REVIEW BY BEN STEVENS
FRIDAY
Having clamoured for cars that were harder to drive heading into the
2017 season, it’s safe to say that in Baku, the drivers certainly got their
wish.
Over Friday’s two practice sessions, we saw two red flags, and one
hundred and thirteen yellows – and they say NASCAR has too many
cautions.
With a heady cocktail of higher speeds, wider cars and a particularly
low-grip surface, the field resembled less a collection of the most capable
drivers on the planet, and more a pack of foals struggling to find their feet.
Everyone from Jolyon Palmer to Sebastian Vettel was having their
moments, particularly down into turn 8. Assuming their struggles
continue, we could be in for a particularly mixed-up grid come race day.
Red Bull on top… but for how long?
A rare day in the sun for Red Bull – the question now is: can they do it
when it matters?
Finishing P1 with Max Verstappen’s 1:43.362 and P3 with Daniel
Ricciardo 0.111s behind, Red Bull finally seemed to deliver the pace that
could put them in race-winning contention. Of course, Friday is not where
races are won, and there are plenty of variables that make comparing times
an inexact science, but perhaps there’s reason for cautious optimism.
Not only did the Bulls top the timesheets on single lap pace, but they
were also sandwiched between Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas’
Mercedes on the super-soft race-sims (neither Lewis Hamilton or Kimi
Raikkonen got in comparable runs), per FIA timing data, and that more
than anything else bodes well for the race.
On the other side – and as Verstappen conceded afterwards – Mercedes
is yet to turn up their engines, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them
leapfrog both Red Bull and Ferrari on Saturday, but this is unquestionably
closer than they were in Canada. Maybe just this once the motorsport gods
could grant us a six-way fight for the victory? Pretty please?