Asia or Europe? When one speaks of Baku and the Azerbaijan GP it is a legitimate question. Geographically, the Caucasian republic is without a doubt on the Asian continent, but it’s a member of the Council of Europe and the inaugural edition of this race was even named the GP of Europe.
However, from a logistical perspective, the situation is pretty clear: the Azerbaijan GP brings to an end the opening run of “flyaway” races. Most of Scuderia Ferrari’s equipment has come directly from China and only after Sunday’s race will it all be repatriated for servicing prior to the Spanish round.
Therefore, this weekend, preparations are taking place for a completely unique and uncompromising circuit. It runs anti-clockwise over six kilometres, with around twenty turns, almost all of them right-angled, in the old part of the capital city, featuring the tightest “dogleg” of the championship, where the track passes the Maiden Tower, before ending with two kilometres absolutely flat out along the Promenade that runs alongside the Caspian Sea, which looks particularly lovely at night.
Car set-up also leaves no room for compromise: the long straight requires low downforce aero settings to ensure maximum speed and to allow the driver to attack and defend in the race. Even if the road surface has been prepared for the Grand Prix, some of the negatives of a street track, such as the unwanted arrival of plastic carrier bags, are almost inevitable.
The maiden running of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix took place in 2017 and was won by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas second and Lance Stroll in third place for Williams-Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel was fourth for Ferrari, while his teammate Kimi Räikkönen had to retire due to oil leak. Ferrari’s only podium in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was taken last year, when Kimi Raikkonen finished second behind Lewis Hamilton, while Sebastian Vettel could only manage a P4, as the Maranello team will now be looking for its first win at the Baku City Circuit.
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