Following a four-week lull between races, the Formula 1 championship will return this weekend with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The drivers will take to the buzzing streets of Baku, a circuit known to cause havoc with its long main straight and tight looping section.
With the stark changes in the track, the teams also have to be clever with their set-up, either opting to prioritise downforce to counter the twits or reduce drag to maximise position on the straights.
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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen heads into the weekend eyeing his third win of the season after victories in Bahrain and Australia catapulted him to the top of the driver standings.
“It’s good to be back. It’s been a long break and I’m looking forward to getting back to racing,” he said in a team press release.
“Baku is a challenging track to get right. As it’s a street circuit with long straights, it gives us multiple options on what wings we can run.
“It’s also the first sprint race weekend of the season so that might make it slightly chaotic.
“We just need to try to get a good start into the weekend with a solid FP1 session. Let’s see what we can do.”
Baku will also host the first sprint of the season, alongside the debut of a revised weekend format.
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Under the new changes, there will be two action-packed qualifying sessions.
The first will take place following free practice 1, and will set the grid for the showpiece grand prix.
This will be followed by a shorter qualifying session the next day – penned the sprint shootout. This session will replace free practice 2 and will determine the line-up for the subsequent sprint.
Following the running of the sprint, world championship points will be awarded to the top eight finishers.
As the sprint will no longer have any impact on the grand prix – aside from potential grid penalties for driving infringements – it is hoped the changes will encourage drivers to engage in hard racing.
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