1' min
After the Ferrari celebration at Monza, Formula One returns this weekend for the 17th round of the Championship. The race takes place in Azerbaijan on the Baku circuit, where Sergio Perez claimed victory last year with Red Bull. The Austrian team hopes to return to winning ways after struggling in recent months. Verstappen hasn’t won since the Spanish Grand Prix (six races, his longest drought since 2020), and his championship lead over Norris has shrunk to 62 points.
McLaren's Lando Norris was hoping for a different outcome at Monza; a win would have allowed the British driver to close the gap further in the standings against his Dutch rival. Instead, both he and his teammate Piastri were outsmarted by Ferrari's one-stop strategy, which saw Leclerc take the top step of the podium.
Ferrari Team Principal and General Manager Frederic Vasseur is optimistic: "We're heading to Baku aiming for another strong result." Leclerc is equally confident, having a special connection with the Azerbaijani circuit, where he has claimed pole position three times in the last five editions, although he has never managed to convert these into race victories. On paper, Norris and Verstappen may seem to have an edge, but Ferrari is more alive than ever. Watch out, too, for the positive momentum of the two Mercedes, especially Hamilton.
