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The 2023 F1 season is set to resume this weekend after a four-week gap with the Azerbaijan GP. A four-week gap after just three races into the season is something strange, but it has surely given the drivers some time to sit back and think about how they will approach the rest of the season.
The pecking order has been more or less established and while it could swing a bit from race to race and from one track to another, drivers will have an idea of what to expect from the season.
If there is anything that the first three F1 races have established then it is the fact that Red Bull are the clear frontrunners for the title. On the driver's side as well, it does appear that Max Verstappen is in pole position to secure his third consecutive F1 title.
With that said, there are a few drivers who will be looking to get their seasons back on track in Baku. In this feature, we will be looking at three drivers who will be desperate for a strong result. So without further ado, let's get straight to it.
#1 Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
Sergio Perez is in a peculiar situation heading to the Azerbaijan GP. The Mexican made quite a lot of noise about being a championship contender and challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title this season. That was followed by an impressive performance in Jeddah, where he beat his teammate and won the race.
However, the Australian GP served as the perfect reality check. Perez lacks the consistency and tenacity of the Dutchman, as a one-point deficit after Jeddah increased to 15 after the race at Albert Park.
Coming to Baku, a race where Perez out-qualified Verstappen last season before losing out in the race, a moment of reckoning awaits the Mexican. For Perez to prove to himself and everyone else that he is a potential championship contender, he needs to beat Verstappen because if he's not able to, the gap will only get bigger and reach a point where Red Bull could safely start choosing one driver over the other.
#2 Nyck de Vries(AlphaTauri)
Nyck de Vries impressed everyone with his F1 debut last season in Monza. The Dutch driver scored points in a Williams and sealed his fate as a future F1 driver. Coming to AlphaTauri this season, much was expected from de Vries.
His experience of racing in multiple categories and his age was supposed to give him an advantage over Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Well, the first three races paint a completely different picture. De Vries has been dominated by Tsunoda who seems to have taken his career up a notch. As a result, the pressure is mounting on the Dutch driver. Helmut Marko has already made it clear that he's not happy with the kind of performances that de Vries has been putting together.
The race in Baku is going to be a litmus test for the 28-year-old. He'll need a good result to stay in Helmut Marko's good books, especially with both Red Bull juniors kicking up a storm in the junior categories.
#3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Saying Charles Leclerc has not had a good start to the season will be an understatement. The Ferrari driver has had a horrific start to the season with two DNFs in three races.
Additionally, he served a grid penalty in the only race he has managed to finish so far. All in all, the 2023 F1 season has been going downhill since Leclerc first drove the new Ferrari at the car launch in Maranello.
The car is unreliable and peaky, and in terms of performance, it's far lower than the kind of expectations set by the team. With Ferrari suffering a complete bloodbath back at the base with many key members leaving, it's hard to see how Leclerc could be excited about what's next for the team.
Having said that, there are some signs of hope on the horizon if Ferrari can capture it fully. What's needed is a clean weekend from the Monegasque, although history is not on his side as he has not managed to secure a single a podium finish in Baku.
