One of many newer occasions on the System 1 calendar, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has earned itself a popularity as a race that may ship chaos throughout its earlier eight editions. One driver who has seen either side of that’s Valtteri Bottas, and the 2019 race winner is your information for a lap of Baku.
“I’ve good and unhealthy reminiscences of Baku – bear 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 extremely unpredictable race. Very often, it is very entertaining. Plenty of issues taking place – yellow flags, security automobiles, and it is simply exhausting to foretell what is going on to occur subsequent. That is thrilling.
“And the observe itself, you already know, for a avenue circuit, it is fairly excessive pace. And it has the longest flat-out part. In order that additionally means slipstreaming and overtaking is sweet.
Bottas bought the steadiness proper en path to taking victory for Mercedes in 2019. Jerry Andre/Getty Photographs
“It is undoubtedly not one of many harder tracks on the circuit – there is not any actually correct high-speed corners. All of the high-speed corners, they’re flat out. But it surely’s principally 90-degree corners, with some sluggish sections just like the fort, so it’s a technical observe.
“It is bumpy as effectively. And it’s a avenue circuit, and with among the vast traces there’s distinction within the grip somewhere else, so it’s one of many extra technical ones.
“It is fairly distinctive, I’d say. Taking place that lengthy straight, typically it seems like unending! You see the buildings and stuff, so it is fairly cool. The center sector or the fort part, there it feels extra like a standard avenue observe, however I’d say that final stretch is sort 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 troublesome 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 exhausting to place the automobile in a very straight line for the braking. So these final two corners, you possibly can lose or achieve fairly a bit.
The wild combine of recent and outdated in Baku is matched by the combo of lengthy, quick straights and tight, sluggish corners. Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Photographs
“Within the race, usually it is actually dominated by the rear degradation. We have had some races with unhealthy graining points and it is usually fairly exhausting to get the rear to entrance steadiness proper by way of the wear and tear profile. In order a driver, you additionally want to vary 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 scorching, you are inclined to wrestle with entrance tires being on the cooler facet on the floor, particularly below braking. So with the setup, you need to attempt to discover that proper steadiness, 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 stage right here, but it surely actually relies upon how a lot confidence you need to really feel within the corners – with extra downforce – and the way aggressive you need to be within the race, combating different automobiles, with much less downforce. So it is not straightforward on that sense. However I’d say the largest factor might be the mechanical steadiness as a substitute of the aerodynamic facet.
“I’ve all the time loved it. Like I mentioned, I’ve had had good reminiscences and horrible reminiscences, but it surely’s all the time thrilling racing. And usually, I really feel like we have performed fairly effectively 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. In reality, the C6 is again because the Mushy, having already been utilized in Imola, Monaco and Montreal. The C5 would be the Medium and the C4 the Exhausting.
On a avenue 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 fashion, 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 grow to be adept at managing the tires effectively, in order that the race is unlikely to see very totally different methods. Though it’s a avenue observe, Baku has some very lengthy straights the place the automobiles hit very excessive high speeds that place important vertical masses on the tires.
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QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all instances ET):
Friday, September 19
4:25am – 5:30am – First Follow, ESPNU
7:55am – 9:00am – Second Follow, ESPNU
Saturday, September 20
4:25am – 5:30am – Third Follow, ESPN2
7:55am – 9:00am – Qualifying, ESPN2
Sunday, September 21
8:55am – 11:00am – Azerbaijan Grand Prix (51 laps or 120 minutes), ESPN
