THE cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix hasn’t only left a gap on the 2023 calendar, but also given rise to all sorts of machinations.
First, the debate of which race would replace the defunct Chinese round pursued several potential avenues. Options included a return to Malaysia, a potential stop in Mugello, and a supposedly highly likely race at Portimao. As it was, F1 decided to leave the gap in the calendar.
It means that the F1 season will re-commence at the end of the month, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – but this too wasn’t as simple as it could be. It appears teams agreed to reshape the Grand Prix weekend into a new sprint format, as a one-off trial run. It will mean one practice session and qualifying on Friday, a sprint qualifying and race on Saturday, leaving the traditional race as the main event on Sunday.
Some are not in favour of the sprint format for the Azerbaijan event. To say that the races, since inception, have been chaotic is an understatement. The Grands Prix have been littered with crashes, red flags, controversies, dramatic tyre failures (see Bottas, Stroll, and Verstappen for reference), and unpredictable podium finishers. Given the mayhem that has characterised every visit to this track, the jeopardy that accompanies any sprint race is likely to be amplified.
The main straight in Baku is 2.2km and with DRS provides peak opportunity for overtaking which, coupled with the 90 degree turns requiring hard braking, provides even more chances. Although this combination is likely to provide an epic level of entertainment for fans, some drivers and teams may not share the same level of enthusiasm.
Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, noted that a sprint race around this track is “ludicrous” and nothing but a prime opportunity to incur car damage, and simultaneously rack up quite a hefty repair bill.
Nevertheless, as it stands, the show will go on and so too the sprint. It’s difficult to look too far beyond Red Bull. The question is whether Checo Perez can continue to take the fight to teammate Max Verstappen. The Mexican driver has a particular affinity for street tracks, and has been in good form at the start of 2023. Given the chaotic nature of any Azerbaijan GP, none of the top teams can be ruled out of the equation. Around here it’s often a race of attrition and staying clear of the carnage yields results.
The famed saying suggests that “to finish first, first you must finish”. Having the fastest car may be a major advantage, but is by no means a guarantee of success with a frenzied dash around the Baku city streets.
