One of many newer occasions on the Formulation 1 calendar, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has earned itself a fame as a race that may ship chaos throughout its earlier eight editions. One driver who has seen each side of that’s Valtteri Bottas, and the 2019 race winner is your information for a lap of Baku.
“I’ve good and dangerous recollections of Baku – keep in mind the last-lap puncture when main in 2018!
“For me, what makes this place so particular is it is all the time a very unpredictable race. Very often, it’s totally entertaining. A number of issues taking place – yellow flags, security vehicles, and it is simply laborious to foretell what is going on to occur subsequent. That is thrilling.
“And the observe itself, you already know, for a road circuit, it is fairly excessive velocity. And it has the longest flat-out part. In order that additionally means slipstreaming and overtaking is nice.
Bottas bought the stability proper en path to taking victory for Mercedes in 2019. Jerry Andre/Getty Pictures
“It is undoubtedly not one of many harder tracks on the circuit – there isn’t any actually correct high-speed corners. All of the high-speed corners, they’re flat out. However it’s largely 90-degree corners, with some sluggish sections just like the fortress, so it’s a technical observe.
“It is bumpy as nicely. And it’s a road circuit, and with a few of the large strains there’s distinction within the grip elsewhere, so it’s one of many extra technical ones.
“It is fairly distinctive, I might say. Taking place that lengthy straight, generally it looks like unending! You see the buildings and stuff, so it is fairly cool. The center sector or the fortress part, there it feels extra like a standard road observe, however I might say that final stretch is kind of particular.
“The one annoying factor right here in Flip 1 is that very often you arrive with chilly brakes. So the preliminary chunk of the brakes isn’t fairly 100% – that is why it makes it much more tough to seek out the optimum braking level for Flip 1.
“The important thing part for me is the final sector. It is usually a bit extra uncovered to the wind, that final correct nook at Flip 16 earlier than popping out to the lengthy straight. And the nook earlier than that – Flip 15 – options downhill, fairly difficult braking. It is laborious to place the automotive in a very straight line for the braking. So these final two corners, you may lose or achieve fairly a bit.
The wild combine of latest and previous in Baku is matched by the combo of lengthy, quick straights and tight, sluggish corners. Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Pictures
“Within the race, usually it is actually dominated by the rear degradation. We have had some races with dangerous graining points and it is usually fairly laborious to get the rear to entrance stability proper when it comes to the wear and tear profile. In order a driver, you additionally want to alter your driving a bit.
“You’ll be able to undoubtedly attempt to use the entrance tires a bit extra and play with the setup, however that’s going to be the identical factor. If it is not sizzling, you are inclined to battle with entrance tires being on the cooler aspect on the floor, particularly below braking. So with the setup, you wish to attempt to discover that proper stability, however that tends to be the clear path that it’s fairly rear deg-dominated.
“It is all the time a compromise with the downforce degree right here, nevertheless it actually relies upon how a lot confidence you wish to really feel within the corners – with extra downforce – and the way aggressive you wish to be within the race, combating different vehicles, with much less downforce. So it is not straightforward on that sense. However I might say the largest factor might be the mechanical stability as an alternative of the aerodynamic aspect.
“I’ve all the time loved it. Like I stated, I’ve had had good recollections and horrible recollections, nevertheless it’s all the time thrilling racing. And usually, I really feel like we have achieved fairly nicely right here.”
AT A GLANCE
Race distance: 51 laps/190.9 miles
2024 pole time: 1m41.365s (Charles Leclerc, Ferrari)
2024 winner: Oscar Piastri, McLaren-Mercedes
Pirelli tire allotment: Pirelli is bringing its softest trio of 2025 compounds for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which is a step softer than final yr. The truth is, the C6 is again because the Delicate, having already been utilized in Imola, Monaco and Montreal. The C5 would be the Medium and the C4 the Onerous.
On a road circuit with low ranges of grip and put on, bringing the identical choice as in 2024 would inevitably have led to a one-stop technique. Not less than this manner, contemplating that this yr’s vary suffers a lot much less from graining, it opens up the potential of a two-stop technique. Furthermore, it’s clear that this yr, most lately at Monza, the groups and drivers have turn into adept at managing the tires nicely, in order that the race is unlikely to see very completely different methods. Though it’s a road observe, Baku has some very lengthy straights the place the vehicles hit very excessive prime speeds that place important vertical hundreds on the tires.
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QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all occasions ET):
Friday, September 19
4:25am – 5:30am – First Apply, ESPNU
7:55am – 9:00am – Second Apply, ESPNU
Saturday, September 20
4:25am – 5:30am – Third Apply, ESPN2
7:55am – 9:00am – Qualifying, ESPN2
Sunday, September 21
8:55am – 11:00am – Azerbaijan Grand Prix (51 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN
