Front row starters Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are both gearing up for a rematch of their famous battle from last year’s race in Baku on Sunday.
It was the Ferrari driver that just had the advantage in qualifying, beating the current world champion by less than two-tenths of a second to claim a third pole of the season.
However, having struggled throughout the weekend to optimise the tyres, the Mercedes man was satisfied with his performance.
“That was close. We did the best job we could. It was very very close,” Hamilton said in the paddock later.
“I lost a bit in the last sector and Sebastian did a great job, but I’m really happy with what the team did to get us from where we were yesterday to today.
“We are in the mix. I will try to give Sebastian a hard time tomorrow.”
And that is exactly what the four-time world champion is expecting as he looked ahead to the race.
“It will be an intense race. Anything can happen here and Safety Cars are likely,” Vettel pointed out.
“The good point is that our car was really good this afternoon so it should be in a good place tomorrow.
“Yesterday I struggled a bit with confidence and trust in the car and rhythm but today, when it clicks, it just keeps coming.”
