IT’S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we’re excited about ahead of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Two-thirds of the season down, and the European races are now behind us as Formula 1 kicks off the flyaway events with a double-header of races in Azerbaijan and Singapore. And with the title fights hotting up, here are a few talking points that could well become hot topics ahead of this weekend’s race in Baku.

McLaren and the topic of team orders

The twists and turns of this season have been quite remarkable, especially when you consider we’ve still got a third of the races to go. From Red Bull dominating the early part of the year to Ferrari putting together a strong run and then McLaren becoming the team to beat, we’ve even had Mercedes showing leading pace but then fading from contention again in recent rounds.

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Predicting how the competitive order will look at each round is becoming increasingly difficult, and there’s no guarantee that any one team will stay at the front, which is why team orders have been so regularly referenced when it comes to McLaren.

Lando Norris started from pole position in Monza with Max Verstappen down in seventh on the grid – and having closed the gap to 70 points in Zandvoort, it felt like a golden opportunity for Norris to take a big chunk out of the Dutchman’s lead. But being overtaken by team mate Oscar Piastri on the opening lap – while also losing out to Charles Leclerc in the process – and finishing third behind Piastri meant he couldn’t take full advantage.

Norris admirably said “I’m not here just to beg for someone to let me past” when asked about whether Piastri should be helping his title challenge now, while Piastri has suggested he’s open to playing such a role as he sits 106 points behind Verstappen compared to Norris’s gap of 62.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella also suggested the situation would be looked at, as both championships are now realistic for the team to target. But will Baku see team orders implemented?

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Ferrari aim to follow up on another strong track

It’s not just McLaren that are seeing a championship challenge become ever more realistic, though, as Ferrari are also right in the mix in the constructors’ standings.

McLaren closed the gap to Red Bull to just eight points in Monza, but Charles Leclerc’s victory – which leaves him 86 points adrift of Verstappen – coupled with fourth place for Carlos Sainz means Ferrari are 39 points off the constructors’ championship lead.

Ferrari went through a tough patch after an upgrade didn’t deliver the expected performance at the Spanish Grand Prix, and they picked up just one podium in four races. But learning from that setback led to back-to-back podiums before a further update in Italy – and the early signs are encouraging.

Azerbaijan is a venue that Ferrari have traditionally gone well at, especially Leclerc, who has been on pole position here in each of the past three years, including both the Sprint and Grand Prix last season.

It will also be a different test of the new floor that was introduced last time out, and will provide a clearer answer as to whether Ferrari are able to fight for victory on multiple occasions between now and the end of the season.

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The search for a solution at Red Bull

The championship picture has been developing against the backdrop of a loss of form from Red Bull, who haven’t won a race since Verstappen held off Norris at the Spanish Grand Prix in late June.

It felt for a while like Verstappen’s dominant start to the season – winning six of the first eight races, both Sprints in that spell, and finishing second in the other race he took the chequered flag – would give him an insurmountable lead, but the defending champion said that “at the moment both championships are not realistic” given the struggles he is facing with the RB20.

Verstappen has called on Red Bull to turn the car upside down to try and unlock the performance he had earlier in the season, although he admits reverting to that previous specification is not likely to be the solution given the gains made by rivals.

Zandvoort was a case of damage limitation as Verstappen finished second to Norris, and Red Bull didn’t have long to try and react with Monza following a week later. But the two-week gap before Baku will give them more chance to delve into the data and try to identify solutions.

The Baku City Circuit is the sort of track that could have been tricky for Red Bull even early in the year when they was working to improve their performance on street tracks, and another tough weekend here would also not bode well for the team’s hopes in Singapore.

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Bearman’s back for another super-sub outing

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix feels a long time ago, but Ollie Bearman will be calling upon his experience in Jeddah as much as possible as he gets to make another substitute appearance in Formula 1 this weekend.

Filling in for Carlos Sainz at late notice back in March, Bearman at least has had a bit more warning this time around, as he will race for Haas for the first time in place of the suspended Kevin Magnussen.

Magnussen picked up a one-race ban for reaching 12 penalty points in a 12-month period in Italy, and Ferrari have given approval for Bearman – who will race full-time for Haas next season – to step up from his Formula 2 duties once again.

He’s in a less competitive car and on another demanding street circuit, so expectations will need to be kept in check. But Bearman has little to lose, and can gain plenty of experience that will be invaluable for him to build on ahead of next year’s promotion.

The fight for a seat at Sauber

While Bearman won’t be racing in F2 this weekend, there will be plenty of eyes on the category as the title battle hots up.

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Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar had a healthy lead over McLaren young driver Gabriel Bortoleto arriving in Monza, and will have expected to extend that after qualifying second for the Feature Race, while Bortoleto spun out of qualifying and started both races at the back.

But the Brazilian rookie delivered a superb recovery, climbing to finish eighth in a dead heat with Dennis Hauger and receive half a point in the Sprint Race, and then go from last to first and remarkably win the Feature Race after a well-timed Safety Car.

Bortoleto is now just 10.5 points behind Hadjar, and has been name-checked by new Sauber Motorsport boss Mattia Binotto as one of the drivers on the team’s list for the vacant race seat in 2025.

He’s vying with the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Theo Pourchaire among others, and any potential deal is likely to need negotiations with McLaren. But continuing to be a factor in the title fight – for what would be back-to-back championships in F3 and F2 – would certainly do Bortoleto’s chances no harm.