6 Problems With The European Grand Prix In Baku
1. Clash with Le Mans
This is a biggie for motorsport fans. It seems ridiculous that the F1 race in Azerbaijan was scheduled for this weekend, knowing full well it would clash with the famous Le Mans 24 Hours - one of the “big three” alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500. Something’s not quite right there…
Le Mans begins just as Baku qualifying starts and the 24 hour race ends just as the lights go out for the F1. Hardly ideal for fans eager to get their FIA World Endurance Championship and F1 fixes. It is a real shame, but fortunately there are plenty of hours of Le Mans racing to watch, in case anyone misses part of it.
The Baku City Circuit has a beautiful backdrop and brilliant setting, taking in the modern and old sites of Baku. The track itself has some fascinating sections but one thing that annoys me is the number of 90 degree corners.
It seems 70 per cent of the turns on the circuit are pretty much the same, whether they go right or left being the only difference. I get that designing a street track and turning normal roads into a challenging venue is no easy task, but these turns are hardly going to promote overtaking.
Most of them come after medium-length straights but the braking zones won’t be heavy enough to really give drivers a chance to make a move. It’s all a bit repetitive. Sebastian Vettel said after trying it out in the simulator: “It looks exciting in some parts and others a bit more straightforward….”
3. Human rights record
F1 and human rights have been mentioned in the same sentence more times than you might think, the series racing in South Africa under apartheid and in Bahrain are two examples of the topics coming together.
Oil-rich Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku may look glitzy and glamorous but the county’s human rights record has been heavily criticised (journalists critical of the government have been imprisoned) and put under intense scrutiny, particularly after securing headline events like the European Games and F1.
4. Narrow track
F1 passing by the Old City walls in Baku will definitely be a spectacular and unusual sight, but the extremely narrow section between the eighth and 11th corners also throws up several concerns. Firstly, if a car crashes or breaks down there, the red flag will have to be waved because there is simply not enough room to get cars through while recovery work is underway.
The barrier there also looks particularly low and an airborne car could potentially damage the old walls. We certainly hope that doesn’t happen, but there are always these kind of worries. Because it’s F1, who knows what could happen? Even FIA race director Charlie Whiting admitted it could prove tricky when recovering cars.
5. Durable tyres
Pirelli said the new ultra-soft tyre, the softest in its 2016 F1 range, would be used mainly on street tracks but for some reason it won’t make an appearance Azerbaijan. Instead the medium, soft and super-soft tyres will be used. As we saw in Monaco and Canada, the compounds have strong durability and on the low grip Baku track there is a risk that drivers will be locked into one-stop strategies. Let’s hope not, because strategy has played a crucial part in the exciting racing so far in F1 2016.
6. GP2 + Baku = chaos?
We love a bit of chaos in F1 feeder championships but it all gets a bit tiring when there are constant red flags and safety cars. GP2 returns to action in Baku and a street track with some narrow sections and plenty of unknowns is a little concerning. We usually see lots of mayhem on permanent race tracks, what will we see this weekend in Azerbaijan?
While there are some concerns over the event, it is good to see F1 visiting new venues and bringing another street track into the fray. The layout itself is interesting, there are some quick sections, the narrow complex near the Old City walls is unique to say the least and there is no denying the fact there are some stunning backdrops throughout the lap. Baku mixes old and new and is a gorgeous location for race cars speeding around city streets. Hopefully it will prove me wrong and produce a good race.
What do you make of the race? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments
Would rather watch Le Mans
Me too but can you tell me were I can find a stream for it since I couldn’t find anything?
I love turn 10-11-12, looks cool af. And the circuit isn’t that narrow, check some of the straights!
100% there will be a crash between the eighth and 11th corners
Especially given Kvyat’s track record this season
Can you imagine Maldanado. He would be in his element. 😂
no ultras cos the track is quite hard on tyres. hembery told about it..
‘’We need about 20 more gears’’
yup
He needs a fast and furious gear box
Just call up Dom and his mad scientists.
The other side of that is that the best drivers will be rewarded for their precision and abilities. Lesser drivers wont be able to nail the perfect lap or will crash. I agree that driver safety should be kept in mind, but a track like COTA is dull for the opposite reason. So many run of areas drivers can make mistake after mistake and never get punished.
The narrow track is a problem?!
“The barrier there also looks particularly low and an airborne car could potentially damage the old walls. We certainly hope that doesn’t happen, but there are always these kind of worries. Because it’s F1, who knows what could happen?”
This is what i am concerned from the first day i saw the track. Hope nothing goes that bad.
Surely you could put in two 45 degree apex’s as opposed to a single 90 and tighten the outside? Or just a double apex?
Maybe put in an wide/open chicane 100m after a right angle turn that may requires a tiny lift off to see who can do it flat in the race and gain an advantage to the next corner?
Raise a couple of inside curbs to throw cars into the outside a la Wall of Champions?
Could put in a ‘Hammerhead’ style turn on the wider 90 degree turn?
Add some camber or a few Monaco bumps?
Overall the tracks looks okay - nothing more than as expected for F1. With a few changes it could be vastly improved (on paper anyways).
human rights shouldn’t have anything to do with this.
qatar? They just convicted another woman of adultary after she was drugged and raped on vacation.
Russia? don’t even really need to go into it there.
Singapore? no freedom of speech and prosecution of homosexuals for holding hands.
Malaysia? the usual Sharia law stuff, but with the bonus with a different set of laws for every ethnicity and religion - remember the 2007 bersih rally - oh yeah, and a little something called ‘preventatitve detention’.
Australia? yeah they are respecting the human rights of asylum seekers by detaining them on an island simply for showing up. Definitely.
China? yeah you have freedom of religious, as long as it’s one of the five recognised by the government. Not enough? oh yeah. tibet? Xinjiang? no human rights issues here…
Brazil? anybody remember when the military was in charge between 1974 and 1985? Yup, they’re STILL prosecuting people for that. A little distraction from the dozen journalist that were arrested during the Sao paulo protests.
What left..
USA, well there is nothing to see here is there, would never hurt a fly.. torture apparently isn’t okay here anymore either. Sure.
So azerbajan? Yeah terrible. Unthinkable. No freedom of media, no freedom of assembly… sounds like singapore so far. Forced evictions? well we have china trying to evict a whole province. Political prosecution? Brazil.. china.. russia.. mexico
You get the idea. Do you really wan’t to only race in countries vetted by the UN? you can find a human rights violation in most countries on the calander.
I WANT RACING. Leave the bloody politics out of it. God this kind of stuff grinds my gears. Yeah F1 would be great if we only ever raced at the same places, wouldn’t it. sarcasm
politics ruin everything mate ;/ thats bad part about global sports.
track isnt that bad. and hope to see nice racing. here will be real test who has more power. and also unpredictable race.
Australia isn’t doing anything wrong. look what happens to innocent people in western Europe when illegal immigrants are held within their borders. a government is supposed to have an obligation to protect its people and that is what Australia is doing. you don’t have a right to stay in a country you have entered illegally.
Lmao, I knew Brazil would be here.. proud of my country haha
#huezilian