2023-04-28 00:15:22
F1 arrives in Baku after four weeks off, and there’s a new sprint format launching this weekend. Indeed, it is unusual for F1 to take such a long break so early in the season, but a month after the dramatic and controversial Australian Grand Prix, racing is back. And there’s a whole new format making its debut at the Azerbaijan GP.
Yes, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the first of six ‘sprint weekends’ to take place in 2023, and this week F1 confirmed plans to overhaul the format to encourage more risk taking by drivers. Sounds like fun. Is expensive.
Azerbaijan GP on Friday:
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As Red Bull seeks a fourth consecutive win of 2023 and Max Verstappen looks to extend his lead over teammate Sergio Perez in the drivers’ championship, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Azerbaijan GP.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is being held in Baku on a street circuit that winds through the city before heading down a main road on what is one of the longest stretches spent at full throttle all season. Six Grands Prix have been held in Baku since the first one in 2016 (they called it the European Grand Prix to begin with) and we still haven’t seen a driver win it more than once.
Virtually everyone expects Red Bull to win this race, mainly because of the advantage the RB19 seems to have over the rest of the field at the moment. And even if Verstappen and Perez finish behind their rivals, the car’s impressive top speed will make the team virtually impossible to stop on the main straight.
Verstappen goes into the race as favourite, but Perez is a certified street-track demon, so the Mexican shouldn’t be ruled out.
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