It seems like a whole year has passed, or, whichever is longer, a Ferrari pit stop, but Formula 1 is finally back in action after this cramped three-week hiatus. The impossibility of finding a replacement for the Chinese Grand Prix left the month of April practically deserted, and with temperatures more typical of the same (at least in many parts of Spain), in the land of fire the fourth race of the season. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix puts an end to a long wait. After three near-consecutive races, Formula 1 fans await this weekend’s race like rain in May. It would be necessary to speak in the plural as it is strict as the FIA and Liberty Media have twisted the sprint format a bit more to give it a more spectacular and appealing touch to the general public. In addition to seeing the competition as an end in itself, Formula 1 is becoming ‘netflix’, which has had equal benefits (the world audience multiplies by more than 140%, according to studies by the competition itself) and harm (you just have to listening to Max Verstappen with a request to return to classic races). In this sense, the new sprint format has all the signs of success with less demanding fans. The three days of competition will be important and influence the rest, as Friday will be the day for the classification that will form the grid for Sunday, while Saturday remains the day for the sprint. There will be a session called ‘sprint shootout’ where the drivers go out one by one to find a time that will set the starting grid for a short half hour race that will take place hours later. These appointments have their own separate classification, so if Alonso wins on Saturday, it won’t be counted as the much-anticipated 33rd win. And this is a weekend marked red for Aston Martin’s. After a few weeks of active rest, more for the drivers than for the engineers and technicians, all teams will wear the first versions of their novelties for the rest of the season, which may mean a slight change in the ‘status quo’ that he saw in the first three races. Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are the only ones who have not come off the podium this season, but everything can change. It’s pure statistics: if it’s not here, it’s going to be in another circuit, but eventually one of the two will have to fall. Therefore, these rest weeks cannot mean an absolute restart of their performance if they want to stay at the top of the rankings. “After three races we know our car better, but we have to pick up where we left off in Australia and maintain the development momentum in the next races,” warned Alonso, who is also the protagonist of surreal rumors about his private life these days. to which he responded with humor. All that remains is for Taylor Swift to appear in Azerbaijan (it’s not planned, but…) to break out schizophrenia. Baku has a layout that drivers and spectators really like, with long straights that allow very high speeds, but also twisty and twisty areas, such as the passage through the 13th-century wall that has left so many spectacular shots in the short history of the circuit. “The circuit presents us as drivers with a unique challenge, as we face many narrow, low-speed sections and then extremely high-speed straights that create many opportunities for risk and reward,” noted the Asturian driver. Ferrari, under pressure Those who need to make a leap in quality are those of Ferrari. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have seen these three weeks as an opportunity to get out of the fire that burned them, to the point that the Monegasque has even released a musical single on the piano. In Maranello they are not satisfied with the outcome of the season and the pressure is on. It is no coincidence that Laurent Mekies, who came to the Scuderia from the FIA itself to be the one to lead them to success, has accepted the role of team leader, replacing the historic Franz Tost at the helm of AlphaTauri. Staying with Ferrari is not so attractive anymore. That said, the margin for improvement pilots is large. If you start with low expectations, the little you improve will have already done a lot. Especially given the precedents: neither of them finished the race here in 2022.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
