Max Verstappen says he has unfinished business at Baku, as he heads to Azerbaijan's capital city seeking his fifth Grand Prix win of 2022. The Dutchman was leading last year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix when, with just five laps to go, he suffered a high-speed left-rear tyre failure that sent him spinning into the barriers. Unlike Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who inherited victory in 2021, Verstappen has never won at Baku, and the Dutchman highlighted the difficulty in setting up the RB18 to cope with the circuit's unique combination of slow corners and long straights. "I'm looking forward to returning to Baku, we have some unfinished business there after last year," said Verstappen. "It's a tricky track with big braking zones and a tight run off, [so] finding the best set up for the car will be difficult in terms of making sure we get the correct wing level."
Verstappen looking to improve qualifying pace
Though Verstappen currently leads the 2022 F1 Drivers' Championship with four Grand Prix wins to his name, the Dutchman has started from pole position just once in seven races. By contrast, title rival Charles Leclerc has five pole positions so far this season, and Verstappen noted that he was keen to see Red Bull's Saturday pace improve. "It will be interesting to see if we can make our one lap performance better for qualifying as we've been lacking a little," said Verstappen, who also hailed Red Bull's decision to offer Perez a new deal until 2024. "It's great that Checo has signed a contract extension with the team, it's nice to have the continuity and I get on really well with him."
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