“DRS this year isn’t as powerful as it used to be” – Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher heads into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix following his terrifying crash at the Monaco Grand Prix, which saw his VF22 break into two parts yet again.

Schumacher fell victim to the barriers of Monte-Carlo, something he won’t want to repeat this weekend at the Baku City Circuit, which is of course another street track.

Azerbaijan was one of Schumacher’s best results in 2021, where the young German finished in thirteenth-place, he’ll be hoping for three-places better this weekend.

Ahead of the weekend, the German explained what he’s expecting from the Grand Prix.

“I would imagine to see more action and overtaking. We know that DRS this year isn’t as powerful as it used to be but I’m sure with the cars being able to follow closer, we’ll be able to arrive or stay closer to the car ahead in the last part of the race track and then maybe we won’t need that high DRS power anymore to get by into T1.

“We’ll just go with the flow and see how it goes. It was one of our highest finishes last season, so I hope with a more competitive car we’re able to be higher up as well and have a good race.”

The VF22 has performed well at almost every round so far this season, Schumacher is hopeful that this trend can continue in Baku.

“We’ll have to see. As our car is right now, we’re in a good position for Baku. For sure, we’ll have to wait and see but it’s been good so far. Our car has been able to comply to nearly each race track we’ve gone to, so I’m just excited to go racing and have a good race.”

“I’m not anticipating any problems” – Kevin Magnussen

A driver who tends to enjoy the occasional chaos is Kevin Magnussen, the Dane is well used to the carnage that the Baku streets can bring.

Magnussen’s best finish in Azerbaijan is seventh-place, something he’d happily replicate this weekend at what he calls a “lovely track”.

Magnussen spoke in the build-up to the upcoming round, where he explained what he thinks will happen, as well as how the circuit shares some similarities to the Circuit de Monaco.

They’re very different circuits but there is some carry over from every race. Baku is a lovely track, very unique with long straights and all the slow corners – I’m looking forward to it.”

“There’s always a lot of action in Baku – there’s a high risk of going off and having yellow flags, safety cars etc. Historically, there’s been a lot of safety cars and red flags. It always feels like there is extra opportunity in Baku than perhaps the average race.”

The Haas F1 Team have the luxury of a Ferrari engine in the back of the VF22, something which Magnussen thinks will benefit the team this weekend.

“I hope it’s going to be good – long straights, we’ve got a good engine from Ferrari so I’m not anticipating any problems. It’s a power-centric track with all the long straights there and power is very important.”

So far it’s been a successful return to the sport for Magnussen, who has been a regular points finisher in 2022. The Danish driver is “living the dream” as he put it, and is having a “lot of fun”.

“I’m loving it, living the dream. The schedule is one that I’m very used to, the last eight years I’ve been on this schedule. Last year was an outlier, I had a lot of time on my hands, and I enjoyed that – I had a great time – but it’s also nice to be back in a schedule that I’m used to. It’s very busy of course, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Credit: Zak Mauger / LAT Images