The Baku City Circuit, the long-awaited 51 lap Grand Prix is finally being held this weekend. The race will be flagged off at 13:00 BST, and fans have a lot to look forward to on this series. Will the new world championship leader, Max Verstappen defend his leading position from Monaco? This will only be known when the race is over.
We are still buzzing from this weekend, are you? Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix winner @Max33Verstappen shares his impressions following the excitement and incredible action this weekend. With CarNext loud and shining brightly on the helmet and drivers cap. pic.twitter.com/DrS8fAg3Gi
- CarNext.com (@carnextcom) May 25, 2021
Monaco!!! 🏆 Teamwork brought us this victory. Thank you so much @hondaracingf1 and @redbullracing for helping me win today and to everyone for the support 🙏🏻 Over the moon with this win, but we are pushing for more. So for now, let's enjoy this great victory 🍾🇲🇨 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/sPcT1ahiS5
- Max Verstappen (@ Max33Verstappen) May 23, 2021
How is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Different circuits have different impacts on the performance of various drivers. The 6-KM circuit features a 2,2-KM straight, which suits long DRS and slipstream battles perfectly. All eyes will be on Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton won the 2018 edition, but Max is yet to pull a similar win in a competition. However, the latter won the Monaco race and will be looking forward to defending his lead.
The 2018 edition was very competitive, and Hamilton was somehow lucky. Valtteri Bottas, the race leader, suffered a late puncture, and Hamilton capitalized on the opportunity. Even though such occurrences do occur, Hamilton will be looking forward to winning on his own terms.
Leclerc will have a new gearbox
Crashes are very common on the racing tracks, and Leclerc is one of the latest culprits. The driver secured his first time in Q3 but later crashed on his final run. The team behind his vehicle decided not to replace the gearbox to avoid a five-place grid penalty. Ferrari that it was the left driveshaft hub that had failed and not the gearbox. He was unable to start and thus didn’t finish the race at Monte Carlo.
Even though the team concluded that the gearbox wasn’t the issue, they will still go ahead and replace it. The replacement can be done without getting a penalty as it will be treated as a retirement, even though it has not achieved the needed six races.
Leclerc claimed the Monaco GP pole. He stated that he learned to be consistent and not risky during such racing events in a past interview.
From Ferrari's difficult 2020 campaign, Charles Leclerc said he learned the need for consistency instead of taking unnecessary risks.https://t.co/ncBsfBHVUK #f1 pic.twitter.com/dpdKNLqahy
- Planet F1 (@ Planet_F1) May 30, 2021
McLaren and Mercedes dissatisfied with rival teams using Flexi-wings
The two teams believe that rival teams are violating the race rules by having rear wing designs on their vehicles. No team fell under design protests during the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Baku City Circuit could change the whole story as it features several long straights, which means that cars with flexing wings could be advantaged.
The FIA issued a statement saying that it could introduce tougher tests to police rear wings. However, this will not be done until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. James Allison, Mercedes technical director, said they would ‘keep an open mind’ about whether Red Bull will risk using the wings in the next race.
Sainz said that Norris and McLaren should now be excited about Baku as they already have a ‘rocket’ of a car. During the first two training sessions in Monaco, Ferrari had an impressive performance, and Charles Leclerc and Sainz lead Free Practice 2. We just have to wait and see if the car will have an advantage on the performance of the teams.
Who will win the race?
Even though soccer is still the leader in online sports betting , F1 can also not be ignored, and that is why it is always featured on various sportsbooks. Lewis Hamilton has emerged the winner in 5 out of the 3 races that have been held so far. On the other hand, Max Verstappen has emerged victorious two times during the same races.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021 will thus be a tough race, with Hamilton looking forward to maintaining the lead while Max Verstappen wants to increase his chances of becoming the overall winner. There are also other worthy competitors, and we can only wait and see what they can during the race.
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