The fourth round of the Formula 2 Championship is upon us in Azerbaijan. What will the land of fire bring us this time?
After a chaotic affair in Melbourne, the drivers arrive at the Baku City Street Circuit with Ayumu Iwasa as the Formula 2 championship leader. The 2023 F2 title battle is fierce with rivals Theo Pourchaire, and Frederik Vesti closely behind Iwasa. Fellow title contenders, Ralph Boschung and Dennis Hauger, will hope to recapture momentum in Azerbaijan in their F2 campaign. Zane Maloney leads the charge for the Anthoine Hubert Award, three points ahead of Kush Maini.
Tricky track
The Baku City Street Circuit has been on the calendar for F1, and its feeder series, since 2016. In F2 drivers like Antonio Giovinazzi, and Charles Leclerc have taken victories in Baku. In 2022, Vesti won the sprint race and Hauger the feature race. This 6 km track is challenging for drivers, with its narrow twists and turns, followed by the longest straight in the Formula 1 sphere. Track lap Record is 1:52.129 set by Charles Leclerc in 2017.
The key to going fast in Baku will be finding the balance between downforce in the technical sections, while not sacrificing too much on straight-line speed. While the physical challenge is tough already, the mental challenge will be present as well. Drivers must remain focused for the entire race, as an error will almost certainly result in a DNF. The F2 sprint race is 21 laps and the feature race is 29 laps.
Forecast
The weather forecast for the Azerbaijan weekend is sunny on Friday and Saturday with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius, 68F. Only on Sunday, there is a minor threat of rain, but overall, it should be all clear for some spectacular Formula 2 racing in Baku.
Predictions (Feature Race/Sprint Race)
- Pole – Dennis Hauger/ Theo Pourchaire
- P1 – Dennis Hauger/ Ralph Boschung
- P2 – Ayumu Iwasa/Theo Pourchaire
- P3 – Theo Pourchaire/Victor Martins
How to Watch F2 (US & UK Times)
- Practice 4/28 – 03:00 AM EST on ESPN+ (08:00 AM Sky Sports F1)
- Qualifying 4/28 – 07:00 AM EST on ESPN+ (12:00 PM Sky Sports F1)
- Sprint Race 4/29 – 07:15 AM EST on ESPN+ (12:15 PM Sky Sports F1)
- Feature Race 4/30 – 03:35 AM EST on ESPN+ (08:35 AM Sky Sports F1)
For international coverage, you can find local broadcasters here on the F2 Where to watch us page. You can also watch F2 on F1TV or watch live timing of each session.
