Expect carnage.
The Burning Questions
How will Hamilton and Mercedes respond after their tough weekend in Monaco?
Will the ‘flexi-wings’ actually make a difference?
And will Toto Wolff follow through on his threat of a protest?
Can McLaren’s straight-line speed help them challenge for a podium?
The Track
The Stats
- Track Length: 6.003 km
- Laps: 51
- Race Distance: 306.049 km
- Maximum Speed: 331 km/h
- Lap Time at Full Throttle: 65%
- First Grand Prix: 2016 (Baku) | 2017 (Azerbaijan GP)
- Race Lap Record: Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 2019 | 1:43.009
- Outright Lap Record: Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 2019 | 1:40.495
- Most Driver Wins: Valtteri Bottas/Lewis Hamilton/Daniel Ricciardo/Nico Rosberg | 2019/2018/2017/2016
- Most Constructor Wins: Mercedes | 2016, 2018, 2019
The Trivia
- Features the longest straight in F1 at 2.2 km
- Features the narrowest section of track in F1
- The track winds between 12th century fortress walls
- It is the second longest track on the calendar after Spa
- It is the fastest street circuit in F1
The Weather
The Quotes
Max Verstappen | “I can understand people complaining [about the flexi-wings] but it’s all within the rules so far. There’s nothing wrong with it. Of course, they try to slow us down.”
Charles Leclerc | “Monaco was incredible and we were fighting for the victory but with the long straights [in Baku] I believe we will be back to the normal competitiveness.”
Lando Norris | “I don’t think we’re going to be extraordinary or unexpected. We have a good car and shown we have a decent car at most tracks but I don’t think we can be confident we’e going to be quicker than Mercedes or Red Bull.”
Lewis Hamilton | “[Naomi Osaka] is an incredible athlete and human being, and her activism has been just so impactful. The fact is when you are young you are thrown into the limelight and spotlight, it weighs heavily on you. The thing is most of us are not prepared. I think she is incredibly brave.”
The Friday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Sergio Pérez | 1:42.115 | 22 Laps
2 | Max Verstappen | 1:42.216 | 23 Laps
3 | Carlos Sainz | 1:42.243 | 24 Laps
4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:42.436 | 24 Laps
5 | Pierre Gasly | 1:42.534 | 26 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Max Verstappen | 1:43.184 | 19 Laps
2 | Charles Leclerc | 1:43.227 | 20 Laps
3 | Carlos Sainz | 1:43.521 | 20 Laps
4 | Sergio Pérez | 1:43.630 | 17 Laps
5 | Daniel Ricciardo | 1:43.732 | 25 Laps
Despite Ferrari’s protestations that their Monaco pace would disappear at a vastly different street circuit in Baku, they finished both Friday’s practice session with two cars in the top four.
It is Red Bull who look the strongest, though, with Max Verstappen topping Practice 1 and teammate Sergio Pérez at the head of the afternoon session. With Mercedes struggling badly – neither Lewis Hamilton nor Valtteri Bottas could break into the top 10 in Practice 2 – this may be a very good weekend for Verstappen and his team’s title charges.
The Photos
The Predictions
Podium
Pole Position
Fastest Lap
Driver of the Day
