Following the victory of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in Monaco, there has been talk of a possible three-man battle for the championship with just 15 points separating Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and the Mexican.
Red Bull have climbed to the top of the podium in each of their last four games – something Leclerc will try to rectify after seeing two possible wins miss them in Barcelona and Monaco.
Mercedes, meanwhile, will hope to take a step closer to the top two teams, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton already 75 points ahead of last year ‘s rival, Verstappen.
Drama is never too far from the narrow and winding streets of Baku. Last year’s fight saw Verstappen lose the lead with a jab, while the accident of Hamilton’s “magic button” allowed Perez to take the win from Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly.
Sportsmail analyzes seven things to look out for at Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Formula 1 circus rolls in Azerbaijan for eighth round of World Championship
Ferrari will hope to recover on the streets of Baku after four consecutive victories for Red Bull
Is Sergio Perez’s challenge for the title legal?
Many do not seem to have benefited more from the new regulations from Monaco GP winner Perez.
The Mexican was comfortably defeated by Verstappen throughout the 2021 season, and although the Dutchman still has the lead after the first seven games of 2022, Perez is much closer to his teammate.
He got his first victory of the season last time and could very easily have been his second if it were not for the unfortunate timing of the safety car that cost him a high chance of winning in Bahrain.
The Baku track is somewhere where Perez always did well, winning the race last season and also scoring two podiums when driving for Force India.
Sergio Perez is looking to continue his impressive victory on the streets of Monaco
There has been a lot of talk about whether he can claim the title and whether he would be allowed to do so against world champion Verstappen.
Red Bull team leader Christian Horner said he would be happy for either Verstappen or Perez to be champions this year.
He was convincingly faster than the Dutchman on the streets of Monte Carlo, but to do so on a consistent basis would be a huge challenge for Perez, who is now a F1 circus veteran having made his debut in 2011.
Achieving consecutive victories this weekend would give him absolute confidence that he could become Mexico’s first F1 champion and give Verstappen an extra headache in his quest to maintain his championship.
Perez always did well in Azerbaijan and won his first Red Bull victory there in 2021
Can Charles Leclerc bring back the challenge for his title?
The Monegasque driver did not have much luck in the last two laps, in which he collected only 13 points when it seemed that he could be 50.
He withdrew from a comfortable lead in Spain with a turbo failure before a strategic mistake to bring him to the pits in Monaco meant he finished only fourth instead of taking what would be his first home win.
Leclerc had a comfortable lead of 34 points after the first three games, but is now at the back with momentum clearly on the side of Red Bull.
Leclerc has lost two possible wins in the last two games without its own fault
Monegasque has only scored 13 points when it looked like it could be 50
The 24-year-old will be willing to avoid losing further ground this weekend on a track that on paper seems to favor the Red Bulls.
Similar to Miami, Baku has a lot of strong straight lines and Red Bull has an advantage in top speed over Ferrari so far this season.
Leclerc has been the star of Saturdays so far this season, securing five pole positions, and if he succeeds in those six this weekend, he will put himself in a great position to break Red Bull’s winning streak.
He looked good to conquer the pole in his first season at Ferrari in 2019, only to collapse in the castle section. Given the form of Red Bull drivers, Leclerc has no room for error this weekend.
Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will try to change the current after the impressive series of victories of Red Bull
The chances for Mercedes are running out
There was genuine optimism for Mercedes after the Spanish Grand Prix in which George Russell finished third and Lewis Hamilton showed a great pace to counterattack from the first lap to finish fifth.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff later claimed that Hamilton could have fought for victory if he had not been hit early, while also saying that the Silver Arrows were still capable of competing for the championship.
However, it was clear from a very early stage during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend that Mercedes, again, did not have the pace to challenge Ferrari or Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell end races for Mercedes to close the gap
Hamilton is already 75 points away from last season’s opponent, Max Ferstappen, at the top
There is still hope in the Mercedes camp that they can make a title challenge, but time is running out and they should not be too far from having already focused on next year’s challenger.
Hamilton is already 75 points behind Verstappen at the top of the table – a difference that could seem insurmountable if it grows further after the double heads of Baku and Montreal.
Russell has finished in the top five of every game so far this season and has had better luck than his veteran teammate, which means he is just 41 points away from the top.
So, even if Mercedes shows improvements to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari, Hamilton’s job to overtake them will be tougher than that of Russell. Their duties could be made more difficult if they continue to deduct points from each other.
Daniel Ricciardo needs to get in shape quickly
Speculation about the future of McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo grows after each race.
His first season on the team was not great as he was comfortably defeated by Lando Norris – although there were some signs of optimism after his victory in the Italian Grand Prix.
Ricciardo’s form has not improved, however, and he has scored just 11 points this season compared to his teammate 48.
Eyebrows were raised when McLaren bosses said Ricciardo had not lived up to “his or our expectations” after another disappointing result in Monaco where he finished 13th with Norris in sixth.
Daniel Ricciardo must find something to save his F1 career after a poor start to the season
Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle believes Ricciardo has just three races left to save his Formula 1 career.
Ricciardo has a contract with McLaren until the end of the 2023 season and team boss Zak Brown revealed this week that talks on the Australian’s future will begin later this season.
There are plenty of talented drivers who could well look at McLaren’s second seat next to Norris – with Pierre Gasly confident he is a strong contender as his return to Red Bull has been hampered by the extension of Perez’s contract.
Ricciardo can not stand many other bad performances if he wants to keep his place in Formula 1.
Can Fernando Alonso surprise?
The regular candidates were at the top during Friday’s two training sessions, except for one man, Fernando Alonso.
Alonso was fifth fastest during the morning session and followed with the fourth fastest time in the afternoon.
It was a very impressive day in a difficult season for the two-time world champion.
Alpine, especially in the hands of Fernando Alonso, showed an impressive pace on Friday
Alpine has shown signs of a decent pace at times during the season, although luck was not always there and it was very inconsistent.
Alonso honestly felt he was shot in the pole position in Australia before a crash caused by a technical injury ruined him at the weekend – an accident in which he is still feeling the effects of today.
There has been optimism for Alpine in the past, but on a racetrack where anything can happen, Alonso and his teammate Esteban Ocon look like they could possibly make a surprise this weekend.
Fears for seals
Introducing the aerodynamic ground effect as the design philosophy behind this year’s cars, many of the Formula 1 teams have suffered from seals – where cars bounce when moving at high speeds.
The Grand Prix of Azerbaijan takes place on the streets of Baku, where in 2.2 km straight it sees drivers having a top speed of about 340 km / h.
And this is something that two-time world champion Fernando Alonso fears will mean an extreme bounce.
Asked if he was excited to play in Baku, he told the official F1 website: “Yes, absolutely. I think it’s still a road track, just the speeds are very different, especially at the end of the straight.
The bounce could be worse than usual in Baku with Ferrari and Mercedes having a hard time
“I’m looking forward to seeing how these cars perform in Baku, especially the bounce effect in the straights.
“It could be quite extreme here, and we’re a little worried about that, as I think everyone is.”
Alonso’s Alpine is one of the teams that seems to suffer less from seals than its rivals, with Mercedes being said to be more affected.
Hamilton had to be warned in practice of crossing the white line at the entrance to the pit as he descended straight – something he accused of not being able to see the line due to the high level of the seal.
Ferrari couple Leclerc and Carlos Sainz also appeared to bounce aggressively during training for the Azerbaijan GP, and along with Mercedes, could be particularly affected by the seal this weekend.
Hamilton crossed the white lines at the entrance to the pit as he said the bounce …
