Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Race Preview

      Summer is over, as is the European part of the season. After Monza Pirelli joked that McLaren had won the Formula 1 European championship, giving their rivals only two wins out of nine — and both in Italy. Otherwise — yes, if there were a European classification, it would have been won by Oscar Piastri and McLaren.

      Basically, the results are quite predictable. Compared to last year Alonso has dropped out of the top ten, and Red Bull Racing and Mercedes now have only one driver each. Kimi Antonelli and Yuki Tsunoda scored only three points each in the nine European rounds. You must admit, there is reason for criticism.

      Top ten after the European rounds

      Driver

      Team

      Points

      1. O. Piastri

      McLaren

      181

      2. L. Norris

      McLaren

      178

      3. M. Verstappen

      Red Bull

      113

      5. C. Leclerc

      Ferrari

      100

      4. D. Russell

      Mercedes

      76

      6. L. Hamilton

      Ferrari

      68

      7. A. Albon

      Williams

      40

      9. A. Hajar

      Racing Bulls

      33

      10. N. Hulkenberg

      Sauber

      27

      It is symbolic that the season will continue with the race in Baku, which debuted on the calendar in 2016 as the European Grand Prix. Readers from Azerbaijan back then asked us why the name was chosen that way; we forwarded letters to the organizers, but the trend at the time was this — Baku hosted Eurovision, then the European Games, and a year later the European Grand Prix. Then the trend changed and the round received a national title — the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

      The high-speed track with a narrow section in the old city both looks great and produces unpredictable races. Almost everyone has made mistakes there over the past seven years. You might think a street circuit could surprise you after Monaco, but it has managed to — with the Old City, with its speed, and with turns that are dangerous at such speeds.

      Later in Jeddah they managed to make the lap even faster and more dangerous, but that didn't make the Baku lap any calmer. As before, mistakes here are very costly.

      It won't be boring. This year Formula 1 will come to Baku for the ninth time. In eight years the race winner has been the polesitter only twice, so success on Saturday here means almost nothing — everything is decided on Sunday.

      Interestingly, the last four poles on this circuit belong to Charles Leclerc. And he hasn't won any of those races. Ferrari has not won in Baku yet.

      Under certain circumstances McLaren could secure the Constructors' Championship early this weekend.