Hamilton Azer lot to prove after a stuttering start
AS defending champion Lewis Hamilton bids to get his title charge back on track after three winless races, we take a look at five talking points ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Will Hamilton and Mercedes bounce back?
The pre-season script was one of Hamilton domination, but the champion will arrive in Baku bidding for his first victory of the new campaign. Hamilton spent last Thursday at Mercedes’ Northamptonshire base in Brackley searching for answers as to why both he and his world championshipwinning team have been off the pace before jetting off to California for the Coachella music festival. Hamilton stormed to pole position in Baku last year, and, despite his barmy collision with Vettel, should have gone on to take the victory only for a loose headrest to derail his chances.
Ricciardo’s the talk of the town
Daniel Ricciardo’s impressive victory in Shanghai leaves him in a dazzling position to determine his position for next year. The Australian is out of contract with Red Bull at the end of the season, but holds all the cards for 2019. Red Bull want him to stay while both Mercedes and Ferrari are interested in recruiting his services. If Red Bull can prove to Ricciardo that his win in China was not a one-off, then you fancy he will extend his deal. Ferrari will be of huge appeal, but Ricciardo will not want to play second fiddle to Vettel. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton philosophy of equal status for both their drivers, coupled with Ricciardo’s desire to team up with Hamilton, may make a move to the Silver Arrows a more suitable fit.
Pressure is on hot-headed Max
The 20-year-old Dutchman will need to deliver an error-free performance. Verstappen has already collided with both Hamilton and Vettel this year, with Niki Lauda calling on Verstappen to address his gung-ho style. Verstappen’s edge-of-the-seat driving has been a huge success story but his mistakes have cost both him and Red Bull dearly.
Times are changing
The third edition of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been brought forward from June to April, but, despite the change in schedule, race organisers will desperately be hoping for a repeat of last year’s fireworks. In 2017 Vettel deliberately rammed into Hamilton, there was a series of crashes, and Ricciardo claimed the most unlikely of wins.
McLaren expecting no improvement
McLaren may be fourth in the constructors’ championship but Britain’s most successful F1 team are unlikely to have been enthused by what they have seen so far this season. Their recent qualifying displays suggest they possess only the seventh best package on the grid, and, while the brilliance of Alonso continues to extract the very best from his under-performing car the double world champion insists he is not expecting improvement in Baku.