Can Perez continue his charge on the championship contenders in Baku?

Formula 1 heads to Azerbaijan for round eight of the 2022 season, with Red Bull and Ferrari in the hunt for the win.

Last time out in Monaco, Sergio Perez and Red Bull Racing were able to capitalise on a strategical blunder by Ferrari, snatching the win around the streets of Monte Carlo for the second year in a row.

This leaves the Mexican just 15 points behind teammate and championship leader Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull pair separated by Charles Leclerc.

However, despite the fact that Leclerc and Verstappen have dominated headlines and session times for much of this year, all eyes are on Perez following his Monaco victory.

A year ago, Perez was able to take his first win for Red Bull in Azerbaijan, where F1 finds itself this weekend on the thrilling Baku City Circuit.

The drivers will complete 51 laps this Sunday on the 6.003km circuit, navigating 20 turns and the longest straight on the F1 calendar, which takes the drivers back into turn one to do it all over again.

An action-packed race in Baku once again?

Since its debut on the F1 calendar in 2016, Baku has become a fan favourite, first being run under the name of the European Grand Prix before becoming the Azerbaijan Grand Prix a year later.

This is where it first gained the respect of F1 fans, with chaotic races in both 2017 and 2018 some of the best Grands Prix of those seasons.

2017 saw the controversial clash between title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, allowing Daniel Ricciardo to storm through the field to claim his only win that year, leading an unlikely duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll.

The following season, Ricciardo was not so lucky, crashing with teammate Verstappen. Following this, Vettel would lose the lead to Bottas’ Mercedes before Bottas himself would retire with a puncture.

All of this guided Hamilton to his first win of 2018, a season in which he would go on to claim his fifth world title.

Although 2019 would not deliver the same drama seen beforehand, and no race was run due to the pandemic in 2020, the Baku City Circuit would deliver the quality we have come to expect in 2021.

The title contenders, Hamilton and Verstappen, would both drop out of the points, with Perez picking up the pieces to win. He would be joined by Vettel’s Aston Martin as well as the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly.

Overall, in the five years F1 has come to Baku, there have been five different polesitters and five different winners, meaning anything can happen around this difficult street circuit.

With its esteemed but short history, there is a high chance that we could see dramatic scenes this weekend in what has already been a dramatic championship battle in 2022.

Who’s best-suited to the track this weekend?

Primarily, Baku is made up of a number of tight and twisty corners that require a lot of downforce, leaving the advantage in these sections to the Prancing Horse.

But, with the kilometre-long straight heading into the first corner, Red Bull Racing’s strong straight-line speed package is best-suited to tackle this after showing the advantage here throughout 2022.

Further down the grid, Mercedes has spoken about the traits of their car, the W13. Despite the fact that it has not performed well in slow corners, the team are confident of their hard work in analysing Barcelona and Monaco.

Previewing the race, Mercedes Team Principal said:

“As in Barcelona, the slow-speed corners of Monaco presented the W13 a tough challenge but also provided us with valuable learning.

“With another street circuit in Baku up next, the team has been working flat-out to analyse those two races and identify the areas we can innovate to push us forward.

“Baku often produces some fun and crazy track action, and the layout generates good racing opportunities. So, let’s see if it lives up to its reputation this weekend.”

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix gets underway at exactly midday BST on Sunday afternoon.

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