- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Show Preview
In the land of fire and the city of wind, Formula One descends and is ready to bring with it the traditional chaos seen on the streets of Baku and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Join The Roar for a live blog from 10pm AEST.
Round 4 of the 2019 world championship brings with it many questions, as the most pressing is whether anyone can stop the Silver juggernaut, who’ve equalled Williams’ dominant 1992 record of three consecutive one-two finishes.
Ferrari enter the weekend tipped as the favourites, having brought with them a significant upgrade to their car, as well as already having a power advantage on the long-straights of the 6km concrete jungle.
Since coming onto the calendar in 2016 as the European Grand Prix, Azerbaijan has been very unpredictable and above all; unforgiving – just ask Valtteri Bottas after last year’s race.
Survival across the 51-laps is key and staying out of trouble. From teammate tension between the Force Indias, to Sebastian Vettel’s brain-fade hit on Lewis Hamilton during one of many Safety Car periods – Baku is bound to be drama filled.
The weekend so far has already seen drain covers fly off, causing the cancelation of first practice, a Williams crashing into the wall and also Charles Leclerc involved in a qualifying crash too – as a result starting from tenth.
Pole position then was clinched by Valtteri Bottas, with Hamilton completing an unexpected front-row lockout for Mercedes AMG, ahead of Vettel in the Ferrari.
Max Verstappen occupies fourth on the grid, while his Red Bull teammate Pierre Gasly will start from the pit-lane for a weighbridge infringement.
Both Alfa Romeo cars also qualified inside the top ten for the first time in 2019 also, however for Antonio Giovinazzi who was after than Kimi Räikkönen in eighth – will take a 10-place grid penalty for change of control electronics.
Ahead of them is the midfield specialist in Sergio Perez, who has the most podiums of anyone in Baku. He is joined in sixth and seventh by Daniil Kvyat and Lando Norris.
Though with the weekend having been so unpredictable thus far, it wouldn’t be a bad idea tipping a Renault from outside the top ten for a point’s scoring result. And the Silver Arrows’ front-row can’t be taken for granted.
Who will survive the madness of Baku? Tune in on The Roar for live blog updates of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 10pm AEST to see who comes out on top.
Hide Preview
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.