The championship battle as well as Ferrari’s fight for third place is heating up just five races into the 2021 Formula 1 season, and next we head to a venue that has delivered some spectacular drama in the past, the Baku City Circuit:
If Mercedes had a shocker on the streets of Monte Carlo in the last race, Scuderia Ferrari came some close to the dream weekend in Monaco but had to be content with a second place for Spanish driver Carlos Sainz. That is definitely an underwhelming result given where they were on Saturday night – on pole and fourth with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz respectively – but their pace was undeniable, even if the final result didn’t back it up.
The regret is that both drivers of the Maranello team had a chance of pole in Monaco, and if the weekend had been executed perfectly then even a one-two would have been possible on the streets of Monte Carlo, which represented a lost opportunity for Ferrari. But that was only possible because of how well Ferrari had started, giving both drivers a car they were extremely comfortable with from the first lap.
Carlos Sainz pointed out how encouraging that was, because it showed Scuderia Ferrari are all pulling in the same direction and were able to extract the maximum performance out of the car and tyres in Monte Carlo. But the track characteristics were clearly a factor too, so it is less likely that they will be able to produce a similar level in Baku. There might be key lessons they have learned, though, that will put them closer to the front once again.
Baku is the second circuit we are visiting this season that wasn’t on the 2020 calendar as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and like Monaco it was definitely missed. Since joining the schedule in 2016, Baku has provided some epic races and surprising results, and hopefully we’re in for more of the same as we head back.
For a street circuit, Baku provides plenty of overtaking opportunities, and a key aspect in those dramatic Grands Prix that we’ve seen in the past has been the long run to Turn 1. While there are a few flat-out kinks to deal with, drivers are on full throttle from the moment they exit Turn 16 all the way until they hit the brakes at Turn 1, a run of 1.4 miles that allows them to reach speeds of over 230mph.
The slipstream effect can be massive as a result, so drivers have to defend really hard to try and keep their position. And with such a closely-matched field this season, we can’t wait to see more of the same on Sunday.
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