3 way title fight looms large as Formula 1 gears up for Baku showdown

After navigating the narrow streets and relentless tight corners of Monte Carlo last weekend, the 2022 Formula 1 season is beautifully poised for another street fight, this time through the tight geometric corners and fast, long straights of Baku, at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

The race promises a lot of intrigue, thrills, and spills as teams struggle to find the right set-ups to maximise their cars’ potential on a circuit which takes these cutting-edge machines deep into the old town of Baku- through its narrow streets and beautiful castle section, before opening out into the 2.2 kilometre long straight- the longest in Formula 1, and an ideal section for many an overtaking opportunity

Also read | What Sergio Perez said to wife after being seen with other women

This season, with the brand new cars that are designed to follow much closer than the previous generation of cars were capable of, has shuffled the grid substantially and thrown up many surprises. One of the most intriguing stories, particularly at the top end of the grid, is proving to be Sergio Perez’ emergence as a genuine Championship contender after he won the Monaco GP last Sunday after a terrific performance all weekend and some shrewd strategic nouse from the Red Bull pit-wall, taking him to 3rd in the championship and just 15 points behind the leader and 6 behind Charles Leclerc in 2nd.

Also read | Formula 1: Sergio Perez extends Red Bull contract through 2024

That this pits him directly against teammate and current World Champion Max Verstappen, who’s currently top of the standings,  will leave racing fans salivating at the prospect of an exciting intra-team battle, especially those who’d remember the exciting scenes at Baku in 2019 when Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, both teammates back then, treated spectators to some thrilling racing before wiping each other out in acrimonious circumstances! 

And what of Ferrari? They’re widely believed to possess the fastest car in the grid, and in Charles Leclerc have a driver capable of taking that car all the way to the top. And yet things have turned unmistakably sour at Ferrari, after successive failures to drive home their advantage- losing out on easy wins first in Spain due to reliability issues, and then at Monte Carlo where strategic naivety cost the Italian team, and heartbreakingly for Leclerc, a chance to win his first-ever home Grand Prix after years and years of misfortune, or perhaps a curse- as some jokingly speculate!  What could have easily been a healthy lead in the championship standings for Charles Leclerc, had things gone right, has instead left him sandwiched between the two relentless Red Bulls, and he will need his teammate Carlos Sainz to turn up and be the wingman as Ferrari try to fight back against Red Bull.

Also read | Max Verstappen ‘might quit’ Formula 1 at 31

Further down, Mercedes will have been scratching their heads on how to unlock the promised performance of their W13 car, which has thus far flattered to deceive, and left the 7-time consecutive Constructors Champions suddenly fighting to stay above the midfield this season. The Silver Arrows had appeared to have put their problems behind them in Spain as the car seemed competitive and fast, and without the porpoising that has afflicted their cars through the season, but things were back to square one in the Monaco GP as Hamilton, who finished 8th was left stuck behind the Alpines of Ocon and then Alonso for large parts of the race, while their pace deficit to the leaders was once again visible for all to see. Russell’s consistency though should keep the Brackley outfit at least clear of the Alfa Romeo and Mclaren of Valterri Bottas and Lando Norris respectively, who have both shouldered the major responsibility for their teams’ success, alongside their struggling teammates.  

This weekend has the potential to be a thrilling racing spectacle, with a picturesque street circuit as the backdrop and an unforgiving,  challenging track with slow tight corners but also the famous lengthy straight that will see cars cross speeds of 350 km/h. And all of this in the backdrop of potentially the first 3-pronged title battle in almost a decade means that this is going to be a spectacle Formula 1 fans are not going to want to miss! 

Below is the schedule for this weekend-

Practice 1: 4:30 pm, Friday, 10th June

Practice 2: 7:30 pm, Friday, 10th June

Practice 3: 4:30 pm, Saturday, 11th June

Qualifying: 7:30 pm, Saturday, 11th June

Race Day: 4:30 pm, Sunday, 12th June

Indian fans can follow all these sessions on Disney+ Hotstar, without any ads, or Star Sports on TV with plenty of ads even in the middle of the race- fair warning!