Presentation – Azerbaijan GP: Impressions of mirages in the middle of the city
If you're going to be cooped up at home in the hot weather, you might as well have a good reason, and Formula One is on the agenda this weekend! After a detour outside Europe via Canada, the single-seaters return to the old continent for the eighth round in Azerbaijan. Speed, heat and wind are the order of the day, complicating the task of the drivers and their machines and providing a great spectacle.
« You cannot compare the track of Baku to that of Monaco, even if it’s an urban circuit… It is neither better nor worse, just different. It is a track where it is difficult to drive – not more than Monaco I think, but it comes quite close and the slightest mistake can be fatal, so you must remain focused all the time. »
As Carlos Sainz points out, the urban configuration of the Baku track was not designed to make it a second Monaco. While the Monaco circuit is the shortest of the season at 3.33 kilometers with 78 laps, the Azerbaijani circuit is the second largest, behind the Belgian monument of Spa-Francorchamps, with 6 kilometers and 51 laps.
An extremely fast urban layout
With the longest straight line, the most insane speeds are reached by the single-seaters before hitting the brakes to dive into the first corner. Always dominant in terms of power in recent seasons, the Mercedes engine will have a challenger this year in the form of Ferrari to be clocked at the highest speed. The record of 378 km/h set by Valtteri Bottas driving the Williams last season is unlikely to be beaten this year due to the increased impact of aerodynamics in the new regulations.
Urban track, certainly wider than that of Monaco, but just as tricky, will host the first Azerbaijan Grand Prix this year. Indeed, last year, the race was listed on the calendar as the European Grand Prix, even though the country is not part of the European Union and its history has little in common with it.
Double or nothing for Hamilton between the walls?
Last year, Lewis Hamilton had a nightmare on the Baku track. The British driver started from 10th place after a fatal touch with the wall during Q3 on Saturday. His race the next day was a long journey to an anonymous 5th place, almost a minute behind his title rival and teammate, Nico Rosberg, who won in the narrow streets of the Azerbaijani capital. Unable to set up his car properly, Hamilton couldn’t respond on a track he was discovering.
This year, the Mercedes driver experienced the same mishap on the narrow streets of Monaco, on a circuit he knows perfectly well, having triumphed there twice in 2008 and 2016. To suggest that the Brit feels cramped on urban circuits is a step that only he can stop us from taking. From this perspective, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be crucial in the quest for the world title for Lewis Hamilton, who is currently still trailing Sebastian Vettel in the World Drivers’ Championship.
On the podium last year, Sergio Pérez would, for two reasons, like to repeat his feat. At the wheel of a car that has gained color, in every sense of the word, since last year, the Mexican wants to prove to his entire team and particularly to his teammate Esteban Ocon that he deserves the blind trust placed in him, which may have cost Force India a podium in Canada due to opaque team orders. The battle with his young, ambitious French teammate is one of the most exciting confrontations to follow this season. Baku should logically be a new stage in this internal struggle on a circuit that should suit the VJM10 well.
To (truly) know everything…
Despite the urban layout of the track, Pirelli has chosen not to bring its softest tire sets to Azerbaijan due to the high temperatures expected. On the shores of the Caspian Sea, the super-soft, soft, and medium compounds will be used this season, as was already the case in China and Bahrain.
👀 ⤵️ @MercedesAMGF1 and @ScuderiaFerrari make identical tyre choices for #AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿> https://t.co/MoU5HegObe #F1 pic.twitter.com/EAYsADs2Lj
— Formula 1 (@F1) 13 juin 2017
To be able to activate the DRS, drivers must be within one second of the car ahead of them at turn 20 for the first zone located on the start-finish straight, and at the braking of turn 2 – a new feature for this second edition – for the second zone on the back straight between turns 2 and 3.
From a meteorological standpoint, the sun will be present throughout the weekend despite a risk of showers late Friday afternoon during the second practice session. On the temperature front, temperatures will range from 25 to 29°C. Known for its winds, the Central European city will experience breezes of 10 to 25 km/h—25 km/h for the qualifiers—potentially reaching gusts of up to 50 km/h expected for Sunday’s race.
Don’t forget the TV schedule!
