The 17th of 24 rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place this weekend. It can be regarded as the final European race of the season, even if the country sits on the divide between Europe and Asia and has a very different atmosphere to the other races on the Old Continent.
The track. The Baku City Circuit is certainly unusual: the 6.003 kilometre-long street track includes long straights and wide corners as well as tight and twisty sections that run between the ancient buildings of the old city. The final section, over two kilometres long is taken flat-out and is usually the scene of the key moments in the race, while the section around the historic citadel is so narrow that in parts it is only wide enough for just one car.
Technical features and set-up. Baku requires a difficult compromise, as a car must have sufficient aerodynamic downforce to power out of the slow corners in the first and second sectors, but must not be vulnerable to attack through the long and very quick final sector. All year, the track surface has to contend with daily Baku traffic and therefore offers less grip than permanent race circuits and this can lead to tyre graining. There are two DRS zones, one early on after turn 2 and the second on the main straight. The Safety Car is no stranger to this event, having put in ten appearances over the eight Formula 1 races held here to date, completing 45 laps out of a total of 459, in other words 9,8%% of all laps from 2016 onwards.
Tyres and strategy. Pirelli has chosen the three softest tyres in its range for this event, the C4 as Hard, C5 as Medium and C6 as Soft. Generally, Baku has always been a one-stop race with the majority starting on the Medium before switching to the Hard, this proving to be the most effective strategy. However, it is not beyond the realms of probability to see the Soft come into play for a short stint in the event of a Safety Car appearance in the later stages of the Grand Prix. The weather has not usually been a significant factor in Baku, even if gusts of wind can make life difficult on track for the drivers.
Programme. Track action in Baku gets underway on Friday with the first two free practice sessions, starting at 12.30 and 16.00 local time (10.30 and 14.00 CEST.) The third and final free practice is on Saturday at 12.30 (10.30 CEST) followed by qualifying at 16.00 (14.00 CEST). The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, held over 51 laps for a distance of 306.049 kilometres, will get underway on Sunday at 15.00 (13.00 CEST).
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal
Baku is always an interesting weekend, with its combination of long straights and a very technical middle sector. It tends to produce unpredictable races and opportunities, so it is important that we execute everything to perfection, and we will focus on ourselves to extract the maximum from the package we have. The team has been working hard on how we prepare for the event and our operation over the whole weekend, knowing that on a street circuit these elements can make a real difference. Get this right and I’m sure we can deliver a strong result with both drivers.
