With Formula 1 seeing the return of the European Grand Prix for the first time since 2012, the F1 circus is coming to Azerbaijan for the first time in the history of the sport, with drivers taking to the streets of Baku for the eighth round of the 2016 Formula 1 season.
European Grand Prix Preview
Claiming to be one of the fastest circuits of the season and the fastest street circuit that Formula 1 is coming to this year, the Baku circuit has been designed by world renowned track designer, Hermann Tilke, with the civil engineer building circuits such as Sepang International (Malaysia), the Yas Marina circuit (Abu Dhabi), and the hit Marina Bay circuit (Singapore).
In this circuit design, Tilke has claimed that he has created a challenging prospect for teams and drivers alike, mixing the circuit with the Old City and newer parts, with the track taking drivers around notable areas of Baku, with the old architecture of the city particularly influencing sector 2.
The circuit is 6.003 kilometres long and is home to 20 corners, having an anti-clockwise racing direction and being the second longest lap of this year’s Formula 1 season, with Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit holding this title. Sunday’s race will host 51 laps to decide who will come out on the top step of the podium, with the race being just over 306 kilometres long.
With 56% of the lap being taken at full throttle, the European Grand Prix will take its toll on the cars, with power units particularly being under threat due to the high strain that will be placed on the engine. This will mean that teams such as McLaren will face a number of issues and an expected torrid weekend, with the Woking based team’s Honda power unit being down on power severely, likely meaning that McLaren will again face a difficult race, similar to last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. Also marking potential difficulty for McLaren is Baku’s expected high fuel consumption rates, with rates being at an expected 2.1 kg per lap.
With Lewis Hamilton being only 9 points away from taking the lead in the Drivers Championship from his team mate, Nico Rosberg, it is without doubt that after a string of fantastic recent results that the British driver will be aiming to again defeat Rosberg for the third race in succession and close in on his end goal- a fourth world title. However, will this be the case? Ferrari looked particularly strong in last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, with Sebastian Vettel jumping both Mercedes cars off the line and leading for much of the race. It was a simple strategy error however, that ultimately cost the team victory. Despite this, Vettel was still competitive, closing and closing on Hamilton with only a few mistakes going into the final corner of the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve preventing Vettel from getting close enough to Hamilton to gain a DRS advantage . Due to this, many eyes will be looking to see if Ferrari can finally take victory around Formula 1’s latest addition in Baku, hopefully securing their first win of the season.
When being asked about this weekend’s European Grand Prix, in a recent interview, Vettel stated: “I don’t know much about Azerbaijan. I’m really looking forward to getting there, as I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. I’ve heard that the track is very exciting, with parts leading through the whole town and narrow in places. So, I think it should be exciting. I am a big fan of street circuits. Usually, they are very tricky, bumpy, rough, very narrow places. So, hopefully Baku fulfills these expectations and goes in line with other street circuit classics.”
This weekend, it is undoubtable that Azerbaijan will influence the Formula 1 world heavily. Can Lewis Hamilton take the lead in the drivers standings? Will Ferrari take their first victory of the season? Can Nico Rosberg return to the form that he had in the early stages of this season? Only time will tell.
Weekend Timetable:
Practice 1 Fri 13:00–14:30
Practice 2 Fri 17:00 – 18:30
Practice 3 Sat 14:00 – 15:00
Qualifying Sat 17:00 – 18:00
Race Sun 17:00 – 19:00
(Local time)
Main Photo
