Baku Sprint, Quali : Charles on Pole

In a completely new format at Baku, Charles LeClerc took pole in Quali as well as Sprint shootout. However Ferrari doesn’t have the race pace. In the Sprint race it was clear that Red Bull has better race pace than the Ferraris.

Top Gun Charles at Baku

When it come to a single lap pace, Charles LeClerc is undoubtedly the fastest person on the grid. He can make the fresh tires work like magic and extract the maximum out of his car to secure Pole position. 2023 is his worst start to a season as a Ferrari driver. He is currently languishing at P10 whereas Championship leader Max Verstappen is miles ahead. Ferrari were expecting a tough weekend at Baku but were positively surprised to find their pace, at least in Quali sessions. Charles LeClerc, who recently launched a music album, would be chuffed with the outcome. This would give him a spring in his steps and make the 2023 a bit more exciting.

Meanwhile his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. was completely out of touch. He struggled in FP1 and then in Quali and then in Sprint Quali too. Carlos needs a lot of work to do and get his game up and match Charles.

Red Bull has the race pace

Max Verstappen looked frustrated but he knows deep down he has a car which has the race pace. Points come only in Sprint and the Race and this is where the Red Bull shines. For Quali session Max Verstappen was P2 and Sergio P3. In the Sprint shootout Sergio was P2 and Max P3. As the Sprint started Sergio overtook Charles quite easily and maintained the gap. Charles had no other option but to hold on to his P2 position. Max had an altercation with Mercedes driver George Russell which caused a damage to his sidepod and compromised his race performance. He was really angry with George and said some stuff which shouldn’t have been mentioned in open. This is very unlike of a Championship Leader. Still he finished P3 in the Sprint and will be starting from the front row of the grid, knowing very well that he the best car in terms of race pace.

Mercedes lacking the pace

Everyone had high hopes from Mercedes after a long gap between the race. Toto Wolff had hyped up the upgrades and we were expecting them to challenge the Red Bulls for wins. Reality turned out to be a bit different. They were barely able to match the Ferraris and no way they are matching the Red Bulls. Still both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are trying their best to at least put themselves ahead of the Aston Martins and may be even ahead of Carlos who is not looking in good form this weekend.

Aston Martin seems to have fallen behind the Mercedes mainly because their DRS was not working. McLaren upgrades are working and they can now fight to be in Q3. Pierre Gasly’s bad luck continues and he needs to work hard. Albon is in touch in his Williams and should be expecting to score some points if luck is in his favour.

Baku always gives us unexpected result and this year should be no different. Expect a spicy race ahead.

Baku Sprint Classification : Checo P1, Charles P2