Baku was the first F1 sprint event to be held on a street circuit, and with the decision to make the sprint a stand-alone event, the chances of accidents increased.
This is mainly done to encourage drivers to take more risks and achieve better performances on Saturday, as grid positions for Sunday’s main event will not be affected.
As an added challenge, the Miami Grand Prix next weekend means the team has to complete three street races in nine days and, if needed, ship new parts to Florida within a limited time frame.
“I’m nervous about the Baku sprint because if you have major damage, you don’t have enough time to fix it,” Aston Martin team principal Mike Clark said when asked by Autosport.com about the risks.
“Because you put the hood on right after the sprint, if your car is badly damaged, you only have three or four hours in the morning to fix your car.
“So there are high risks in this exercise, but overtaking in Baku is not difficult. If you take a lot of risk in the corners, it’s obviously high risk, but I think it will be a good show.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admitted damage was a problem.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR21, leaves his car after hitting a wall
“Yes, we are nervous,” the Italian said. “At the same time, we were in favor of adding spectacle through sprint racing. Somehow, we had to adapt. There was also a dialogue with the FIA and F1.
“So it’s a collaborative process. Ultimately, we have to find the sweet spot where the team manages the parts and manages the cost in the cost cap.”
Against the backdrop of a cost cap, teams have to make an informed judgment between having enough spare parts to get through a weekend’s street circuit and not building too many spec examples that could soon be replaced as they continue to develop the car.
Also read:
“The budget cap is always on the back of your mind,” says AlphaTauri technical director Jody Egginton. “The last thing you want is something sitting on the shelf that you’re not running because you’ve weeded them out and moved on without getting any benefit out of it. So yes, there’s risk.
“Like the day you come back to Monaco, you always want to make sure you have enough because you’re never sure what’s going to happen. It’s risk and reward.
“We’re going to take the approach we normally take and see where we are. But you can’t afford, especially when you have a very strong development program, to manufacture too many parts.
“With our floor plan, we have to manage it very carefully because the floor development plan is strong, so you don’t want stock sitting around that you don’t need.
“But at the same time, if you miss out on one of the updates, you want to make sure you can roll back and have enough stock.”
Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix by force. Despite being well ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman struggled to keep his car between the lines. As a result, the Red Bull driver received three track limit warnings.
Hamilton’s current deal with Mercedes expires at the end of the season, fueling traditional speculation that the 38-year-old is rejoining the team that helped him win six of his seven world titles , will still withdraw from the series.
It even sparked wild speculation about a possible move to Ferrari, which was quickly refuted by all parties.
Both Hamilton and Wolff have often said they could hammer out a new deal without too much difficulty, and after Sunday’s Spanish GP, Hamilton gave his firmest hint yet that a renewal was imminent.
Asked in his post-race press conference if a new deal was in the works, Hamilton laughed and said: “Well, I haven’t signed anything yet, but I think we’ll meet Toto tomorrow. So hopefully, We can accomplish some things.”
Hamilton’s words were echoed by Wolff when he was asked by Sky Sports F1 when Hamilton’s new deal would be reached.
“I think we just need to find time to sit down and have a cup of coffee. It will take half an hour,” he said.
Hamilton believes his Mercedes contract situation has had no impact on his performances, but admits it will be easier for him and the team to focus on challenging Red Bull in 2024 once the deal is over.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG, second, interview with Nico Rosberg after race
While Max Verstappen took the lead from start to finish at the Spanish Grand Prix almost as a matter of course, Sunday was more taxing for Sergio Perez. Christian Horner praised the Mexican for his fourth-place finish and hopes he can take the pressure off a bit now.