Race Recall: Azerbaijan

A look back at the Team’s history at the Baku Street Circuit

This

weekend

return

the

streets

Baku

for

the

Azerbaijan

Grand

Prix.

It’s

been

track

that

has

bought

many

highs

for

the

Team

and

few

lows

–

which

we’ll

get

to,

but

it’s

set

one

the

most

stunning

cities

the

calendar,

always

look

forward

going

back

Baku

The track itself has a fantastic mix of wide-open sections mixed with some tight and twisty sections as well. The main straight is more than 2km long and is wide enough for three cars, making for some thrilling slipstreaming into turn one. It then heads into the walled city for some narrow turns, which have got the better of some drivers over the years. It can be an engineer’s nightmare, do you focus on downforce for the narrow twisty bits, or focus on drag for the wide open, super speedy parts?

Azerbaijan is a relatively new circuit on the Formula One Calendar. The first race it hosted was seven years ago in 2016 as the European Grand Prix. Our drivers were Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Daniel qualified in P3 but was promoted to P2 after second-placed Sergio Pérez collected a penalty for changing his gearbox after the session. Max qualified down in ninth place. During the race Daniel found himself going backwards and ended up finishing in P7 and Max gaining one position finishing in eighth.

Checking Out The New Circuit

After the success of the race, Azerbaijan found itself added to the calendar in its own right and in 2017 Formula One returned to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Max qualified in P5 and Daniel qualified in P10.

It was a chaotic race and before the third corner of lap one, Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat had both gone off the track and Valtteri Bottas had collided with Kimi Räikkönen. Due to debris collected in his car, Daniel returned to the pits on lap six and re-joined the action in P17. Max had to retire on lap 12 due to an engine issue.

What A Backdrop

Due to more collisions and even more debris on track, the race was red flagged. When it restarted other cars were suffering from issues, Hamilton’s headrest came loose and he had to return to the pits. Vettel, another front runner, was given a 10 second penalty which he served on lap 33 and gifted Daniel the lead, where he remained to take the fifth win of his career. After the race Daniel said: “I have never had a boring win and today was certainly not that. After all the chaos and the red flag, I felt that a podium was in reach but then once Lewis had to pit and Seb had the penalty I knew the win was possible. What a day, It’s crazy and it’s slowly sinking in.”

2018 in Azerbaijan was a disaster for the team. Max and Daniel were told they could race and they were swapping positions throughout the GP. On lap 40 the pair collided putting both of them out of the race causing a double DNF for the Team. Christian Horner said: “It was a really frustrating race for the Team today. After some hard racing between the two drivers, contact was made after the pitstop resulting in the retirement of both cars. Obviously, for the Team it is hugely disappointing. We allow our drivers to race wheel-to-wheel, which they have done to great effect. There is no blame apportioned to either side. It is hugely frustrating for the Team and the drivers have apologised. The most important thing is to learn and ensure that we avoid a repeat situation.”

Not A Good Day For The Bulls

With Pierre Gasly joining the Team for 2019 it was a new line-up for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Gasly retired from the race on lap 39 when he was in P5 due to driveshaft issue with his RB15. Max was able to bring his car home in fourth place.

Due to COVID-19 there was no race in 2020, but the Azerbaijan Grand Prix returned in 2021 and Max had a new teammate in Sergio Pérez. The Bulls looked sharp and from lap 20 onwards they were looking to collect the Team’s first one-two finish since Malaysia in 2016.

However, on lap 45 with Max leading, his suffered a tyre failure, which put him in the wall and ended his race. “To retire from the lead of the race so close to the finish is pretty frustrating, “ said Max. “I didn’t feel anything strange with the car and then suddenly the left rear went and I was in the wall quite hard. It’s not a nice place to crash. Up until that point it was a great day, the car felt perfect and I was comfortable in the lead so it felt like it would be an easy 1-2 but there are no guarantees in this sport.”

Max’s crash caused a red flag and the race had to be restarted with just two laps remaining. Checo started in pole with Lewis Hamilton in P2. The pressure was on, but it was Hamilton who crumbled and overshot turn one, ensuring Checo claimed his first win for the Team. Checo was pleased to win, but felt for Max. “We love Baku! It feels amazing to get my first win with Red Bull. The Team did a tremendous job,” Checo said. “I feel very sorry for Max because he deserved the win and a 1-2 for the Team would’ve been very enjoyable. It was a crazy rollercoaster of a race, we were basically flat out from the very first lap and I had Lewis behind pushing me so I couldn’t breathe, it was very challenging but we kept our focus.”

Checo Delight In Baku

Last year in Baku was the best result the Team has had in Azerbaijan to date. After a shaky start to the season, the Team were in good shape by the time they arrived in Baku for round eight of the 2022 season.

Checo qualified ahead of his teammate in P2 with Max one place behind him and Charles Leclerc ahead in pole position. On lap 19, the Bulls were running behind Leclerc when his power unit failed and he had to retire from the race. After that there was no catching the Bulls. Max took the win by more than 20 seconds ahead of his teammate and Checo was a further 25 seconds ahead of George Russell in third place. “It’s a fantastic result for us on a track that never fails to deliver the unexpected,” said Christian. “We managed to capitalise on the events within the race with both drivers driving fantastically. We asked them to race each other cleanly and fairly and that’s what they did. They’re doing a great job for the Team and we’re very proud of what the whole team has achieved.”

As we head into the 2023 running of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Team is in an even better position than it was in 2022. The Team sits on top of the Constructors’ Championship on 123 points, 58 ahead of second place Aston Martin. Max is siting top of the Drivers’ Championship on 69 pints, with Checo in P2 on 54.

It's the first sprint of the season and with a whole new format to the, it’s sure to be an exciting weekend!

Bulls Triumph In Baku