Formula 1 is ready to move to Azerbaijan for what promises to be, as practically every year, one of the craziest weekends of the season. On the Baku circuit it is almost impossible to have a ‘linear’ race thanks to the particular layout of the track – which combines very fast Monza-style straights with slow and tortuous sections worthy of Monte Carlo – and the walls that surround the entire track, without leaving the slightest space for some escape route in case of error.
The challenge, however, is not only for the drivers, but also for the teams, who have to find a way to set up the car in the best possible way, trying to find the right compromise between contradictory elements. In today’s edition of Corriere dello Sport, Italian journalist Fulvio Solms analyzed the concerns and expectations of the top teams ahead of the on the Azerbaijan race.
“[…]. The cars have changed, the tires have been revolutionized by Pirelli after the events which took place one year ago. However, we should not ignore that open-air wind tunnel which is the 2.2-kilometer straight, the parameter from which each team starts to look for the compromise that serves to have stability in the slow part with ninety-degree corners and in the slow one in the old City.
Ferrari is convinced that it will have no trouble with bouncing, despite a very high top speed […]. Mercedes and Red Bull will show up at the 350 per hour appointment with some questions: the first because it struggles to give stability to the W13, the second because their attempt to lighten the car […] makes the DRS system fragile […] which will be powerfully stressed by Baku’s infinite straight. After the defeat on two favorable tracks such as Barcelona and Monte Carlo, Ferrari is forced to make up for it on a circuit which theoretically is better for Red Bull, at least for in terms of race pace. […]. […] We want to recall the philosophy of small steps. […]. In fact, if there is a car like the F1-75 […] and a champion like Charles Leclerc, other elements are not yet well put togheter: the engine which failed in Barcelona due to a human error that Ferrari did not want to reveal will cost in terms of penalties, because Charles will have to resort to an additional “piece” of the electric ERS. At the same time, Ferrari will also regre the errors honestly admitted in the strategy decisions made in Monte Carlo. […] “.
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