The first Formula 1 session of the Azerbaijan GP weekend is complete and it looks as though Max Verstappen and Red Bull coming back to their old form. This came as quite a surprise considering that the Austrian team were not in form in the past 5-6 races.
After the FP1 session, Verstappen had the fastest time with a 1:45.546, while Hamilton occupied 2nd place by over 3 tenths behind the Dutch driver. Even Sergio Perez was able to put in a good performance. Although he was not in the top 2, he was able to finish the session in 3rd place.
FP1 classification:#F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/WF1omO09dm
— Fastest Pitstop Live (@FastestPitLive) September 13, 2024
Ferrari, Alpine and Williams all faced disasters during the session. Esteban Ocon was not able to get a flying lap in as he faced power unit issues. Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari in the wall with over 30 minutes to go in the session. And then with just under 20 minutes to go into the session, Franco Colapinto put his Williams in the wall.
Coming into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the momentum was with the McLarens as they scored the maximum points during the European leg of the season. However, the pace was somewhat missing from the car during the FP1 session. Lando finished 4th, behind Sergio Perez. Oscar Piastri only managed to finish 6th behind Carlos Sainz.
Where did Red Bull find their pace at the Azerbaijan GP?
Looking at Max Verstappen’s sector time, the Red Bull was the quickest all over the circuit except for the final sector where Hamilton had the fastest time thanks to a tow he received from Sainz. So between Monza and Baku, the team has made some changes to their car that have made it faster.
This weekend, Red Bull brought only 1 upgrade to the floor of the car. However, the performance gain did not entirely come from this single upgrade. We do know that the team decided to remove some of the upgrades back in Spa. However, that does not explain why the car was slow in Monza but faster here in Baku.
Starting strong in Baku 💪
We finish our first practice session in P1 and P3 🔥#F1 || #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/SyZjeApdEY
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 13, 2024
In the past, Red Bull has always been strong while racing in Baku. The team has the most constructors’ victories and Sergio Perez has the most driver victories on this circuit. This is because the nature of Red Bull’s RB20 works well with the layout of the Baku City Circuit.
Do you think Red Bull can win once again in Baku? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
Everyone is running a low engine mode, some lower than others. I think the McLarens will secure a 1-2 and there will be an interesting battle between Leclerc and Verstappen for the final podium place.