TRACKSIDE VIEW
The Baku City Circuit is home to the longest full-throttle stretch in Formula 1. Jeddah and Monza bear higher top speeds but can’t match the 1.35-mile sprint from the exit of Turn 16 before the 210mph stop into Turn 1. Given how it dominates a third of the lap, it’s surprising to see a divergence of lines through the right-left-right kinks of ‘Turns’ 17-19.
Once FP3 finally gets under way 15 minutes late, after the Tecpro barriers have been restored following a litany of silly shunts in the F2 sprint race, Autosport is blown away by the violence of the cars passing by two feet away. F1 is mega.
But when adjusted to, it’s clear that George Russell and Sebastian Vettel prefer to run as wide as possible into the blind left of
Turn 18. By contrast, eventual pacesetter Sergio Perez is content to stay in the middle of the track before cutting it fine with the inside wall. The Mercedes and Aston Martin look to open the full-throttle bend while the Red Bull is all about minimising distance.
As the cars head well north of 170mph, the field is divided into three camps. One is for the likes of the Mercedes W13, which begins to porpoise violently. Another is for the Red Bull, which is much more composed. Alfa Romeo makes up a third group. It too is bouncing massively, but not from porpoising. It is so stiffly sprung that it’s hopping when it kisses the bumps in the asphalt.
Autosport then heads to Turn 16. There’s a spectacular shunt, but off-track. A mother and daughter crash a wretched electric scooter and are sent flying. Perhaps out of sympathy, in the panic, her pursuing husband – with son riding onboard also – then throw themselves to the ground.
Back to Perez for the 90-degree left-hander. He plunges down the deceptively steep hill into the braking zone and bursts from the buildings’ shadow into the blazing sun. The front of the RB18 is washing wide, a new trait for Red Bull since the switch to groundeffects. He then stabs the throttle to break traction at the rear, and the axle swings around to neatly tuck the nose in.
Team-mate Max Verstappen isn’t quite as effective here. He’s much more patient on the throttle. And at the opposite end of the scale to Perez is Daniel Ricciardo. The Mclaren insists on ploughing wide and he must wait an age for the front to answer to him. It’s frustrating even to watch as the car washes wide, let alone what it might be like in the cockpit.
“A MOTHER AND DAUGHTER CRASH AN ELECTRIC SCOOTER AND ARE SENT FLYING”