2024 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix preview: Europe’s final round

• Round 17 of the 2024 Formula 1 season gets underway this weekend in Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea
  
• The race is held on the 3.7-mile Baku City Circuit
• Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Franco Colapinto both crashed during practice

Round 17 of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship takes place this weekend in Baku, home of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The race is the final European round on the calendar, and its unique location, the Baku City Circuit, makes it one of the most popular with fans.

The Hermann Tilke-designed street circuit stretches 3.7 miles and features the key characteristics of a 1.3-mile straight and a long pit lining the edge of the Caspian Sea, coupled with some tight corners in Baku’s historic city center. Drivers change gears 64 times,  more than at any other circuit on the calendar.

The Baku City Circuit can be described as a mix of Monaco and Monza, because the section of track in the old town’s narrow maze of streets is similar to that of the principality, while the long straights and heavy braking zones are not unlike what’s found at the Temple of Speed in Monza’s Royal Park. No track on the calendar has more braking zones of over 2 g.

Downforce levels are among the lowest of the season, but Baku has no high-speed corners to put energy through the tires. The challenge for teams is to shave off as much downforce as possible, while ensuring the tires are worked hard enough to remain at optimal temperatures. Pirelli has nominated its three softest compounds, the C3, C4, and C5.

The weather forecast calls for fine conditions for both Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s race. The peak temperature will hover around 80° F.

A Friday practice session saw some drama with both Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams rookie Franco Colapinto crashing.

Going into the weekend, Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen leads the 2024 Drivers’ Championship with 303 points. McLaren’s Lando Norris is second with 241 points and Leclerc is third with 217 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 446 points. McLaren is second with 438 points and Ferrari is third with 407 points. Last year’s winner of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was Sergio Perez, driving for Red Bull.