Flexi wings, Ferrari’s shape and a bizarre Baku record – 5 fascinating GP stories from Azerbaijan

The battle for the championship only heats up five races in the season, and next we’re going to a place that has caused spectacular drama in the past. Here are a few things to look forward to in the next race in Baku …

1. The reaction of Mercedes after a miserable Monaco

As for the race weekends, Mercedes had an absolute shocker in Monaco for their circumstances. It wasn’t all bad as Lewis Hamilton might have struggled from Saturday, but Valtteri Bottas was in the mix for pole and pushed Max Verstappen in the race before his disastrous pit stop, where he had to give up when the team could. I can’t get one of his bikes off.

In the end, after a fastest lap from Hamilton, Mercedes left the last race by just seven points and lost the lead in both championships to Verstappen and Red Bull. So how will they react?

READ MORE: Intense rivalry with Red Bull boss Horner “exactly what the doctor ordered,” says Mercedes boss Wolff

We have seen Mercedes weather difficult weekends without any problems in the past, but on those occasions they have not been under the pressure that Red Bull can now exert. Signs of this emerged when Hamilton expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performance in Monaco. So maybe it is more important than ever that they hit straight back with a strong weekend.

Lewis Hamilton: Loss of points after “really bad team performance”

2. Can Ferrari keep its pace in Monaco?

If Mercedes had a shock, Ferrari came a little close to the dream weekend in Monaco, but had to be content with a second place for Carlos Sainz. That is definitely an overwhelming result considering where they were on Saturday night – Pole and fourth with Charles Leclerc and Sainz respectively – but their pace was undeniable, even if the final result did not confirm it.

Both drivers had a chance of pole in Monaco, and if the weekend was perfect, a one-two was on the horizon. However, this was only possible because Ferrari had started so well and provided both drivers with a car that they were extremely comfortable with from the first lap.

READ MORE: “He becomes a tiger in the cockpit” – David Tremayne explains why Monaco emphasized Leclerc’s Villeneuve-like qualities

Sainz pointed out how encouraging that was because it showed that Ferrari was pulling everyone together and getting the maximum performance out of the car and tires in Monte Carlo. But track characteristics were also clearly a factor, so it is less likely that they can reach a similar level in Baku. However, there could be important lessons they learned that will bring them back closer to the front lines.

Sainz puts Ferrari back on the podium

3. Fight in THIS pit lane

Baku is the second circuit we visit this season that was not on the 2020 calendar due to the Covid-19 pandemic and like Monaco it was definitely missed. Since joining the schedule in 2016, Baku has delivered some epic races and surprising results, and hopefully we’ll see more of them on the way back.

READ MORE: Find out more about the Baku City Circuit

Baku offers plenty of overtaking opportunities for a street circuit, and an important aspect of those dramatic grands prix that we’ve seen in the past has been the long run to Turn 1. While there are a few kinks to negotiate, the drivers give up from the moment in which you leave turn 16, full throttle until you step on the brakes in turn 1.

The slipstream effect can therefore be massive, so riders have to defend really hard to maintain their position. And with such a tight field this season, we can’t wait to see more of it on Sunday.

Azerbaijan 2017: Onboard for Daniel Ricciardo’s incredible triple pass

4. Confirmation of McLaren’s big wins

Ferrari put a lot of emphasis on pace in Monaco, and rightly so, but McLaren was perhaps surprisingly strong on the street circuit. The team hadn’t looked quite as good in the slower finals sector of Barcelona – often a precursor to Monaco form – but they were far more competitive when the car was specifically tailored to the principality’s challenge.

Lando Norris ‘second podium in five races underscores how strong McLaren were, but they’re also starting to show a consistency that was the backbone of their previous run to third in the Constructors’ Championship last year.

READ MORE: Sainz Says Norris and McLaren should look forward to the Baku prospect with a “rocket” of a car

McLaren have had a car in the top six in every race so far, and Monaco was the first time they failed to score with either driver after Daniel Ricciardo had a surprisingly bad weekend. As the Australian tries to figure out the reasons for his difficulty, McLaren shows that he can be fast on any type of track and shows impressive speeds on the straight. We mentioned the 1.4 mile full throttle section, didn’t we?

Norris was quick in Monaco

5. A bizarre record that could go on – and a political hot potato

So far there have been four editions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (or the European Grand Prix as it was in its first year) and all four have seen different winners. Nico Rosberg drove to victory in 2016, Daniel Ricciardo won the insane race in 2017 before Lewis Hamilton’s success in 2018 and Valtteri Bottas a year later.

Obviously, Hamilton and Bottas could become repeat winners (no trouble for Ricciardo, but it would take another dramatic turn to be him), but both drivers had a bittersweet relationship with Baku. Hamilton struggled at each of the first two events and inherited his victory in 2018 when Bottas suffered a puncture a few laps before the end.

READ MORE: Title lead after Monaco take a ‘big boost’ for Red Bull, says Verstappen as he envisions Baku success

But championship leader Max Verstappen is almost certainly the best hope of a continuation of the record as he hadn’t even been on the podium in Baku before. And Red Bull will be strong here. Toto Wolff complains that the flexi-wing controversy needs to be settled off Azerbaijan because it’s a stretch that is likely to be very beneficial to those pushing this concept forward.

Free preview: F1 TV Tech Talk – Recce on Red Bull

Red Bull, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo have all confirmed that they have rear wings that flex at high speed, reduce drag on the straights, and then return to normal when the car slows around corners and offers maximum downforce. All cars have passed acceptance tests with static loads in the past, but the FIA ​​has issued a technical guideline and tightened the test.

READ MORE: Flexi Wings – What Are They And Why Is Everyone Talking About Them?

The more stringent test is slated to be rolled out in France to give the teams enough time to redesign or rebuild their rear wings in response, but McLaren’s Wolff and Andreas Seidl wanted to run the test in Baku as the long straights reward it become low air resistance and slow corners, which are good for high downforce. There might be protests so watch this room.