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McLaren retains the upper hand as Formula 1 leaves Europe, with just eight points between it at Red Bull Racing in the constructors’ championship.
The Baku Street Circuit, on paper, shouldn’t play to the strengths of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez this weekend.
Bumpy public roads and a need to use the kerbs have not tended to bring out the best in the Red Bull RB20.
With McLaren strong everywhere, and impressive form from Mercedes and Ferrari at recent races, it could well be an especially tough weekend for the title leaders.
At McLaren, the question is how to best capitalise on that; is it time to throw its full support behind Lando Norris or will it continue to allow its drivers to race?
Oscar Piastri has been the in-form driver of late making the use of team orders seem especially harsh.
But with eight races remaining and a 62-point margin in the drivers’ championship, a call needs to be made if Norris is to have time to run down Verstappen.
Further back, RB will continue assessing its new floor.
Yuki Tsunoda debuted the design in Italy last time out but was far from complementary.
Daniel Ricciardo gets his first taste of the development this weekend, though it remains to be seen whether it will make its way onto the car for the race itself.
Should it not, it would mark the second floor design that has failed to net the expected improvements pointing to a serious correlation issue in the team’s workflow.
Elsewhere, Oliver Bearman returns to the F1 grid for the first time since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, this time with Haas.
The Brit will step into the car he’ll race next season as Kevin Magnussen has been forced onto the sidelines after the Italian Grand Prix.
Magnussen clashed with Pierre Gasly in Monza, picking up two penalty points on his Super Licence, taking his tally to 12 and a mandating a one-race ban.
Haas is locked in battle with RB for sixth in the constructors’ championship, with only six points between the two squads after something of a purple patch of points finishes for the American-registered operation of late.
Practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix begins on Friday, at slightly more sociable hours for Australian fans.
When is the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
| FRIDAY 13th SEPTEMBER | Local time | AEST | |
| FIA Formula 2 | Practice Session | 11:00 – 11:45 | 17:00 – 17:45 |
| FORMULA 1 | FIRST PRACTICE SESSION | 13:30 – 14:30 | 19:30 – 20:30 |
| FIA Formula 2 | Qualifying Session | 15:00 – 15:30 | 21:00 – 21:30 |
| FORMULA 1 | SECOND PRACTICE SESSION | 17:00 – 18:00 | 23:00 – 00:00 |
| SATURDAY 14th SEPTEMBER | |||
| FORMULA 1 | THIRD PRACTICE SESSION | 12:30 – 13:30 | 18:30 – 19:30 |
| FIA Formula 2 | Sprint Race (21 Laps or 45 Mins +1 Lap) | 14:15 – 15:05 | 20:15 – 21:05 |
| FORMULA 1 | QUALIFYING SESSION | 16:00 – 17:00 | 22:00 – 23:00 |
| SUNDAY 15th SEPTEMBER | |||
| FIA Formula 2 | Feature Race (29 Laps or 60 Mins +1 Lap) | 11:35 – 12:40 | 17:35 – 18:40 |
| FORMULA 1 | GRAND PRIX (51 LAPS OR 120 MINS) | 15:00 – 17:00 | 21:00 – 23:00 |
How can I watch the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Channel: Fox Sports 506
Fox Sports is the only broadcaster carrying coverage of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
There is no free-to-air coverage or highlights of the event in Australia.
Friday, September 13
Practice 1, 19:00 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Practice 2, 22:45 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Saturday, September 14
Practice 3, 18:15 AEST
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Qualifying, 21:55 AEDT
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Sunday, September 15
Race, 20:55 AEDT
Fox Sports (Channel 506), Kayo Sports
Are there live updates I can follow from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Speedcafe will carry live updates of all F1 sessions across the weekend with commentary, facts, and insight into the event as it unfolds.
What tyre compounds are in use at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
What is the weather for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
Previous Winners
| Year | Race Winner | Winning Team | Pole Position |
| 2017 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| 2018 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) |
| 2019 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) |
| 2021 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
| 2023 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
Entry List
| Num | Driver | Team | ||
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | ||
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | ||
| 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | ||
| 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | ||
| 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | ||
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | ||
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | ||
| 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | ||
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | ||
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | ||
| 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | ||
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | ||
| 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | ||
| 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams | ||
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | ||
| 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | ||
| 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | ||
| 50 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | ||
| 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | ||
Drivers’ Championship
| Pos | Driver | Pts | |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 303 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | 241 | |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 217 | |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 197 | |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | 184 | |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | 164 | |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | 143 | |
| 8 | George Russell | 128 | |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | 50 | |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | 24 | |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | 22 | |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | 22 | |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | 12 | |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | 8 | |
| 15 | Alex Albon | 6 | |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | 6 | |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | 6 | |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | 5 | |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | 0 | |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant | 0 | |
| 21 | Franco Colapinto | 0 | |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | 0 | |
Constructors’ Championship
| Pos | Constructor | Pts | |
| 1 | Red Bull Racing | 446 | |
| 2 | McLaren | 438 | |
| 3 | Ferrari | 407 | |
| 4 | Mercedes | 292 | |
| 5 | Aston Martin | 74 | |
| 6 | RB | 34 | |
| 7 | Haas | 28 | |
| 8 | Alpine | 13 | |
| 9 | Williams | 6 | |
| 10 | Sauber | 0 | |
