Red Bull is gearing up for Mercedes counterplay

Baku’s street circuit is the medieval backdrop for the latest round of the Formula 1 tournament between the resurgent Red Bull and a Mercedes team eager to overcome their misery in Monaco.

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen. Image: @ redbullracing / Twitter

BAKU – Baku’s street circuit is the medieval backdrop for the latest round of the Formula 1 tournament between the resurgent Red Bull and a Mercedes team eager to overcome their misery in Monaco.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019, with Red Bull drinking the gaze from the top of the world championship standings.

Max Verstappen’s first triumph in Monaco, coupled with a boring weekend for seventh-placed Lewis Hamilton, let the Dutchman cleverly convert a 14-point deficit into a four-point lead in the race for the driver’s crown in 2021.

In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull converted a deficit of 29 points into a lead of one point and regained the top for the first time since 2013.

It is not surprising that team boss Christian Horner was happy as Punch.

“The fact that we are leading both championships exceeds all expectations,” said the chief architect of the Red Bull revival.

“When (Mercedes) has a day off, it is important for us to collect a lot of points.”

While Monaco’s narrow, winding street circuit makes overtaking notoriously difficult, Baku is an entirely different proposition.

With the longest straight – 1.4 miles (2.23 kilometers) at speeds of up to 230 mph (370 km / h) – of all the racetracks, Sunday’s race will be fast and furious.

And one that Mercedes can expect to give their Silver Arrows some shine back.

“Mercedes has been a strong track in the past. We have no illusions, we are sure that they will get back on their feet quickly,” predicted Horner.

“NOT EASY”

Mercedes took pole and won three of the four Grand Prix that were held in the former capital of the former Soviet state on the Caspian Sea.

But each time a different driver has pulled the checkered flag, with Nico Rosberg in 2016, Daniel Ricciardo in 2017, Hamilton 2018 and Valtteri Bottas, who was brought to a DNF in Monaco by a stubbornly immobile wheel nut, the 2019 winner.

Verstappen hopes to continue this sequence but has to do better than fourth.

He admits that the venue for the sixth stage of the season is “probably not a favorite of mine, if I’m honest”.

“I’ve never been on the podium there so it’s time to change that,” said Verstappen, who has two wins over Hamilton’s three this season.

He added: “Taking the championship lead feels good but we have to be there by the end of the last race, that’s all that matters.”

After their total dominance since 2014 and all 14 titles, Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss, is enjoying the fight with Red Bull.

“We love the fight. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered for the past seven years,” he said.

“Weekends like Monaco are the ones that keep you coming back,” he added.

“Nothing is easy in this sport and that’s why we love it.”

One man who nods in agreement on that final comment is Charles Leclerc, who placed his Ferrari at the front of the Monaco grid only to end his race with a broken left rear driveshaft hub, the unfortunate legacy of his qualifying accident on the warm-up lap.

But with his qualifying form and his team-mate Carlos Sainz in second, Leclerc left his home race anything but dejected.

“We’re coming back from quite a long way when we see last year so we’ve done a good job improving race after race. We’re on the right track.”

The most famous team in Formula 1 is in fourth place in the constructors’ championship, two points behind another team that enjoys a welcome change – McLaren.

Lando Norris’ second podium of the season a fortnight ago brought the Briton to third place overall, ahead of Bottas.

On the record front in Hamilton, the seven-time world champion is aiming for his 101st pole position and 99th victory this weekend.

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