BREAKING : The Surprising Skill F1 Drivers Must Practice Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix… Read more
The Surprising Skill F1 Drivers Must Practice Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Formula 1 is often associated with high-speed overtakes, split-second strategy calls, and the most advanced engineering in motorsport. Yet ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, F1 stars are brushing up on a skill that most ordinary drivers master during their very first driving lessons: using reverse gear.
The Baku City Circuit, first introduced to the F1 calendar in 2016, has quickly gained a reputation as one of the trickiest and most dramatic street tracks. Its long straights encourage high speeds, but its tight corners and unforgiving walls leave little margin for error. The circuit has already been the scene of some unforgettable moments: Max Verstappen’s tyre blowout while leading in 2021, his spectacular crash with then-Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2018, and Lewis Hamilton’s late lock-up that gifted Sergio Pérez victory during the intense 2021 title fight.
But beyond the headline-making incidents, Baku is notorious for another challenge: its numerous escape roads. When drivers make small errors—particularly locking their tyres under braking—they often have no choice but to steer into one of these run-offs rather than risk smashing into the barriers. That scenario played out on Friday during Free Practice 2 when Hamilton overshot a corner and slid into the escape road. Instead of disaster, he simply had to engage reverse gear to rejoin the track.
As Sky Sports F1 pundits Karun Chandhok and Bernie Collins explained, that’s not as simple as it sounds. “It sounds weird to say, but the drivers need to remember how to get into reverse gear,” Chandhok noted. Collins, a former Aston Martin strategist, added that while drivers use their forward gears constantly, the design of reverse makes it more cumbersome. “It’s not the easiest gear to engage. With the other gears, so much work goes into ensuring smooth and fast engagement. Reverse is more robust and clunky, and every car has a slightly different procedure. That’s why teams take drivers through the process before the weekend.”
Several drivers had to call on that knowledge in practice, including Haas rookie Ollie Bearman, who also found himself needing to back out of an escape road. It served as a reminder that even the world’s best drivers sometimes have to rely on the basics.
Beyond those challenges, the weekend carries significant championship implications. McLaren enter Baku with the chance to clinch their second consecutive constructors’ title. To do so, they must outscore Ferrari by at least nine points. Their fight is complicated, however, by the fact that their two drivers are locked in a tense battle for the drivers’ crown.
Oscar Piastri currently holds a sizeable lead over teammate Lando Norris, but unlike Norris, he has never fought for a championship in the final races of a season. Norris, meanwhile, carries painful memories of last year’s collapse. A series of costly mistakes in late 2024 allowed Verstappen and Red Bull to seize control, and one of the most damaging errors came at Baku. Norris was knocked out in Q1 and started down in 17th position. Though he recovered brilliantly to finish fourth in the race, the lost ground was critical in the bigger picture.
This time, Norris will be determined to avoid a repeat. With Piastri eager to extend his championship advantage and McLaren eyeing the constructors’ crown, the stakes could not be higher. But before any of that, the world’s fastest drivers will need to remember how to do something every learner driver knows—find reverse and back out safely.
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