Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Course: Baku City Circuit
Course Length: 6.00km
Laps: 51
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Preview
A single-stop strategy at Monza gave Charles Leclerc and Ferrari a home win and the pairing's second of the season after Leclerc won at Monaco. The win was the third of the season for Ferrari, and it keeps them in the championship fight. Red Bull Racing, who hasn't won since Spain in June, still sits atop the constructor's points, but their gap to second continues to dwindle. McLaren have closed that gap to just eight points with Ferrari only 31 points behind them in third. The driver's standings are still all Max Verstappen, though. The defending champion's early-season domination still keeps him on top of the driver's standings with a 62-point lead over Lando Norris in second. McLaren must work diligently to stop dropping points like they did at Monza. Every opportunity to maximize points is growing in importance as the race to season's end picks up pace. This week's trip to Azerbaijan is an opportunity to do just that, too. The unique track isn't expected to be a good one for Red Bull, which leaves McLaren to execute their plan to maximize points and continue closing the gap in the championship battle if they can best Mercedes and Ferrari.
Key Stats at the Baku City Circuit
- Races: 7
- Winners from pole: 2
- Winners from top-5 starters: 5
- Winners from top-10 starters: 7
- Fastest Race: 199.921 kph
Previous Baku Winners
2023 - Sergio Perez
2022- Max Verstappen
2021 - Sergio Perez
2019 - Valtteri Bottas
2018 - Lewis Hamilton
2017 - Daniel Ricciardo
2016 - Nico Rosberg
This week's Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the eighth time the unique Baku City Circuit hosts Formula 1. Red Bull Racing and Mercedes are the only two teams to have won the race since its introduction in the 2016 season. The temporary street course is a contract of tight and technical sectors with a very long and wide front straight that requires minimal drag to reach top speed. The vastly different sections require teams to run with less downforce than they would otherwise choose through the tight majority of the lap. Teams have to find the sweet spot between setting their cars up for the slow sections with additional downforce or stripping that downforce off in an effort to maximize straight-line speed down the long front straight. The city circuit also adds increased potential for incidents to disrupt the running through safety cars or red flags with little to no run-off area. The timing of those interruptions could be either a benefit or a detriment, throwing a wrench in some of the best laid plans. However, while only three of the prior seven races have been won from pole, track position is still likely to be the biggest determinant of success and Saturday's qualifying should be a good indicator of what to expect the finishing order to be on Sunday.
DraftKings Value Picks
Based on a $50K Standard Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Lando Norris - $13,600
Max Verstappen - $12,600
Oscar Piastri - $10,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Lewis Hamilton - $9,800
George Russell - $9,600
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $8,400
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Sergio Perez - $6,600
Fernando Alonso - $5,600
Alex Albon - $5,400
DraftKings Constructor Values
McLaren - $12,800
Mercedes - $10,500
Aston Martin - $4,000
Formula 1 DFS Picks for the Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Captain - Fernando Alonso - $8,400
Lewis Hamilton - $9,800
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $8,400
Sergio Perez - $6,600
Oliver Bearman - $4,000
Constructor - McLaren - $12,800
Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso will be high on optimism this week after it was revealed that Adrian Newey will officially join the team next spring. While that partnership will take some time to produce results, let alone start, the move shows the team is committed to joining the front of the championship fight. For his part, Alonso leads the points among drivers not at Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, or Mercedes. He has a best finish this season of fifth at Saudi Arabia, and Azerbaijan should be a circuit that suits the Aston Martin since he finished fourth there last season. Fellow champion Lewis Hamilton has been climbing up the standings with two victories from the last five races, too. Monza wasn't expected to be the best race for Mercedes yet Hamilton still finished fifth. The team should be more competitive at Azerbaijan, a track Hamilton won at in 2018.
Carlos Sainz Jr. and Sergio Perez could make compelling options at Baku as well. Sainz has one race victory this season and finished sixth or better in every race since Montreal. From seven starts at Azerbaijan, he finished fifth twice, including last year's race. Perez is a two-time winner at this track, but he hasn't finished better than fourth since Miami in early May. This could be the best week to overlook that, though. Perez has finished third or better in five of seven Azerbaijan Grands Prix, including first or second in the last three. Lastly, Oliver Bearman returns to a race seat this week with Haas as he replaces Kevin Magnussen for his one-race suspension. Bearman impressed on very short notice when filling in for Sainz at Saudi Arabia, qualifying 11th and finishing the race seventh. He gets another shot this week and will be an exciting young talent to watch.
The above driver choices leave just enough salary space to grab the favorites to win this week. McLaren should have won more than they already have this season, including last the last race at Monza. Both McLaren drivers have won this season and both remain highly competitive every week. The car should be the one to beat this week at Baku and selecting McLaren as constructor gives fantasy players two chances at victory with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Race Winner – Lando Norris +120, Oscar Piastri +500, Lewis Hamilton +1100
Winning Constructor – McLaren -150, Mercedes +600
Podium Finish - Max Verstappen +100, Lewis Hamilton +300
The McLaren teammates are the favorites to win this week at Azerbaijan. Both Norris and Piastri have had a handle on the competition since returning from the summer break, but the team must stop making poor decisions. If McLaren can simply execute a sound race strategy, their cars and drivers should have what it takes to come out on top of the competition Sunday. A worthy long-shot option might be Lewis Hamilton, though. Mercedes was not at their best at Monza with the new surface and higher temperatures. The team historically has done quite well at Baku, though. Hamilton and Mercedes should have the edge over Ferrari this week. For those same reasons, McLaren and Mercedes appear to be the best bets when selecting winning constructor. While McLaren is the favorite, fans can get better odds with Mercedes, who should be lying in wait should anything occur to Norris or Piastri.
Given the relatively clear cut rankings for Sunday's race, odds for podium finish could be attractive, too. Max Verstappen, while no longer the favorite to win each week, is still not to be discounted. A smooth race should see him take part in the podium celebrations, but Azerbaijan has not been the happiest hunting ground for him. For that reason, Lewis Hamilton again makes a compelling option. The Mercedes team appears to be undervalued a bit this week and Hamilton should outperform those expectations to bag a podium again this week.
