The eighth Grand Prix of 2022 will be held today on the street circuit of Baku. Max Verstappen hopes to defend and perhaps increase his leading position in the world championship from third place. For this, he must deal with the pole sitter Charles Leclerc.
F1 LIVE | The 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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The Ferrari driver was again unapproachable in qualifying. Almost three-tenths was the difference from Sergio Perez. The Mexican was faster than Verstappen for the second time in a row on Saturday. Luckily for Red Bull, Carlos Sainz did not get further than the fourth fastest time. Verstappen and Perez, with the two of them, can thus open the attack on Leclerc.
A good start will be nice, but Azerbaijan is not like Monaco. There are many opportunities for overtaking, especially the straight of more than two kilometres is an excellent affair. The Red Bulls are a lot faster on the straight than the Italian rival's F1-75. The aim for Perez and Verstappen is to stay within a second of Leclerc, but that will be quite difficult. The Ferrari's are extremely fast in the slower parts of the track.
The luck factor will also play a role. The chance of safety cars and red flags is very high. Undoubtedly some drivers will take advantage of 'free' pit stops and that may change the order of battle of the field completely. Spectacle guaranteed!