Thursday's Summary: New rear wing for Verstappen

The Formula 1 weekend resumes in Azerbaijan after a short break. Max Verstappen will defend his first place in the world championship, while Lewis Hamilton is the pursuer. Thursday was all about the press conferences and there were many topics discussed.

For Valtteri Bottas the weekend didn't start well at all. The Finnish driver was on his way to Azerbaijan to prepare for the GP-weekend, but due to a problem with the plane he couldn't travel. The Mercedes driver therefore spoke to the press in Finland and indicated that he wants to travel to Baku soon. Bottas can therefore not prepare for the first two free practices.

The battle between Mercedes and Red Bull was not only visible on the track but also behind the scenes. Mercedes commented on Red Bull's rear wing, while the Austrians commented on their competitor's front wing. The team of Verstappen and Sergio Pérez did not take much notice of the criticism, although they have a new wing in Azerbaijan.

Ferrari were back to their old form during the Monaco GP. Whereas the Italians were in the middle of the pack last season, they suddenly found themselves fighting for pole position two weeks ago. Carlos Sainz made it clear during the press conference that he doesn't expect his team to compete for the front places again in Azerbaijan due to the long straight.