ultimately misplaced floor to the McLarens within the race.

Leclerc was on pole in Baku final 12 months, too, and fought eventual winner Piastri till the bitter finish. And staff boss Fred Vasseur appears upbeat about his squad’s probabilities in Azerbaijan: “I feel we now have a few tracks the place we’re imagined to be additionally in fine condition. Beginning with the following one. We’re traditionally all the time in fine condition in Baku…”

The races are ticking away quick, there are some sturdy McLaren circuits developing and Crimson Bull additionally appears to have caught a second wind, so if Leclerc and team-mate Lewis Hamilton are offered with half an opportunity on Baku’s quick streets, they’d do nicely to grab it with each palms.

– Filip Cleeren

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