Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas need to ‘stay out of trouble’ if they’re to stand any chance of winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Silver Arrows head to Baku this weekend in blistering form, having won the opening three races of the season and are again expected to be at the front of the grid.
Hamilton has clinched back-to-back victories and memorably won in Azerbaijan last year after team-mate Bottas suffered a late-race puncture when leading.
Baku has a reputation for being one of F1’s more chaotic tracks, with Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo infamously clashing on-track last year.
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And Wolff has predicted another memorable showdown, urging both his drivers to keep their heads down on Sunday.
“We’ve seen some very entertaining races in recent years and I'm sure that this year will be no different,” he said.
“The layout of the track presents unique challenges and it will be interesting to see which team will find the best compromise to deal with the mixture of long straights and slow corners.
“Baku is not purely about performance, though, and staying out of trouble is also important for a good result in Azerbaijan.”
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Bottas, meanwhile, has a score to settle as he heads into Sunday's race determined to make up for a lost win and regain the championship lead from Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Finn was leading around the streets of Baku last year when a puncture three laps from the end handed victory to Hamilton instead.
The Briton went on to win 10 more races on his way to a fifth title while Bottas ended the season demoralised and with zero wins.
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The 29-year-old has come back from the winter stronger and looking more of a match for his team mate, even if Hamilton has returned to the top of the standings after chalking up his second win of the season in China on April 14.
Wolff added: “Valtteri drove a strong race last year but a puncture denied him a well-deserved victory shortly before the end.
“He's had a good start to this season and I'm sure he will be hungry to go for the points he didn't get last year.
“Unlike last year, Lewis heads to Baku leading the Championship and will undoubtedly be looking to repeat his win from 2018.”
