Courtesy: FirstSportz
Red Bull will arrive in Baku in a more calm condition, having won both the Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships for the first time since 2013. They are working hard to bring changes to its car with each passing race, while Mercedes is much more focused on smaller changes rather than innovations.
Although Max Verstappen has only two wins to Hamilton’s three this season, his more consistent point-scoring has moved him ahead in the rankings. Baku provides an excellent opportunity for him to put some distance between himself and the incumbent champion.
While Mercedes should find Baku to be more suited to their car than Monaco, they have not been as competitive on softer rubber this season, and Pirelli has brought its softest tire mix again this weekend. The performance of Red Bull’s Honda power unit against Mercedes on the straights will be decisive.
Baku is the year’s most significant test of pure power unit performance. It also comes a little later in the season than usual – most drivers will be on their sixth race with the same unit – so some may make an early move to new hardware to assure the best performance at this power-sensitive track.
In F1’s previous visit to Baku, Mercedes executed a strategic masterstroke in qualifying that put their primary opponent Sebastian Vettel at a disadvantage by tricking him into running without the slipstream of another competitor.
India Sports predictions:
Perez does well: Sergio Perez stated at the start of the season that it would take him about five races to come up to speed in the Red Bull. This is the sixth round. Furthermore, he has previously provided some outstanding performances in Baku, including podium places for Force India in 2016 and 2018. Baku should be a better fit for him. He may discover, though, that his Saturday duty is ensuring Verstappen gets a tow in Q3.
Hamilton and Max: We believe that it’ll be Max and Hamilton fighting for the P1 spot. Considering previous performances by Mercedes at the track, we believe that Hamilton might just edge over Max and start P1 for the race on Sunday.
Mclaren and Ferrari: Mclaren might perform better than Ferrari, considering Ferrari is slower in the straights. However, Leclerc will be looking to do well in this race after the Monte Carlo disqualification. We believe Lando will start in the top 6 followed by Leclerc and Sainz.
Salam Baku, are you ready for some fast cars? 🚀#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 #F1 pic.twitter.com/9I9w3GbebO
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 4, 2021