Two weeks on from Verstappen’s dominant display at Monza, the F1 paddock heads to the Baku City Circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a flat-out street track on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
The layout splits into three distinct sectors: Sector 1’s 90-degree corners, a tight and technical Sector 2, and an almost 2-km full-throttle run to the line in Sector 3. Set-up is a classic Baku trade-off: trim the wing for straight-line speed and low drag, while keeping enough downforce and balance for the twisty middle sector. The signature corner is Turn 8-the ultra-narrow Castle section.
– From the temperature traces, the rear axle is the most stressed-especially the right-rear-due to the 90-degree turns in S1 and the long flat-out stretch in S3. The heavy traction zones can trigger tyre overheating, particularly through the technical middle sector.
– For this weekend, Pirelli brings the softest allocation: C4-C5-C6, taking advantage of the circuit’s low abrasion. The C6-softest in the range-returns to action.
– As on any street circuit, expect strong track evolution across the weekend with steadily increasing grip.
Projected tyre wear is low. The rears remain the limiting factor with an overheating risk under hard traction. Given the close walls and limited run-off, the Safety Car probability is significant, so the pit wall will need flexible strategies and pit-window management. Overtaking is still very possible thanks to the long main straight and DRS.