Grand Prix editor for Motor Sport magazine and F1 technical contributor Mark Hughes details the set-up dilemma facing Scuderia Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes for the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 seasons, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – and also believes that the competitive pattern might not be the one anticipated ahead of the Baku weekend.
The Baku circuit is one of a kind in its extremely conflicted combination of aerodynamic demands. The ‘straight’ (with multiple flat-out kinks) running parallel with the Caspian coastline is 2km long, means that there can be a lot of time gained from a low-wing setting.
At the same time, the middle sector which goes through the historic old town is similar to the streets of Monte Carlo in its tightness, which means that a maximum downforce configuration is required. In terms of what the layout asks of the wing level, it is a combination of the two extremes of the calendar: the super low-downforce Monza and super high-downforce Monaco, as explained by Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola.
As a result, there is not just one right wing configuration in Baku and the overall lap time can be the same with either low or high-downforce settings, but by being obtained in different ways. This has been the case since the first race in Baku, which was held six years ago. It now remains to be seen how the new Formula 1 generetion of challenger will behave in Azerbaijan, given the fact t At least, that has been the case historically since the inaugural race here in 2016. It will be interesting to see if that holds true with the new generation of cars, which get a bigger proportion of their total downforce from the underfloor than last year’s cars.
However, the low-downforce way could provide more useful in terms of qualifying, but may not be the ideal solution for the race pace due to increased rear tyre degradation caused by greater rear sliding. In 2021, both Mercedes and Ferrari decided to run skinny wings and, at a point of the championship when the Red Bull was usually the fastest car, as Charles Leclerc was able to take pole position for Ferrari ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Yet Red Bull decided to go for significantly more wing and were comfortably the fastest cars in the race, as a result of better tyre degradation. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez could therefore overcut Lewis Hamilton out of the lead at the first pit stops with tyres that were still performing very strongly at the end of the stint, given the greater protection the higher downforce wing had given them.
During the years, the more competitive the car, the more likely a team has been to run more wing here, with those scratching for competitiveness tending to gamble on the lower setting, going all-out for grid position and trying then to maintain track position. So, in Mercedes’ super-strong seasons here, (2016-19) they ran plenty of wing. In 2016 and ’17 their rivals Ferrari and Red Bull ran trimmed-out.
The Maranello team had a very fast quick car back in 2018 and was able to match rivals Mercedes using a higher downforce set-up, just like the following season. Last season the tables were turned and Red Bull for the first time at Baku were confident enough in their car’s inherent pace to use more wing than their rivals.
In the current F1 campaign, at all the circuits the pattern of performance between the Ferrari and Red Bull cars has been quite similar, with the RB18 tending to run less wing than the Ferrari F1-75 and being faster at the end of the straights, as the Italian side’s challenger was very often faster through the corners and accelerating harder out of them.
What does this mean for Baku? Could this mean that Ferrari’s inherently higher drag/downforce will lead it that way in preferred wing choice? Will Red Bull use their inherently lower drag to give them the luxury of running more wing, given how well that choice played out in 2021?
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At the same time, Mercedes will have to make an interesting decision in Baku. The Circuit de Catalunya proved that, cured of its aerodynamic bouncing, the Mercedes 2022 F1 car has the potential to be competitively fast on the straights. Combined with a low-wing setting, might that allow Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to take a tilt at Red Bull and Ferrari at least in terms of qualifying performance? Even if Mercedes would be aware that their race pace would most likely not be fast enough to keep Ferrari and Red Bull behind ?
Mercedes introduced their specific low-downforce rear wing at Miami and their choice in Baku will be between that and the usual more heavily contoured wing.
As ever, Baku offers an intriguing choice for the teams and a possibly unusual competitive pattern through the weekend.
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