Can Charles Leclerc Go Back-to-Back?
Two weeks ago I talked about how Ferrari had a great chance of winning their Home Race, and with some strong driving and a great strategy, Charles Leclerc did just that! Now the question is whether that was a one-off, or if Ferrari’s pace is genuine to win some more! Now, focusing on Charles Leclerc for a second, he is very good around Baku, he’s been on Pole here in both normal and Sprint Qualifying, and it’s also worth mentioning that Charles’ first-ever points in Formula 1 came in Baku (P6 in 2018). If Ferrari click this weekend, Charles can definetly win, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Carlos can’t either!
Alex Albon is Starting to Find his Form Again!
Whilst Alex Albon had a really good 2023 Season, things haven’t quite gone his way this year. Of course, Alex has consistently outperformed whoever is in the other Williams, but things just haven’t quite clicked as well as last year. However, since the Summer Break, Albon has been on it more, Qualifying 8th in Zandvoort (before eventually getting Disqualified) before he took home two points in Monza! Now, Baku isn’t the same circuit as Monza, but if Alex Albon can keep driving at his best, he might pull off something great once again!
Ollie Bearman is Back!
Due to Kevin Magnussen getting a 1-Race ban after "Yeeting" Pierre Gasly off the track (I know how much certain people liked that word), Oliver Bearman is back for his second substitute appearance of the year, but unlike in Saudi where he drove for Ferrari, the young Brit will of course be driving the Haas! Now Haas really don’t have a good record in Azerbaijan, with K-Mag’s P7 in 2017 being their only points-scoring finish! However, Ollie Bearman is a bit of a specialist of the Baku City Circuit, most notably winning both the Sprint and Features Races in F2 last year (and he also took Pole)! With Bearman joining Haas from next year, this is a great chance for him to learn, but I get the feeling Ollie will be aiming for more than just learning!
A Tough Period for Yuki Tsunoda
I think it’s fair to say that people have been impressed with Yuki Tsunoda this year, I certainly think 2024 has been by far his best season! However, it’s been a bit rough for Yuki in the past 3 Rounds, with his highest finish being just P16! Tsunoda’s also been outperformed by his teammate Daniel Ricciardo in that period, but it would be unfair to say the Japanese star can’t bounce back from this! Also, in his 3 years in Formula 1, Yuki has scored points in 2 different Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s so that’s a positive thing to look at heading into a weekend that Tsunoda needs to score points in (or certainly out-perform his Visa Cash App RB teammate)!
Can Sergio Perez Go Well this Weekend?
I tried to stop talking about Sergio Perez for a bit because he was doing the same thing every weekend of being slow and nowhere near his teammate! For a lot of the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Sergio wasn’t too far off Max, yet his final stint was pretty bad! Given how it’s gone pretty much since Azerbaijan last year (which was Round 4 in 2023), there’s no reason whatsoever to expect anything good out of Perez this weekend. However, we talked about Charles Leclerc being a specialist around here, but I’m not sure anyone loves this track as much as Sergio Perez. See, not only has Checo won this Race twice for Red Bull (he’s actually the only driver to ever win twice around this circuit), he also won the Sprint last year, and most impressively of all, Sergio found his way onto the Podium twice here with Force India (love the throwback)! Honestly, there’s a great chance that this means nothing, but maybe, just maybe, Checo Perez may be in store for a good weekend!
My Predictions for Baku Qualifying
Charles Leclerc
Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris
Carlos Sainz
Sergio Perez
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