The Baku Grand Prix could hold some surprises for Fantasy F1. After three free practice sessions, McLaren confirms its position as the team to beat on this circuit. Their rivals, as was the case in Monza, aren't far behind. Verstappen and Leclerc could carve out key positions, while Mercedes appears to be a bit further away at the moment. Let's analyze the possible choices, beyond the obvious one of going all-in on Team Papaya.
Let's start with the rookies: Bortoleto and Hadjar
Gabriel Bortoleto is putting in a series of brilliant performances. The muted start to the season is now behind us. The Brazilian driver has gained sufficient confidence with the category, his car improved over the course of the races and makes very few mistakes. His determination in front of a more experienced driver is surprising. At Fanta F1 for the Baku GP, the standard bearer of Sauber it could prove to be a great wildcard for fantasy managers. Furthermore, the Swiss team, It seems to have brought further improvements to the car to ensure the competitiveness to excel in the midfield.
Another rookie who is surprising everyone in Formula 1, after a disastrous start to the season, It's Isack Hadjar. Even in Monza, despite a disastrous qualifying that led him to be eliminated in Q1, the very young French driver he managed to come back and reach the points zone in what turned out to be a fairly static raceHis performances have also impressed Red Bull, who have included him among the drivers who could replace Yuki Tsunoda next year. Currently at Fanta F1, Isack Hadjar is still an opportunity: only 12 credits for a driver who consistently finishes in the top ten. Furthermore, like Bortoleto, Racing Bull's number 6 already knows the track, having already raced there in Formula 2.
Among the third-tier drivers, it's best to focus on Albon.
We come to the choice of the third slot, the one that can often be the most difficult to get right. Yet, choosing a good third-tier driver can give you a significant boost in points. For this, at Fanta F1 for the Baku GP it would be better to focus on Alexander Albon. Williams declared before the Belgian Grand Prix that they would not touch the 2025 car again. It was therefore expected that the British team's competitiveness would decline commensurately with their schedule. But no: the points finishes keep coming, some even after a rather complicated Saturday.
Albon also managed to place fifth yesterday morning during FP1, despite a session reduced in time due to a problem with the kerb at the exit of turn 15. Of course, the other teams worked hard in the following free practice sessions. But Williams confirms what happened in Monza and what happened in previous years. In fact, the English team always manages to show off on circuits that require low aerodynamic loadThis strength was also evident last year, again in Baku. Albon finished the race in seventh place, while Colapinto, in his second career GP, finished eighth behind him. As a result, We recommend focusing on the Thai and British driver again this year.
Up front chasing surprises: Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
If we had to play it safe, then we would choose Piastri and Norris as our first two strikers. But Baku is a track that always holds many surprises. It is also a very complicated circuit and, as often happens with citizens, the talents of the pilots can emerge moreFor this reason, we recommend deploying Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, as first and second tier slots respectively. The Monegasque has a particular feeling with the track here. Four poles in the last four years. Of course, the car is acting up this year, but also in 2021, season in which Ferrari was even less competitive than the current one, Leclerc still managed to make himself worthwere in qualifying.
At Fanta F1 for the Baku GP he could have his say Max Verstappen. There's nothing more to say about the driver's qualities, he's extraordinary. Unfortunately, he's paying the price for the technical gap that his Red Bull McLaren has been accusing him since the start of the season. However, the Austrian team's pit wall has shown they can prepare setups that put the world champion in a position to fight for the win. A situation that has already occurred in Monza and, again, in the sprint race in Belgium. Two victories achieved on circuits that are quite similar to the characteristics of the Azerbaijani one. Who knows, then, if Super Max Verstappen will shine again this weekend.
Fanta F1 predictions for the Baku GP
Safety Car: Yup
Virtual Safety Car: Yup
Red Flag: Yup
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: No.
Team double in the race: No.
Driver who starts on pole wins the race: Yup
Number of teams to have both drivers in the Top 10: 3
Number of cars forced to retire in the race: 4
