“Mercedes have been mighty there”– Christian Horner nervous of Mercedes challenge in Baku

“Mercedes have been mighty there”– Christian Horner is excited about Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with his team having a real chance to win.

Mercedes and Red Bull are desperate to have a win in Azerbaijan, as it will make either of them go at the top of the table, more in Red Bull’s case, an extension to their lead.

Toto Wolff, who on Tuesday downplayed his team’s prospects of winning in Baku and tipped for Red Bull’s win. However, Christian Horner has refused to dismiss Mercedes threat while citing their excellent record in Azerbaijan.

“Next up we have the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, which is another street track but it is very different to Monaco,” Horner told RedBull.com.

“Mercedes have been mighty there but we did win with Daniel [Ricciardo] in 2017. It is an unforgiving street circuit and anything can happen. Overtaking is possible, unlike at Monte Carlo, and the characteristics of the circuit are very interesting.”

“You have the slow bits past the fortress walls, and then you have that massive straight with a couple of kinks in it. So it is going to be fascinating to see how all the teams fare at this type of circuit.

Ferrari’s increasing threat to Mercedes and Red Bull

Ferrari gave an incredible performance in Monaco, even though their pole-sitter Charles Leclerc couldn’t start the race. Instead, it was Carlos Sainz who brought in the podium for the Italians.

Horner feels Ferrari can bring in a similar performance in Baku, too, as the track’s layout may suit them and give them another shot at the podium this week.

“Of course it will also be interesting to see too if Ferrari’s form carries through because that will be great for the championship. Seeing six cars in contention and fighting for wins is better than having just two,” Horner concluded.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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