F1: Azerbaijan Grand Prix predictions, can Leclerc inspire Ferrari to their first win of 2021?

After Verstappen’s victory at the Monaco Grand Prix tightened the Formula 1 World Championship Standings, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021 offers a lot of emotions for Formula 1 fans. After an incident-filled qualifying session, Charles Leclerc took the pole position.

While the majority of the track is tight, twisting, and visually appealing, there is also the possibility of spectacular overtakes. The start/finish straight is not only extremely long, but it is also broad enough for vehicles to go three-wide, with a runoff area at the end of the straight encouraging daring pass attempts.

Saturday’s session demonstrated that the Baku City Circuit is not for the faint of heart, particularly the challenging 15th turn, which is prone to mishaps. Lance Stroll, Antonio Giovinazzi, Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, and Carlos Sainz all collided with the barriers during the qualifications.

So far, Red Bull and Mercedes have been the best teams. Ferrari, on the other hand, has shown signs of progress after years of adversity. Starting from the pole position, Leclerc will attempt to win his first race of the season, or at the least, a podium finish. Regardless of how depressing Leclerc’s previous race weekend was, he’ll have an opportunity to redeem himself quickly. Leclerc’s and teammate Carlos Sainz’s performance in Monaco, with Sainz finishing second, demonstrates how dangerous the Ferrari can be on a street track like Monaco or Azerbaijan.

Our predictions:

We feel that Lewis Hamilton will lead the race after the pitstops, followed by Max Verstappen and Charles finishing third. Ferrari has improved a lot and performed well in recent weeks. However, Redbull and Mercedes cars seem faster on the straights. As Baku has long straights, Ferrari might suffer after a couple of laps. However, with the dangerous turn 15, anything can happen in the race.

What are your predictions? Can Gasly make it to the podium? Can Hamilton take the lead from Max in the driver’s championship?

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