Williams down but not out
Williams endured a weekend for the team that must count as the most trying in their history. It began with George Russell arriving in Baku with a respiratory infection. Then his car was smashed by a loose manhole, destroying the chassis at huge expense. In qualifying Russell’s teammate, Robert Kubica, crashed out, setting the mechanics another major rebuilding job overnight. They successfully achieved that but, having opted to start Kubica from the pitlane, the team sent him too early to the exit and were given a drive-through penalty. When they finally got racing, their lack of pace was once again exposed; both cars were lapped twice. Kubica said he lacked confidence in his brakes and they finished at the back of the field. “It’s just a relief for the weekend to be over,” said Russell. The deputy team principal, Claire Williams, spoke of light at the end of the tunnel. After surviving Baku, surely the only way is up.
Rubber ramifications
Mercedes took their record-making fourth successive one-two finish as Ferrari once again failed to match their rivals but intriguingly there was consensus from both teams that the differential between them was down to making the tyres work. Sebastian Vettel was explicit in Baku. “A dominating factor is how we seem to be able to get on top or into these tyres,” he said. “There’s a lot of performance in that. I think the struggle we had here and there in low-speed corners is less of an aero problem, it’s more of a mechanical grip issue.” Which would certainly explain the variance in form from testing through the opening races. Moreover, the Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, also stressed the part understanding the tyres was playing. “They have a wide operating window but there is a learning slope,” he said. “It is about adaptability – the team that learns quickest to understand the new circumstances.” Which is good news for Ferrari and the championship if they can come up to speed with the Pirellis quickly in future.
Leclerc’s learning curve
Going into the race Charles Leclerc would have been confident he could put down another marker in his intra-team battle with Vettel. He had done so in practice where he looked formidably quick but his error and crash in qualifying ruined his weekend. It was a salutary reminder why Ferrari have chosen to favour Vettel but Leclerc will emerge from it only stronger. He was honest in admitting it was his fault and taking it on the chin. He pointed no fingers, even over Ferrari’s decision to send him out on the harder tyres, which may have contributed to the incident. Instead he knuckled down and put in a strong recovery drive for fifth that hinted at what he would have been able to do had he claimed pole. Every indication is that, like the best, he takes on board the experience and learns from it. Last year he spun in qualifying in Bahrain and two races later scored his best finish of the season. If he comes back as strongly from this, he will be once again be putting the pressure on Vettel and Ferrari.
McLaren make hay
McLaren had to wait 364 days – 20 full races – since their last double points finish which was in Azerbaijan last year. With Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris in seventh and eighth the team can be optimistic that they will not have to wait quite as long again. Baku is a rear-limited circuit which clearly suits their car but nonetheless every indication is that their package and driver lineup are moving in the right direction. Norris in particular was very strong in qualifying and is putting together a string of performances that belie his 19 years and that it is his rookie season. Sainz believed the McLaren had genuine pace all weekend and was backed by Racing Point’s Sergio Pérez, who was sixth and said the McLaren’s were quicker than his car. If Renault, who supply their engines, can now deliver the reliability and power the manufacturer believes its power unit has, McLaren can expect only better.
Renault need to ramp up
This season was expected to be a major step forward for Renault. Their investment has been hefty, having built a new facility at Enstone, in Oxfordshire and at Renault’s Viry-Châtillon factory, near Paris. The results of this should have been on show this year. The team’s special advisor, Alain Prost, has said they would be taking it step by step but that implies they will be moving forward. So far this season that has not been the case. Their managing director, Cyril Abiteboul, has already blamed engine problems, principally with the MGU-K that has blighted their season. He has said it is partially due to fast-tracking processes in development. He is hopeful that this will be short-term pain for long-term gain. Baku was painful again. Nico Hülkenberg said he did not feel comfortable in the car and Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he has been trying to overdrive it, which looked to be the case when he went in too hot on Daniil Kvyat and both went off. As a works team fourth is their minimum target but they are currently seventh, behind McLaren, Racing Point and Alfa Romeo. That is not where the board, which has spent all the money, expects them to be.
