From Formula One to Formula City The Azerbaijan GP lottery

The charm of the city circuits: Baku the hardest, New York the suggestion

the case

Stefano Mancini

SENT TO BAKU

Bringing Formula 1 to the public instead of the other way around. This is the slightly crazy and brilliant idea that the fathers of Formula 1 had. They started with Monte-Carlo in 1950 and thought it would be enough, along with a few other exceptions. The contemporary F1 bulimic revisits the format and blends it with tradition. The Azerbaijani Grand Prix is ​​in its sixth episode, but it remains a madness for technicians and drivers, so much so that no one has ever managed to win or start from pole position more than once. The reason? Part of the track climbs Munich-style into old Baku, then ends up on a record straight of 2.2 kilometers. The best solution is to prepare the cars with an unloaded set-up, suitable for high speed, and then let the drivers get by in the mixed section, where the golden rule of “citizens” applies: whoever makes a mistake ends up on the wall. The best come to caress the protective barriers, “but the problem is if you make love with them” summed up the late Michele Alboreto.

There are those who love the genre and those who prefer the traditional racetrack. Leclerc and Verstappen developed different tastes in childhood: one got to know the races from the balcony of his house in the Principality, the other breathed them between Zandvoort and Spa. “I love street circuits in general and Baku in particular is my favorite. – the Monegasque confesses at the end of a day of free practice which ended with the best time -. I love the challenge, in theory Red Bull is favored here, but I know we can win ». “I like the tracks where you overtake” is the opposite opinion of the Dutch world champion, who yesterday did not go beyond the third time behind his teammate Perez.

The preparation for the event also changes. «I increase the work on the simulator – says Leclerc -. It is not so much necessary to reproduce the reality that I will find on the track, as to find the right rhythm. The risk of error is part of the challenge ». At the first taste there were no accidents, except for some spins (Verstappen) and long ones (Leclerc and Sainz) in areas protected by few escape routes.

The first metropolis to host the Circus in recent times was Singapore in 2008: traditional in the layout, but with the absolute novelty of the night. In 2017 Baku arrived with its mixed-fast characterization, surpassed last year by Saudi Arabia, which in Jeddah staged the fastest city Grand Prix in history: 243 kilometers per hour on average, second only to 248 of Monza. This year Miami debuted in a facility built around the football stadium. Others will come: Las Vegas is scheduled for 2023, Qatar would like to abandon the racetrack to organize a city Grand Prix in Doha. And the suggestion of a race returns in the heart of New York. –

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