Race craft is all well and good, but to actually utilise it, it's probably a good idea to have the skill to avoid crashing into the wall...twice.
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Poll: Official 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Thread - Baku City Circuit - Race 17/24
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Race craft is all well and good, but to actually utilise it, it's probably a good idea to have the skill to avoid crashing into the wall...twice.
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Hard to say yet; it seems they brought an upgrade at Monza and we have had 2 low downforce tracks (although the straight aside Baku is a bit mixed).
Singapore will probably be an indication of whether the Red Bull is going to be competitive everywhere although it has been a bit of a bogey track for RB in recent years.
Andrea Stella (McLaren) certainly seemed to think RB have made decent upgrades though.
Yeh. Also, it was cold today and the tyre deg didn't seem very high.
Presumably the McLaren has a big advantage with tyre deg (especially when it's hot which compounds the issue).
Ill be surprised if McLaren aren't back on top in Singapore
I think even Singapore is an outlier track but definitely different to Monza and Baku. Should give us a bit more info and see whether RB can get the balance right on a more varied track.
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Yeah Singapore has been an odd one, I Mercedes struggled there in some of their more dominant years and Red Bull have in recent years (2023 was the only race Max didn't finish on the podium!)
Singapore hasn't been kind to Red Bull in recent years and a bit of a bogey track for them. As far as Norris's performance today is concerned it was scuppered by the team. Firstly they sent him out far too early in final qualifying, the reason being possibly they were concerned yellow or red flags could have happened. Secondly, a pit stop twice as long as it should have been.
Unfortunately two events just gave Norris a mountain to climb.
www.formula1.com
Unfortunately two events just gave Norris a mountain to climb.
What the teams said – Race day in Azerbaijan
The drivers and teams report back on all the action from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
www.formula1.com
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In what way? For sure he capitalised in the best way possible but given Tsunoda’s highest finish ever in a RB and the fact he qualified P1 and had a Williams that was never going to challenge him behind - certainly made for an easy day at the office. And clearly the track suited the car well enough. The Cashbacks did pretty well too just to prove that point.
Singapore could be interesting, as above it’s always been a bogey track for whoever is leading. Let’s hope McLaren don’t **** the bed entirely again.
I just saw this for a bit of fun at the anthems. Bless him, lol at George, Lando and Oscar trying to keep a straight face
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/15biJwJbEA/?mibextid=wwXIfrInteresting comments from Russell saying he wouldn't have raced if he was feeling this unwell in Singapore:
Although I'm not sure how that first bit makes sense? It's one of the toughest circuits but mentally physically it's one of the easiest? Huh?
“Fortunately it was Baku,” he said after the race. “Even though it’s one of the toughest circuits, mentally and physically it’s maybe one of the easiest.
“Today I’m much better. On Friday and Saturday, I was really rough. Had it been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done the race.
“So it’s sort of fortunate timing. I haven’t been ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me at once over these days, but I’m on the up now.”
“Today I’m much better. On Friday and Saturday, I was really rough. Had it been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done the race.
“So it’s sort of fortunate timing. I haven’t been ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me at once over these days, but I’m on the up now.”
Although I'm not sure how that first bit makes sense? It's one of the toughest circuits but mentally physically it's one of the easiest? Huh?
But of a frustrating watch at times this one. I feel the DRS was too weak on the main straight at times. Cars just couldn't really overtake as easily as we've seen before. Good strategy to see it all come together but lots of DRS trains and no real action.
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I'm assuming he means toughest for the car... although I'm not sure even that makes sense. I'm guessing he realised he was about to call this an 'easy race' and stopped himself.
I don't think it was tyre management really. It was just DRS.
For the most part this has turned into Formula Pirelli. There's just enough else going on to keep me entertained, like the old hats showing their experience. I loved Sainz's "Copy. Just leave it to me please".
Urgh, Sky...
I couldn't watch live, so last night I open Sky -> Sports -> F1, and I'm immediately greeted with a video entitled "Verstappen Wins in Baku". Wow, thanks Sky.
Ok, start watching anyway, get to lap 30, pause to put the kids to bed, come back to the TV off.
Turn on, go to the race and there's a "Resume" button. Cool. Hit it. Race starts from the beginning. :|
Painfully fast forward at 30x (which isn't really) to get back to lap 30.
Finish the race, commentator says "We're going to football now. Switch streams if you want to keep watching"
I switch to "Checkered Flag" stream, which starts AFTER the champagne. No cool-down room chat, no seeing Sainz enjoying the podium.
And for this I pay £30/month. Cool.
I couldn't watch live, so last night I open Sky -> Sports -> F1, and I'm immediately greeted with a video entitled "Verstappen Wins in Baku". Wow, thanks Sky.
Ok, start watching anyway, get to lap 30, pause to put the kids to bed, come back to the TV off.
Turn on, go to the race and there's a "Resume" button. Cool. Hit it. Race starts from the beginning. :|
Painfully fast forward at 30x (which isn't really) to get back to lap 30.
Finish the race, commentator says "We're going to football now. Switch streams if you want to keep watching"
I switch to "Checkered Flag" stream, which starts AFTER the champagne. No cool-down room chat, no seeing Sainz enjoying the podium.
And for this I pay £30/month. Cool.
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I interpreted that Baku consists of lots of straights and fewer corners, so drivers get a chance to rest momentarily.
2 races in a row I fell asleep.
I'm watching out of habit and I know it.
Im interested and look forward to the race. But when it comes to it I'm just not invested anymore. Still think a lot comes down to my loss of interest in alpine. Not because they are at the back. Because of what a horror show they are and the corporate, cold monstrosity they have become.
Glad they are at the back if I'm honest.
Piastri had a shocker.. And norris failed to capitalise Russell great again as well as. Max.
Sainz did the best he could.
Nothing else to note really.
I'm watching out of habit and I know it.
Im interested and look forward to the race. But when it comes to it I'm just not invested anymore. Still think a lot comes down to my loss of interest in alpine. Not because they are at the back. Because of what a horror show they are and the corporate, cold monstrosity they have become.
Glad they are at the back if I'm honest.
Piastri had a shocker.. And norris failed to capitalise Russell great again as well as. Max.
Sainz did the best he could.
Nothing else to note really.
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It has been a pretty dull season to be honest. Not so much because of one team being dominant, but the racing is poor. We've got to the point in these regs where the cars cant follow and are just so close in performance that there's little chance of non-DRS overtakes. This leads to the other problem of constant DRS trains and even new tyres don't offer enough of an advantage (usually 1 stop too) so drivers cant usually do the alternative strategy. The cars are also heavy boats, hard to setup with small windows and a lot of the tracks don't help. There's also the stewards being too keen on red flags, especially if it rains.
Unless in 2026 the cars can follow, not get stuck in trains, the wet tyres perform better and spray reduce it'll be more of the same. Piastri/Norris is no Vettel/Webber or Rosberg/Hamilton either. I can remember very few situations this year when they actually raced!
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What's up with Alpine at the moment? Is it the car or the drivers? Considering they are a full fat manufacture team.
Renault went downhill post 2006 and never really came back.
Utterly dysfunctional team management.
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