Mercedes in decline? Red Bull and Ferrari dominated the first practice sessions in Baku

In Azerbaijan, at the Baku circuit, the race weekend got underway. The first two practice sessions are behind us, which brought an accident for Charles Leclerc and also a very bad position for both Mercedes.

On Sunday, 6 June 2021, after Monaco, we will have another city race, this time in Azerbaijan at the Baku circuit. The first two practice sessions on Friday are behind us and have already given us a hint of what the rest of the race weekend could look like.

Let’s start with a matter that is not surprising, the state of the Haas forces. The no longer technologically advanced Haas has it even tougher on the technically challenging track than on the classic open circuits. We can again expect to see Mick Schumacher’s and Nikita Mazepin’s monopoly at the very tail of the grid.

However, it’s a slight surprise that even the Williams stable couldn’t manage a more respectable result. Not even the talented George Russell was able to come anywhere near the top ten.

In contrast, Ferrari’s drivers continue their excellent form, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing just behind FP1 (Friday Practice 1) winner Max Verstappen after the first practice session. Leclerc crashed slightly in the second practice, but managed to get back to the pits on his own and was able to resume practice.

In the second practice session, the Maranello-based team also placed high, namely behind the two Red Bull drivers. The more technically demanding track that Baku undoubtedly is, is clearly working in favour of Red Bull and Ferrari. While it is too early to make any premature predictions and rankings, the Italian team has been showing its strength for several races now.

What does this mean for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes at the moment? As mentioned above, there is no point in being too hasty. However, the fact remains that even in the last race in Monte Carlo, Hamilton was unable to beat the qualifying times of Verstappen and Leclerc.

The British driver was seventh and eleventh in practice, even Valtteri Bottas, teammate of the seven-time world champion, was tenth and sixteenth in FP1 and FP2! Unless this is some sort of Mercedes tactic again, we can look forward to not only an interesting qualifying session, but the entire race.

Finally, Daniel Ricciardo, in the McLaren car, was up top, finishing fifth after FP1. The second practice session wasn’t as successful, with the 31-year-old Aussie finishing 13th. However, the McLarens only set their pace in qualifying and the race in particular.

Fernando Alonso in the Alpine F1 managed to finish in the top ten in both practice sessions. Frenchman Pierre Gasly in his Alpha Tauri also finished sixth and fifth in practice.

Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts at 14:00 on Saturday and based on the results so far, we are in for a very interesting rest of the race weekend.

Source: F1 Live