{"id":8993,"date":"2019-04-27T21:04:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-27T15:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/?p=8993"},"modified":"2019-04-27T21:04:56","modified_gmt":"2019-04-27T15:34:56","slug":"azerbaijan-gp-ferrari-unfinished-business-baku-grand-prix-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/azerbaijan-gp-ferrari-unfinished-business-baku-grand-prix-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Azerbaijan GP: Ferrari and their Unfinished Business At Baku"},"content":{"rendered":"

Come the race weekend and Ferrari would be feeling some nerves at Baku. You don’t need to be a Ted Kravitz to wonder why. Although, being Charles Leclerc may not be the best feeling for at this point in time. Slated to finish (well, that’s what they all felt) at the front grid for Sunday’s 2019 Azerbaijan GP, Leclerc became the second driver who brought the qualifying session, following Robert Kubica (on Saturday) to a standstill.
\nIf one were to summarize a particular circuit with reference to a peculiar challenge, then perhaps ‘mastering Turn 8’ of this 6-km track would make for an ideal subject at Baku.
\n

\"Azerbaijan
image source: Motorsport.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nTruth is, the 2019 Azerbaijan GP could well be another contest where the Scuderia fail to win. After all, they’ve never won here at a track that’s about as skiddy and challenging as it is enthralling in its outcomes.
\nFrom a traditional standpoint, the Azerbaijan GP happens to be a contest that’s largely unfolded surprise winners.
\nWondering why or how?
\nRosberg winning the maiden edition in 2016<\/a> notwithstanding, you couldn’t possibly be the world’s greatest truth-teller if you ever imagined that Daniel Ricciardo would win here in 2017<\/a>. Furthermore, not even Lewis Hamilton, a man who’s made winning a habit would’ve fancied his chances at finishing at the top step of the podium here at Baku in 2018.<\/p>\n

Not the best track for Ferrari, is it?<\/h2>\n

In the 2018 Azerbaijan GP, as Bottas ran over the debris only to sustain a rear tyre puncture with Vettel locking up majorly toward the restart, Hamilton would inherit the lead as Raikkonen and Perez followed.
\nThe three would hold on to their respective positions and once again, Baku unfurled a result that turned the race on its head. Accidents, high speed-corners, tricky bends, and spine-bending fun, there’s pretty much everything here at Baku and none of it has been fully mastered by the cars in red.
\nEven Sebastian Vettel, a driver who, alongside the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas<\/a>, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lewis Hamilton<\/a> has driven in every race ever held at Baku, since 2016, hasn’t quite managed a win.<\/p>\n

If that’s not surprising then what is, one wonders?<\/h2>\n

Even in the dying stages of Q2 on April 27, Sebastian Vettel, struggling with straight-line speed, something that was considered his main ally in China (nevermind the P3) could only manage a seventh, behind Alfa Romeo’s Raikkonen. Although, he would somehow manage a fifth- but is that brilliant for a Ferrari driver?
\nThis is both interesting and tricky considering the man who’s not won ever at Baku is the one who’s set the fastest lap record, as seen in 2017.
\nOn Lap 47 back in the day, with only 4 more contests to go, Vettel delivered a 1:43:441.
\nWhile his chances seem a bit uncertain given the rather extraordinary run of events one got to see all Saturday, Max Verstappen being the quickest throughout Q2, Vettel, one wonders, is going to have to take all the chances.
\nThis is not only because Leclerc, slated to end at the front of the grid- thanks to all the pace and for topping Q1- for Sunday’s vital contest crashed in at Turn 8. But it’s also due to the fact that Ferrari haven’t got anything to lose.
\nVettel, since 2016, has clinched two pole positions here and the team have gathered 2 podium finishes in the 3 contests held here so far.<\/p>\n

Wisdom from Kimi; inspiration for Ferrari<\/h2>\n

\"Azerbaijan
Kimi clinched a second here at Baku, 2018 (Scuderia Ferrari)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nBut as Kimi Raikkonen<\/a> once famously said, “Races are not won on paper,” Ferrari would take some inspiration from the laconic Finn, who grabbed a fighting second the last year, in his final appearance for the Scuderia (before moving onto Alfa Romeo for 2019).
\nWho knows, all could change within seconds of the five lights going green at Baku.<\/p>\n

It’s not over for Ferrari- is it?<\/h2>\n

\"Azerbaijan
Ricciardo won an unpredictable race at Baku, in 2017 (Red Bull)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nTo that end, the Italian stable would definitely want to evidence a reverse in fortunes at a contest that awaits the flag-hosting of the prancing horse with any among Leclerc or Vettel standing on the top step of the podium.
\nAnd while Leclerc, not even in the top three stands comfortably at some distance, one never knows what Baku may throw up? Did anyone see what the sensational double-stacking of Red Bull in 2017 (under the safety car) would lead to?
\nBecause out here at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, it’s Ferrari who have been stranded at a crossroad of mixed fortunes while the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull have all stepped up the gas before.
\nLights out, and away we go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Come the race weekend and Ferrari would be feeling some nerves at Baku. You don’t need to be a Ted Kravitz to wonder why. Although, being Charles Leclerc may not be the best feeling for at this point in time. Slated to finish (well, that’s what they all felt) at the front grid for Sunday’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[635,17],"tags":[2268,2269,2270,2271,2272],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8993"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}