This year everything is still to be discovered, each circuit is a gamble. The cars as well as the drivers are challenged race after race, which makes the challenge and predictions al Fantasy F1 even more unpredictable! Baku it always gave editions full of twists and presented an opportunity also for those who find themselves with less competitive single-seaters. Let's see what can happen on the streets of the Azerbaijani street circuit with Fanta F1 forecast tips!
Fanta F1 predictions for Baku: long live the unpredictability!
Safety Car in the race: YES
Four of the five races so far in Baku have involved one Safety car o a Virtual Safety Car; most with multiple breaks. From the fast sections to the slow and tight ones that surround the beautiful castle of Baku, the possibility of losing control and putting her against the wall is high. The drivers have to act surgically, and even overtaking where it might seem easy, like on the wide straight, if not calculated can turn into an omelette – Ricciardo and Verstappen 2018 docet. Safety could reshuffle the cards and for this very reason the teams must be ready with every possible strategy.
Virtual Safety Car: YES
It's actually not frequent in Baku but this year out of 7 races we saw the virtual come out 4 times. We don't feel like excluding any of these alternatives especially in a year in which several teams have already experienced various problems, even if only reliability and in steering the car.
Red flag: YES
We lovers of drama and impossible feats may think that there will not be a red flag in Azerbaijan? Finally the first red flag of the season was displayed in Monaco, quite a coup for Mick Schumacher, fortunately unharmed but above all for the Fantamanagers who had followed our advice and found themselves a nice +7 at Fanta F1. In Baku in both 2017 and 2021, the race was interrupted by a red flag, which reshuffled the cards on a strategic level. Also in this case we prefer to take risks. Will we be wrong? Amen, for us it's the amount of points that makes the difference.
Drivers distinguish between wet/full wet tires in the race: NO
In Monaco, another coup was thanks to the forecast on the use of wet tires (intermediate or extreme wet) in the race. However, in Baku the forecast for Sunday gives sunshine and temperatures from 21° to 28° with a probability of precipitation of 0%. In this period it really rarely rains there and this is confirmed by the other editions that took place in Baku, always in the dry.
Team double in the race: NO
Unless there is a car above the potential of all the others it is difficult to hypothesize a brace in Baku. The only one arrived in 2019, and bears the signature of the duo Mercedes Bottas-Hamilton. Already only for the duels to which they have accustomed us Verstappen and Leclerc it is difficult to think that they will be far away. Ferrari and Red Bull they are getting closer even if Red Bull is now in charge. However Perez, although he has shone in the last two races is still one step behind the two main challengers who manage to compensate for a slight inferiority of the car. The only thing we believe can give Red Bull or Ferrari a one-two is the out of one between Verstappen and Leclerc.
Driver starting from pole wins the race: NO
In Munich we were deeply burned by the mess of the Ferrari which removed the command a Leclercwith strategies. In Baku it will be even more difficult to hold this position, even more so in the event that there should be episodes that call into question a red flag or a Safety.
Number of teams to bring both riders into the top 10: 3
Baku is a real unknown, so we could see fewer teams bringing both riders into the top 10 and more DNFs.
Number of cars forced to retire: 4
Between accidents and breakdowns in Baku, the average of withdrawals is quite high. In the last 5 editions the average is around 4/5 DNFs. We would bet on 4 withdrawals, which happened 3 times out of 5.
