F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: 5 things to watch, starting with Red Bull’s dominance

Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

From the course itself to the changes in format, here are five things to watch this weekend in Azerbaijan

Will the Baku City Circuit offer up more drama?

One of the first things to watch for this weekend is the track itself. The Baku City Circuit takes drivers through the streets of Baku at incredible speeds, and offers numerous challenges for both the drivers, and the teams.

With a number of long straights, teams might look to reduce drag so they can make up ground at various portions on the track, whether on the first sector or during the third sector as the drivers accelerate back to the start/finish line. But given what they face in the second sector, as the drivers twist and turn their way through the Old City, teams might also look to prioritize downforce given that portion of the circuit.

In this below video you can ride along with Max Verstappen as he takes you through the streets of Baku:

You can see around the one-minute mark as Verstappen enters the “castle” section of the course, which contains the narrowest section of the F1 calendar. As drivers wind their way through the twists, working uphill, you can see how tight the circuit is, and how visibility will be difficult as they wind their way through this section.

The challenges posed by the circuit also offer opportunities for overtaking. According to this study, Baku averaged 37.6 overtakes per race between 2017 and 2022, raking the circuit near the top of the F1 calendar and ahead of each of the first three races of the 2023 season.

This should add up to even more drama this weekend.

How will teams adapt to the new sprint format this weekend?

Change is in the air this weekend, as F1 is introducing a revised sprint format for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. F1 is bringing the sprint format to the streets for the first time, as the Baku City Circuit becomes the first street track to host a sprint weekend.

However, there are some additional changes being made to the format that F1 will debut this week. Three practice sessions are reduced to two, along with events that matter each day of the weekend.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali views this format as a way of ensuring fans are treated to important events on each day of a race weekend. “Of course, there needs to be the time for practice, but the people are coming to see performance and the more that you give the teams and drivers the chance to see who they are, the better it is for the show,” Domenicali told Sky Sports during the Australian Grand Prix. “It’s not because we don’t respect the traditions, we respect the old way of thinking of our weekend, but it would be wrong not to think about it. We also have a new generation that are coming in that are more aggressive in asking for something different.”

However, the format has some teams concerned about the toll two races will take, given the challenges presented by the Baku City Circuit. Aston Martin Performance Director Tom McCullough raised the specter of the added risk of damage and the cost cap implications, and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner blasted the decision to add a sprint race in Azerbaijan as “ludicrous.”

“The reality is it’s absolutely ludicrous to be doing the first sprint race of the year in a street race like Azerbaijan,” Horner told reporters at the Australian Grand Prix. “But I think from a spectacle point of view, from a fan point of view, it’s probably going to be one of the most exciting sprint races of the year. From a cost cap perspective, all you can do is trash your car. And it costs a lot of money around there. So you know one race is enough in Baku. The fact that we’ve got two, there could be, well, some action there.”

We’ll have to wait and see just how much action there is this weekend, over all three days.

Teams bringing changes to Baku

Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

With the cancelation of the Chinese Grand Prix, teams are coming off a long, and unexpected, April break.

That break has given the teams a chance to evaluate where they are from a technical standpoint, and perhaps put together some upgrades that they will bring to the streets of Baku.

Among them? Mercedes. Team Principal Toto Wolff talked last week about some of the changes that the team is bringing to Azerbaijan, and about how their comeback starts with “trusting the process.”

But the Silver Arrows are not alone in eying Baku as a chance to unveil some upgrades. Starting back in pre-season testing, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella pointed to this race as an opportunity for McLaren to provide some upgrades to the MCL60. With the team coming off their first double-points finish of the season, perhaps we see even more improvement from McLaren this weekend.

Can Ferrari rebound?

One of the other hats I wear here at SBNation is that of an NFL writer. GIven that position, and the fact that I live in the Washington, D.C. area, I am often asked at the bus stop each morning, or at events at my son or daughter’s school, what is happening with the Washington Commanders.

But as more and more people learn about the F1 work, a common follow-up is this:

What is happening with Ferrari?

It has been a tough start for the Scuderia this season, most notably a few weeks ago when Charles Leclerc crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix on the opening lap and then Carlos Sainz Jr. was given a harsh five-second penalty in the closing laps of the race, following a standing restart. The result? Ferrari left Melbourne with nothing to show for their efforts, and had to stew on the matter for four long weeks.

Can the Scuderia turn things around starting in Baku?

Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur believes the team can bounceback, mostly by focusing on themselves, and not the competition. “To be focused on Red Bull or Mercedes or Aston Martin, I think it would be a mistake,” said the team boss recently. “We have to get the best from what we are doing, and to be focused on ourselves. But we made a good step for me between race two and race three. And if we’re able to bring a couple of updates like this… I think the issue in Melbourne was not the potential of the car, it was more the job that we did as a team to extract the best from this, and that we have to be focused on this.”

However, Vasseur admitted that — as noted above — the Baku City Circuit presents a number of challenges.

“Baku will be crucial, because in Baku you have the two qualifyings and the two races and we have to be able as a team to do a better job and to attract the best potential of the car,” said Vasseur. “Then the layout of the track in Baku is completely different. But most important is to get the best from what we are doing, and to be focused on ourselves not on the others.”

This is a critical stretch for Ferrari, given the compressed calendar over the next month or so. If they are going to make up any ground, it has to happen now.

Can anyone catch the Bulls?

Of course, the ultimate question is just this.

Can anyone catch Red Bull?

Aston Martin has seemed closest so far this season, as Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and the AMR23 have impressed throughout the start of the 2023 campaign. But Red Bull remains in a class of their own, with three wins over three races, and their dominance shows no signs of letting up.

Now, perhaps the teams bringing upgrades to Baku will be able to narrow the gap, and the overtaking opportunities in Azerbaijan — coupled with the challenges presented by the circuit itself and the schedule this weekend — could open the door for a team, or teams, to challenge the Bulls this weekend.

Still, this looks like Red Bull’s year, and we might all just be along for the ride.