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For the Azerbaijan GP, the appetizers have been served, they've done their job, and whet our appetite. Now, it's time for the main event! It's time for the all-important "Grand Prix". The grid has been set. The cars have been set up. We know who's starting where and when the race is going to commence unless something major takes place.
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Before we get there, though, it's time for the fun part of the weekend. It's the part where we put our thinking caps on, look at the grid positions and the form that the teams have shown over the weekend, and based on that, we make our final predictions for you guys! So, let's jump straight to it.
#1 Expect chaos, lots of it!
It's the Azerbaijan GP so expect chaos here! Safety cars, red flags, stoppages, you name it, there is a very high chance that it all might happen. This time around, the grid is filled with teams that have a very different range of top speeds. Teams like Red Bull and Alpine are on the higher end while teams like McLaren and Mercedes are trying to cope with low top speed.
As a result, these varied strategies will yield a lot of wheel-to-wheel action and on a narrow circuit like the one in Baku, it could yield incidents and stoppages and mix up the order. The Azerbaijan GP is going to be a ride with multiple twists and turns. Not one for the faint-hearted and not one to be missed!
#2 Charles Leclerc is going to win the Azerbaijan GP
While Charles Leclerc has clinched pole position for 4 races in a row, in none of those races has he looked this calm and composed while his peers place their attention on someone else. At Imola, Leclerc was a bit agitated. In Miami, Max Verstappen simply had the edge. At Barcelona, he had the win before reliability took that away, and finally in Monaco, for no fault of his own, he was left disappointed by the end of the weekend.
In all of these races, both Verstappen and Sergio Perez (the drivers that eventually won the race) were only focused on the win. This time around, there appears to be a slight niggle between the two drivers as Perez appears to be mounting an unforeseen challenge at Red Bull. At the Azerbaijan GP, we're backing Charles Leclerc to shine through and win the race as both the Red Bull drivers stumble over each other.
#3 Keep an eye on the Alpines
That skinny rear wing didn't help Esteban Ocon escape Q2 and it didn't help Fernando Alonso do any better than 10th. Both Alpine drivers, however, appear to hold a significant edge over everyone else in S3.
It remains to be seen as to how much the updated rear wing could impact the long runs. More importantly, though, that rear wing will provide both drivers the opportunity to attack during a restart from a stoppage, and we expect many of them on this track.
Keep an eye out on the Alpines because either way, they're going to be the source of a lot of action during the Azerbaijan GP.
#4 We could see a shock podium finisher
If it is a straightforward race, then other than the top 4 drivers it is hard to envision anyone else scoring a podium. This, however, is the Azerbaijan GP – a race notorious for accidents! It wouldn't be a surprise to see a clash between any of the top 4 drivers as the early laps and the narrow walls yield themselves to these sorts of crashes all the time.
Could we see a driver in the right place at the right time with the strategy during the restarts? Sure we can, if one remembers Sebastian Vettel from last season. At the Azerbaijan GP, the goal is slightly open after the top 4 drivers and there are multiple contenders. Could we see one of them slip into a podium position? At Baku, it's all possible!
#5 McLaren's gamble might just fail at the Azerbaijan GP
McLaren will be starting the Azerbaijan GP in P11 and P12. The car had shown impressive pace throughout but in the end, when push came to shove, the qualifying session did not quite materialize as many would have expected.
Having said that, the Woking-based outfit did seem somewhat confident in its drivers on the team radio when both were eliminated in Q2. It does appear that there might be a possibility that McLaren might just have gone in with a more race-centric setup, something similar to what Alpine did in the Spanish GP.
The top speed deficit, however, plagues McLaren. The car is one of the slowest on the straights, and in Baku, without straight-line speed, you get stuck behind slower cars that render you vulnerable during a safety car restart. The British team might have taken a gamble by having a more race-centric car. It will be interesting to see how its race pans out.
