Coming off a phenomenal weekend for Max Verstappen in Monza where he grabbed the victory, Red Bull heads into the F1 Azerbaijan GP with hopes of the strong momentum continuing. During Friday’s practice sessions, Verstappen finished FP1 in P7 while his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, was slightly ahead of him in P6. FP2 had the Dutchman finish P6 while Tsunoda concluded the session as P14.
Verstappen optimistic after finding stable balance
In the media pen after FP2, Verstappen explained that Red Bull appeared to have found something over one lap that can be important for the rest of the weekend. When asked what it was like in the car, the Red Bull driver expressed:
“It wasn’t too bad to be honest, building up to it, but what was positive for us was that the car felt quite good. It definitely seems like we found a stable balance, and that is what we need. This track is very particular in its layout and everything needs to come together to try and produce a good lap. We’re still finding that a little bit over one lap to try and really get more confidence in probably myself, the car.
“Just fine-tuning a few little bits and then hopefully tomorrow that will be better. The long run felt okay, it’s always going to be slippery around here, tough on the tyres with these softer compounds but it seemed not too bad.”
A tow makes the difference
Similarly to Monza, the Baku circuit is quite particular and required a lot of precision. With Baku’s narrow streets and close barriers, a tiny error can cause a ruckus. As the F1 field remains immensely close together this season, and tiny margins separate them in qualifying, coming out on top becomes more demanding. However, Verstappen has time and time again proved that he is the man to make the impossible, possible.
Speaking about the close competition and how Red Bull stacks up against the rest of the pack, the Dutchman expressed:
“It seems like Ferrari is really on it, but they’re always very fast around here. It’s a very particular track, like I said. Honestly, let’s see. I don’t even know how fast McLaren is going to be. I do expect a few teams to be quite close and then it all comes down to just driving a perfect lap or getting your tyres in, because that is also very difficult around here always. Then also with such a long straight if you get lucky with a little bit of a tow, you gain two tenths easily, so that can also make quite a big difference.”
While Ferrari looked quick in practice, the chances of it translating well into the race are slim, based on the evidence of this season. Still, Charles Leclerc has been on pole four times around the Baku circuit, despite not having the strongest car under him. With the biggest competitor likely being McLaren, Red Bull would definitely benefit from having two drivers into Q3 in Qualifying – for a possibility of a tow.
Positive long runs for Tsunoda
Moreover, Yuki Tsunoda has not had the easiest season. After being promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull earlier this year, the Japanese driver has been struggling adjusting to the challenging RB21. With only 12 points in the Drivers’ Championship, the driver will hope to put his best foot forward this weekend.
When asked about the tests he was doing in FP2, Tsunoda explained that the long runs were positive, stating:
“It was good. Short run, there’s some room to put it all together, but something that I tried and it’s good. There was something we were experiencing in FP2 and everything but mainly what we were focused on was the long run and that seems a lot much better. I’ve never seen that kind of thing so far in this year in the long run. So far, it’s working, which it good. Now it makes sense.”
The Red Bull driver continued on to be asked if it was still a buzz at the top speeds, and responded:
“Here it’s always need a good confidence with the breaking and everything. I just have to focus a bit more on the short run, but it’s getting there lap by lap. Just build up throughout the week, so at least in a good direction. Main thing that was positive was long run. I keep it positive and see how I can do it tomorrow.”
The Red Bull driver appeared optimistic after FP2, and will hope the RB21 stays consistent throughout the weekend. A point finish would be crucial for Tsunoda as the season heads closer towards the end.
