Mercedes explain why the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is "unusual"
F1 News
Mercedes has detailed a list of challenges and worries for Formula 1's upcoming race in Baku. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is known for producing high-drama moments, and Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ director of trackside engineering, doesn't expect that to be different during the 2024 Formula 1 season.
The street race in Baku has only one repeat winner: Sergio Perez. It's a tough circuit for teams and drivers to negotiate and Mercedes tried to explain why during their Italian GP F1 debrief.
Why the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is challenging
"Baku is an unusual circuit because you’ve got this really tight, twisty, very low speed sector two, and then this really long straight. It requires a relatively low wing level; that isn’t what you’d normally have with all those low-speed corners, but you’ve got to have it with the long straight," Shovlin explained.
"It’s also a weekend where you can get a lot of incidents affecting the race, it’s very easy if a driver makes a mistake there that will have to bring out a safety car in order to clear it up. The other issue you’ve got this year is any given track you can end up with at least three if not four teams all within a tenth or two of each other. That makes it very hard to predict where they’re all going to fall in qualifying, and where people will stack out in race pace," Shovlin detailed more challenges.
Mercedes were the in-form team going into the summer break but struggled to replicate that at Zandvoort and Monza. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be hoping to return to the podium, but Shovlin expects tough competition from their rivals. "We would expect McLaren to be quick, we’ve also seen Ferrari recently put in some strong performances, and you’d never ever discount Red Bull," Shovlin concluded.
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