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'Amazing' To Have F1 So Competitive:
Lewis and George Preview Azerbaijan GP

12 September 2024
Min Read

With six different winners from the past seven races, it is an exciting time to be an F1 fan right now.

Perhaps fittingly, the paddock arrives at a track this weekend that has witnessed six different winners in seven appearances on the F1 calendar: Baku.

The team has won three of the past seven races in 2024 - more than any other on the grid in that period - and only one driver has claimed two victories: Lewis Hamilton.

"It is amazing that the sport is so unpredictable at the moment," said the seven-time world champion.

"It is great we are in a phase where McLaren have had that great rise, Ferrari are winning races out of nowhere and we have had success too.

"Hopefully the next races are the same, and into next year as well."

George said: "I am excited for the weekend because I have no idea what will happen. That is what is great about F1 at the moment.

"You know there is potential for a good weekend, because there are any number of drivers and teams who can compete for good result.

"Last year if we were two tenths off the pace we would finish in the same position. It was the same story if you were able to find a tenth of pace."

Stats Behind Lewis Hamilton's British GP Win

While the past two races in Zandvoort and Monza have not yielded the strong results of the preceding five races, the gap to those ahead has been minimal.

"We had two weekends where we dipped in form slightly, but it could have swung in a different direction," said George.

"I started third in Italy, I was third in Zandvoort and if the race had panned out differently, we would have ended up on the podium and we would not have been talking about this dip.

"If you do not nail your weekends, you can be punished for it."

Despite a more challenging start to the second half of 2024, both drivers remain as determined as ever, even if it means some tough love.

"I have never taken it easy on myself, and it is why I continue to be hard on myself when I don't perform," said Lewis.

"When I have a good race, I expect nothing less. It is what has shaped me my whole life, I have always pushed myself.

"Knowing how to take a step back and reflect constructively to move forward is what I have always tried to do."

George added: "Knowing that you have a chance of a good result brings extra motivation.

"We want to win as many races as we can before the end of the year, but the main goal is to make sure we have done all the learnings possible going into next season."

Test Your Knowledge of the Azerbaijan GP

So what of Baku this weekend? And what of the upgrades that the team have trialled since Spa in July?

Lewis said: "The change in performance could be track dependent, or it could be the upgrades.

"It is hard to see a difference between the two. We will roll back on some of it this weekend to try and spot it.

"There is a lot of work going on to help give the team direction, not just for this year but next as well."

George added: "We knew the upgrade was not going to set the world on fire, it was just another direction we had been pursuing.

"If everything was to be correct on paper it is better the devil you know sometimes. We know what that floor offers, and we know where the set up needs to be and sometimes with a new upgrade it takes several races to learn and understand."

Azerbaijan GP Race Guide
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