One Week From Today: Who Will Hold The Top Spot After Baku?

The Drivers Championship battle continues to heat up between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and their teams alike, with the young bull currently leading on 105 points, over Hamilton's 101 points

Monaco treated motorsport fans worldwide to an exciting podium last Sunday, boasting Mclaren's Lando Norris in P3, continuing his excellent form this season, and Carlos Sainz in P2, bringing home the well-deserved silverware to his new team after an impressive bittersweet weekend for Ferrari. Topping this talented trio off was none other than the audacious Max Verstappen clinching P1, further proving himself on the big stage and projecting him ahead of the P7 finisher and championship rival. Approaching the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull holds a slim 1-point lead over Mercedes for P1 in the Constructors Championship. This is the first time this has occurred for Red Bull in the hybrid era, however, holding this spot is most certainly easier said than done.

The street circuit here in Baku punishes even the slightest of errors, just as in Monaco, however, according to Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner “Azerbaijan is a very different kind of street circuit to [Monaco],” with its

unique conjunction of long straights paired with tight twists including the narrowest corner in F1, creating infamous events like that of Charles Leclerc's costly qualifying error in 2019. Even with laser-like reaction times, Formula 1 drivers are never immune to the human nature of a mistake. Yet, what will entice fans aside from the on track action over the up coming 51 laps this weekend, is the statistical battle off the track between the young bull and 7-time world champion. It's wisdom and experience up against limitless, bold, risk-taking youth.

Mercedes “completely missed the ball” according to Hamilton after taking the wrong set-up direction post Thursday's free practice sessions

Lewis Hamilton's underwhelming Monaco qualifying session placed him at a disappointing P7 - his worst qualifying result since Germany, 2018, and at a track where overtaking is merely impossible, saw him end just as where he began in a frustrating 7th place behind the taunting Alpha Tauri of Frenchman, Pierre Gasly. Monaco proved fruitful for the engineers of rivalling teams across the grid, exposing a rare weakness in the 2021 Mercedes' ability to warm it's tyres up as effectively as its competitors'. Although this provides an upper hand at circuits like Barcelona, it turns problematic at circuits like Monaco, characterised by the relatively gentle nature of tarmac and public roads along with a their lack of high-speed corners that makes tyre warm up for any team difficult, and especially when your driver claims that you've “completely missed the ball” on set up. Despite both cars starting last Sunday's race, only one finished, with Valtteri Bottas' 43 hour long pit stop breaking an undesired record for the team due to a jammed wheel nut.

Ultimately, this retirement from the race created the shift in the constructors championship, and the well aware Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner is sure to project the notion of “no one getting carried away", Horner later

stating that "there’s still an awful long way to go in this championship – but to be as close as we are at this stage is encouraging.” Red Bull seem to be closer than ever to the top of the tables this season, and with the capable Verstappen behind their wheel paired with teammate Sergio Perez who's confidence in the RB16B only grows race-on-race, P1 in the constructors championship is looking more and more realistic as each light goes out.

“[We’re] leading both championships for the first time in the hybrid era, so that’s really encouraging”

In the past, the Azerbaijan street circuit has been a strong point of the previously silver arrows. Characterising the track, Horner, all too familiar with this feeling of not getting one's hopes up, said “it’s been a strong track for Mercedes in the past", acknowledging that Red Bull are "not under any illusions, [Red Bull] are sure [Mercedes] are going to bounce back fast. [Horner's team have got to] attack the weekend exactly as [they] have done at every race this season." As much as F1 fans want they're favourite team and driver to be on top, any true fan of the sport would be lying if they said they wouldn't welcome this competition.

It's race week once again ladies and gents, and until that checkered flag is waved after 51 laps in the beautiful Azerbaijan, P1 is anyone's for the taking!