With Lewis Hamilton topping the charts in the 2016 European Grand prix being held at the first ever grand prix in Azerbaijan, many variables still remain unanswered after Friday practice.
A brand new street circuit constructed to host the return of the European Grand Prix, the Baku City Circuit has seen its share of unknowns as the Formula 1 Grand prix is currently taking place for the first time in the region.
Before the cavalry arrived at Baku, some of the drivers had flown in early to have a closer inspection of the newly laid street circuit in Baku. But Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg weren’t shy in voicing their thoughts about the track on the ground of safety. Rosberg has reportedly claimed that F1 has regressed in terms of safety in reference to the design of the new track.
Most drivers were concerned about the lack of run of areas and the narrow chicanes through turns 8 to eleven. In addition to that, some of the asphalt has been laid with a temporary foundation over cobblestones, so that they can be removed after the grand prix. But concerns about its reliability still looms in the dark. Flying debris as was also found falling into the race track which could cause some serious damage to cars during the course of the rand prix.
Most drivers were seen diving into the run off areas at Turn 1, 3, 8 and 15 leaving to some cars having to reverse back onto the live race track. This also rings some alarms as if the manoeuvres will have to be made during the race, how can the organisers ensure safety as there is no regulation restricting the move?
Pirelli have also voiced concerns with their tyres as they had earlier stated that the ultra soft tyres compounds were designed for the street circuits. But Pirelli have decided to bring the medium, softs and super soft options for the Baku Street Circuit. Pirelli are also worried about standing waves issue on the long Baku straights which could cause tyre failures in extreme cases, similar to the ones suffered by Sebastian Vettel in Spa last year.
In terms of pace, the Mercedes duo have the upper hand on the brand new track by quite margin. Possibly because they are the only team who are using a low downforce rear wing to help them on the long straights. Where as Ferrari and Red Bull are struggling to not just keep up with the Mercs, they are also having a tough time finding pace as as well. In fact, the top five spots in Free Practice 2 saw Mercedes powered cars dominate the field with Red Bull trailing behind and Ferrari retiring both cars from the session with a possible issue with the MGUK kinetic energy recovery system. if the struggles for the two teams remain, it might just be a race between Mercedes, Williams and Force India for the European grand prix.
The new Baku City Circuit seems to be a track where overtaking will be a challenge. It is possible that a safety car is inevitable for Sunday’s race due to the nature of the track. But it remains to be seen if Baku will deliver pure unhampered racing like Barcelona and Canada or prove the critics right.
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