We noticed two very totally different points of the Baku Metropolis Circuit over the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, however Saturday and Sunday have been in full distinction.
The race itself took Max Verstappen 1h33m and accomplished the victory from the right-out to the checkered flag, but it surely took the Dutchman 1h58min to lastly safe pole place in qualifying.
This 12 months, so long as we arrange a grid in Baku for Saturday’s session, the race did not final. However how did they then progress from six pink flags and almost two hours of qualifying to the untracked Grand Prix after the primary rap-off of Oscar Piastri?
There are two foremost causes.
One is the tire. In different phrases, it’s a C6 compound caused by Pirelli. It is not the primary time a compound has been seen, but it surely poses challenges for groups and drivers.
Senior engineers defined that it was from a distinct household of tires in comparison with different Pirelli ranges that don’t characteristic the identical properties as C5 to C1, that are generally used elsewhere. So operating C6 modifications the steadiness and automobile conduct considerably in comparison with the C5 or C4, which was additionally supplied in Baku.
Among the suggestions was the C6, which lacked consistency and stability in a selected automobile, and affected the driving force’s belief. Even when the rubber is theoretically quicker in a single lap in the identical managed setting, if the driving force will not be assured in extracting its efficiency, it will not get the lap time wanted on the trail circuit.
One more reason is that in Baku, confidence and suggestions from the tyres to the driving force are notably necessary.
The dominant nook profile on this monitor is a 90-degree flip, which normally results in lengthy, straight ones. There’s little or no nook sequence, so there’s a lap time on the nook exit every time.
Getting that exit accurately can compensate for a big margin in comparison with being cautious. Workforce Supply estimated there was a 0.2 seconds distinction between the nook the driving force dedicated and the nook he waited till he was sure he may get on the throttle.
The choice to use full acceleration was defined as bets have been being made when it was nonetheless zero % throttle. This was a attribute of a lot of the corners. As an alternative of slowing down pace, it was to journey the facility and consider the automobile would grasp because the downforce elevated.
For reference, a extra conventional method to different corners on the calendar is defined as having to make that wager at about 80% throttle, solely calling for a time to decide to the ultimate 20%.
In actuality, the driving force will usually bail out the method to the nook if he would not really feel that all the things heading in direction of the highest is in management. The apply session confirmed a calculated resolution that even a small contact with the wall was nugatory, so they’d deliver it into the drainage space. Final rap time wasn’t actually necessary. All it is advisable to do is deal with and arrange the automobile. By qualifying, its weight modifications and going to the escape street means utterly lowering the lap, particularly when there may be little or no probability of setting time. Because of this, drivers decide to corners on the limits and typically they’ve an excessive amount of pace, or they don’t seem to be clutching as deliberate when the automobile is about to speed up.
Baku has no room for error. Charles Leclerc was one in every of many who have been bitten throughout Saturday’s chaotic qualifying session. Joe Portlock/Getty Pictures
There’s a wall on the exit, so when the issue seems, there isn’t any room left to resolve it. Particularly, with C6 tires, there was no suggestions that some drivers felt, that means they did not get the clue they have been used to with regard to grip ranges.
It is no shock that C6 was averted by some groups throughout qualifying, and we did not see it in any respect in the course of the race.
In races, drivers know that if tomorrow hits a wall, they will not attempt to get better. Additionally, except it is a direct wheel-to-wheel fight, it would not require 0.2 seconds per nook in the identical method. Tires will be considered throughout one-stop races. It is a pretty easy activity ultimately, however partially mandatory by the need to keep away from C6 utilizing C5 in qualifying. The remaining margin might be bigger.
As Piastri’s crash confirmed, slight misjudgment and lockup in windy situations may nonetheless have disastrous penalties, and the timing wasn’t a shock. The beginning and reboot of a race is usually the catalyst for incidents with drivers preventing on comparatively low grip surfaces, however when navigated neatly, as if adopted by off-of-the-championship chief, the race can settle.
Until there’s a clear distinction in tempo between the automobiles, the overtaking is a difficult steadiness because the brake expenses don’t afford to fail, and there may be zero outflow at nook exits aside from flip 16.
Baku’s disruption grid supplied the right materials in some ways. Watching Carlos Sainz’s shock podium and the robust Sundays of McLaren and Ferrari, principally seeing races with out incident, as a result of grid place.
The chaos was calm on Saturday and settled on Sunday, which was a hallway and tire characteristic, and together with the climate stored the Baku hazard sport sturdy.
