Five big Azerbaijan GP questions: Perez really a street fighter? Papaya rules changed?

After a weekend off (for some), Formula 1 is back again as we head to the City of Wind and the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

After the announcement of Adrian Newey to Aston Martin, attention turns back to the track with a number of teams having questions to answer this weekend.

Five questions ahead of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Is Sergio Perez actually the street king?

Ask anyone what type of circuit Sergio Perez prefers and their answer most likely will be a street track. His first few years at Red Bull earned him the nickname of the ‘street king’ but a closer look at his record suggests it is not all that accurate.

Yes, all five of his Red Bull victories have come at street tracks, most recently in Baku last year, but there have been plenty of other races in cities where the Mexican has failed to perform.

Take 2024. In the five street races we have had so far this year, he has finished on the podium just once which came at a time when the RB20 was a step ahead of the rest.

His run of form into Europe has also been nothing short of awful. Since Imola, he has not finished higher than sixth and it has not so much left the door open to Red Bull’s rivals but opened the door, tidied the welcome mat and prepared a cup of tea for when they arrive.

The reality is Red Bull need Perez to start performing now before it is too late – so Baku will be the perfect test of whether he really is the street king or he has been usurped?

Will ‘Papaya Rules’ still be in action?

Even as Ferrari red flares flowed over the circuit, the McLaren team would have been deep in a debrief over what went wrong at Monza.

A P2 and P3 looks a good result on paper but the context behind it brought sharp criticism of the team and in particular, their slightly shoehorned ‘Papaya Rules’ term.

The definition of ‘Papaya Rules’ is a flexible one that the team can bend to how they feel but they have faced intense criticism for not abandoning their beliefs and going all in on Lando Norris.

They have their reasons but with time running out on the season, will they do what many have asked and tell Oscar Piastri to take a back seat? His great move in Monza will likely have far worse consequences at a street circuit such as Baku and ‘Papaya Rules’ may reach their breaking point if set-in-stone rules of engagement are not established.

Can Ferrari keep up their Monza momentum?

Flash in the pan or a sign of genuine change? Ferrari and Charles Leclerc will be hoping their Monza performance is the latter.

That race in Monza may not have been won on speed alone but their strategy suggested that in a field as tight as this, marginal gains can have a big difference.

No one is expecting them to come to Baku, a circuit very different to Monza, and repeat the winning trick but they will hope to see more signs of progression than the feeling of being stalled that they have suffered through after Monaco.

P2 in the championship may have got away from them but Ferrari will want to shield P3 from an improving Mercedes.

Another super sub appearance from Oliver Bearman?

Oliver Bearman is getting used to these late calls. While it was an appendix that created his opportunity in Saudi Arabia, Kevin Magnussen’s tendency to get on the wrong side of the stewards has allowed the 19-year-old another drive before his full-time gig next year.

The Briton impressed everyone in the Ferrari last year, no doubt a strong factor in Haas choosing him for next year, but the VF-24 is not the SF-24.

No one is expecting Bearman to be in the points this weekend but it will be interesting to see how he squares up against the experienced pro Nico Hulkenberg. The German has found performance, especially in qualifying, where Magnussen has not, so Bearman being in the car will show much of that was Hulkenberg’s brilliance or Magnussen disappointing.

Will Aston Martin enjoy an immediate Adrian Newey boost?

Adrian Newey is not even officially an Aston Martin employee but Tuesday’s high-profile announcement may have an immediate effect within their ranks.

Just the knowledge that the legendary designer will be in the building next year may provide the piece of extra motivation that their recent form has sapped from them.

Aston Martin have a correlation issue which they need to solve sooner than later and Baku will be another test of how far along that development path they are.

As a team, Aston Martin have scored a podium here with Sebastian Vettel in 2021 and while it would need a few DNFs for a similar result to take place again this weekend, they will hope to at least make a step in the right direction.

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