during the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 11, 2017 in Montreal, Canada.
For Fernando Alonso, narrowly missing out on his first points of the season in the Canadian Grand Prix ten days ago was gut wrenching to say the least, but he has put all that behind him and is now looking ahead to what should be a very interesting weekend for McLaren Honda.
“After getting so close to scoring our first point in Canada and suffering another retirement, we go to Baku with even more determination, but it's no secret that we expect to find this weekend tricky. After the power unit issues it's likely we'll need to take penalties, and the nature of the narrow, fast straights and tight corners means overtaking is generally tough. However, it's certainly not impossible, and we'll keep fighting as we always do.”
With the new generation of higher-downforce racecar breaking track records at every circuit visited thus far in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship, this weekend's venue, the Baku circuit in Azerbaijan could buck that trend because the track only hosted its first grand prix last year when the lower-downforce cars of the previous era produced significant straight-line speed.
The higher-downforce cars of today aren't as quick in a straight line, but thanks to a wider front wing, larger barge boards, a lower and wider rear wing, a taller and wider diffuser and tires 25-percent wider than last year, these current-generation Formula One cars dart through corners at speeds never seen before this year.
“Baku is a great city, and after the success of last year's inaugural grand prix I'm really looking forward to going racing again in Azerbaijan. As a Baku Ambassador, I've spent more time there than a lot of my peers and colleagues, and it's a really cool location to host a Formula 1 race. We literally drive straight through the centre of the historical old town and the old city walls make the perfect setting for this race in a new territory for the sport.”
With 20 turns built into Baku City Circuit, drivers will test the boundaries of the world's fastest city circuit in an effort to make up the lost speed on the two main straights – the 2.2-kilometer (1.367-mile) main straight along the promenade and a 1-kilometer (.621-mile) stretch that takes drivers away from Azadliq Square.
“Baku City Circuit is the fastest street track on the calendar, so from a driver's perspective it's really exciting to be racing at such high speeds with the walls closing in on you either side. As usual, the starts are always one of the most crucial points of the race for us, so getting the set-up just right on Friday in time for qualifying on Saturday will be the most important thing.”