The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the first of six F1 stages this season including a sprint race, in an unprecedented format. There will be a second qualifying session to avoid drivers and teams adopting a conservative approach, and there will only be one free practice session.
“Because of the redesigned weekend format, it could be the most exciting so far this season, and I can’t wait to see how things unfold,” said seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. It will be difficult for everyone, but we are all in this together. It’s a great track to start this experience, as there are plenty of overtaking opportunities. It’s always good to race here. »
F1 has been on hiatus since the last race in Australia on April 2 due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, and several teams have chosen Azerbaijan to continue car development. Whether that will be enough to close the gap behind Red Bull remains to be seen.
“When you find yourself in a position of strength, you want it to continue, and you don’t want others to gain ground,” admitted Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. Improvements will be made to our car here, which we hope will allow us to maintain our lead at the front of the pack. »
Perez is down 15 points overall over team-mate Max Verstappen, and the Mexican is hoping to turn the page on the qualifying crash that sabotaged his weekend in Australia. Behind the Red Bulls, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is in ambush, on 24 points.
Why this new format?
F1 announced on Tuesday that the new sprint race will include its own shortened qualifying session – a ‘sprint shoot-off’ – on Saturday, setting the stage for a 17-lap sprint race that will no longer determine the order on the starting grid. in view of the real Azerbaijan Grand Prix which will take place on Sunday.
The idea is to force drivers and teams to take more risks, but the teams are concerned about the costs that such a decision could generate. Since a ceiling has been set for the annual expenses of F1 teams, the prospect of taking part in more races on a street circuit surrounded by metal barriers could cause more incidents, and therefore make the bills higher – which also means that teams will have less money to develop their car during the campaign.
“Nobody wants our cars to take more damage, because that can play a big role in our ability to develop them for the rest of the season,” Perez said. No one will take stupid risks just to snatch a few extra ranking points. »
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner reportedly called the choice of the Baku circuit to promote the sprint race last month “ridiculous” even before the new format was announced. Perez also questioned the choice of Baku on Thursday, stressing that the sprint race should be used to enhance the spectacle in places where the races have a reputation for being “monotonous”.
“Obviously we will have to be more selective in the races where we will have to enhance the quality of the spectacle,” said Perez.