Williams confirms that Baku is a tricky circuit for the setup
The Baku circuit features the longest straight line on the calendar and extremely slow corners. Dave Robson, Performance Director at Williams, confirms that adjusting the car's settings is always a puzzle on the streets of Azerbaijan.
In the Formula 1 calendar, some circuits have their well-defined characteristics. Monaco is a very slow circuit, where the direction to take in order to set up the car is clear. The same goes for Monza, but in complete opposition. However, other circuits are less conducive to easy adjustments as the balance between top speed and speed in slow corners must be perfect.
Among these circuits, there is obviously the one in Baku. This unique track, added to the calendar in 2016 initially as the European Grand Prix before becoming the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the following year, is a perfect mixture of high and low speeds. The streets of the Azerbaijani capital offer us both the longest straight on the calendar (2.2 km) and one of the narrowest and tightest sections on the calendar, turns 8, 9, and 10 around the castle, in addition to the numerous 90° turns.
Dave Robson, the performance director at Williams, asserts that finding the right car setup is never simple in Baku. « The streets of Baku truly pose a different challenge compared to Monaco. While there are some slow and tight turns here, there are also long straight lines and fast corners to deal with. »
« There is a temptation to significantly reduce the downforce and drag level for this circuit, but the extent to which it is right to do so will depend on risky maneuvers that the drivers will have to consider during the practice sessions. The smooth surface of the track can make tire heating difficult, but this is compensated by the fact that each lap is long. »
Despite the difficulty in finding the perfect setup, Robson believes that Baku always offers interesting races. The curvature of the roads, the big changes in altitude, and the variable width of the track all add to the challenge on this circuit, making it very difficult to set up the car to be strong throughout the 6km lap. However, these same characteristics that make the setup difficult also lead to exciting races and thrilling battles on the track in Azerbaijan. Taming the streets of Baku is not easy, but it can be enjoyable and rewarding when done right.
The circuit configuration often provides, beyond the battles on track, races with many twists and turns. This season, with the new generations of cars, the race could be even crazier considering the significant decrease in dirty air when one F1 car follows another.
