Will the drivers succumb to the pressure? Here are my predictions of the Baku 2021 Qualifying

It has been an amazing and exciting start to the 2021 Formula One season, starting at Bahrain in March and keeping us on our toes throughout. Of course, Lewis Hamilton is aiming for his eighth world title at the end of this year; however challenger Max Verstappen is hot on his heels, recently claiming the top spot in the Driver's Standings, after an incredible performance in Monaco. Lando Norris is also proving to be the dark horse of the grid, earning two podiums, both third, pushing himself up into the top three, just in front of Valtteri Bottas, the other Mercedes. On the other hand, the Haas Ferrari team have yet to prove that their car can handle the heat, with both drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin down in nineteenth and twentieth behind the Williams' of Nicholas Latifi and George Russell. But how will all twenty drivers fare in qualifying? Will they succumb to the pressure or rise to the occasion?

Haas Ferrari Team walking the track in Baku before FP1 with Mick Schumacher centered

Many of our drivers this year have never been to Baku or have only been there once or twice, making this race particularly unpredictable. Lewis Hamilton has a very positive track record in Azerbaijan, achieving first in 2018 and second in 2019, giving him a possible upper hand against his fellow competitors and is more likely than not going to come within the top three. His past few races of the current season have also shown that he is willing to fight for his spot and that overall, he is most certainly in the running for a win. However, in 2019, he was beaten by his teammate Valtteri Bottas so it is possible that Verstappen, Bottas and maybe even Norris could have a significant impact on qualifying and could push Verstappen further in front to a pole position on Sunday.

My prediction of the grid for Baku 2021

In the middle of the Driver's Standings sit both of the Aston Martins of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, along with rookie driver Yuki Tsunoda whose season so far has been very fruitful for a new driver of his age. Although he had a DNF in Spain, he managed to regain his pace in Monaco and achieve a moderate sixteenth place in front of Nikita Mazepin. Although it is unlikely Tsunoda will achieve points, it is very possible he could be close to them, but hey, he's full of surprises for such a young driver, so anything could happen.

Daniel Ricciardo, despite coming first in Baku in 2017, has had a DNF in both 2018 and 2019 so this race could be a tough one for him. However, he's had a good season so far with an average of eighth altogether, though his performance in Monaco was disappointing. He stated before the race, in Spain, that he felt "like being a beginner all over again, being tutored every corner!" which could hold back Ricciardo in such a difficult circuit, despite being a driver with a large amount of experience - clearly he has not bonded with his car as much as some other drivers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eE9bofwhhs

Baku is an exciting circuit because of its challenges and high precision raceway which requires complete concentration - one mistake and it's all over for them. Today in practice, Ferrari downplayed their performance from Monaco through to Baku but were pleasantly surprised when they found that Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc claimed P3 and P4 in Free Practice 2 which bodes well for qualifying and for Sunday. However, all could change as the track is a tough one and this race has the potential to reshuffle the order of the Driver's Standings significantly. The two DRS zones, one of which is right before a speed trap, will test the drivers' ability to break and overtake and for those without DRS, it could make it incredibly difficult to maintain places against those with it.

Baku is certainly going to be very unpredictable because of the lack of experience from many of the drivers, particularly the younger generations. However, this high-speed qualifying is sure to keep us on the edge of our seats, so Sunday can't come soon enough. Hamilton might have a hard time up ahead of him here, especially with Verstappen so close to snatching his victory from his hands.