Five things to look out for in Baku

It’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend and all eyes will once again be on the Baku City Circuit as we race around these streets for the sixth time.

This venue has provided plenty of memorable moments despite its relatively short existence; here are five things you should be keeping an eye on as we battle the banks of the Caspian Sea.

Baku’s 2.2km long main straight has seen more than its fair share of overtakes. Uncharacteristically for a street venue, this part of the circuit is very wide, which allows cars to go three abreast after just shy of 25 seconds on the throttle.

It was here in qualifying where Valtteri Bottas, at the wheel of our FW38, set an unofficial record for the fastest speed recorded during a Grand Prix weekend.

The former Williams driver utilised a slipstream to clock 366km/h through the Speed Trap, but continued accelerating behind this point to a massive 378 km/h, before firmly hitting the brakes for Turn 1, a more pedestrian 110km/h corner.

This new generation of cars means we will not be hitting those speeds this weekend, but our FW44 has been consistently near the top of the Speed Trap charts during the opening seven races, so we’ll be looking to use this pace to our advantage.

The Baku City Circuit has a list of remarkable moments nearly as long as its main straight, but with the 2022 regulations making it easier to follow, we could be set for the best race yet.

Overtaking has never been a struggle here, but battles could go on for much longer thanks to these changes, with drivers able to fight back, especially in the first sector.

As previously mentioned, the track can get pretty wide in places but it retains all the challenges you’d expect from a street circuit – the walls are always ready to punish any mistakes.

It was one of the big talking points earlier in the season and porpoising could rear its bouncy head once again in Baku.

Porpoising is caused when a Formula 1 car bounces up and down as a result of the increase then sudden decrease of downforce – more prevalent in the 2022 cars owing to the use of ground effect.

The bumpy nature of the circuit, especially along the main straight of Neftchilar Avenue, that sees thousands of vehicles pound along it when we’re not in town, might see porpoising return.

Expect teams to be keeping close tabs on this during the early stages of Free Practice 1 on Friday.

Baku is known as the ‘City of Winds’ for a reason – it’s usually pretty windy. This weekend’s race is not forecasted to be overly blowy, however gusts can happen at any time.

Friday is set to be the windiest day, with speeds of up to 40km/h and, depending on the wind direction, the slipstream effect could prove even more powerful.

With the start/finish line situated at the end of the long straight, it means the lead driver during any Safety Car restart will have to keep their wits about them and leave their bolt as late as possible.

There have been no fewer than seven full Safety Car periods at this venue so the likelihood is high; stay tuned for moves aplenty should the time arise.