Azerbaijan’s round of the world championship takes place earlier in the 2018 F1 calendar than it did in the previous two seasons which means teams should expect lower temperatures this weekend. Race day will be the coolest of the three.
The Baku race was held in June last year and in 2016 (when its inaugural round was called the European Grand Prix). While June sees average daily temperatures in the 20-27C range, in April the average lows are below 10C, and a typical high around 16C.Conditions on the opening two days of this weekend are likely to be warmer than average for this time of year, therefore. Periodic outbreaks of sunshine will see air temperatures nudge towards 25C. Much of the track is covered by shadows from the large buildings it runs through, which can keep surface temperatures down.
However on race day conditions will change noticeably. The wind is expected to change direction and as well as bringing cool air the northern breeze will be quite a bit stronger.
This combined with heavier cloud cover will mean considerably cooler air temperatures, around 17C, and track temperatures should be lower too. In some ways this will be the reverse of what teams experienced in China, were the track became hotter on race day.
Teams won’t need to be too aggressive with their cooling packages for the race. But as we have already seen even a comparatively small change in track temperatures can make it tricky to get tyres into the correct operating window. That will become even more difficult for drivers if we get a spate of Safety Car periods as was the case last year.
For more updates on the track conditions during each session keep an eye on RaceFans Live and the RaceFans Twitter account.
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Vettel fan 17 (@)
26th April 2018, 7:55
I guess the quote cations breed cations will be shown on Sunday then.
Gary
26th April 2018, 9:44
“Earlier date means lower temperatures in Baku”
Insightful.
Loen (@loen)
26th April 2018, 10:43
Precisely…..Gary,
It will be very interesting this time to watch the warm-up lap
process, when suddenly the cameras switch from track to focus
on a large black car procession which will stop outside the
central circuit building to disgorge one shortish bloke with
a strange gait and lop-sided smile.
This bloke and his large, black suited entourage quickly
climb to a superior circuit viewing point where, in the
past a certain Bernard Charles of long white-haired fame
fawned and grovelled before this oddly sinister chap in
the ill-fitting black suit.
For some reason I simply cannot imagine any of Liberty’s
( and how appropriate that very title is ! ) senior execs
having any desire to be within half a million miles of
that scene. After recent events in the middle-east
and considering the home base of most of Liberty’s people
it will be a brief but interesting few moments for the
detached viewer.
I always switch on around this time, hoping to avoid
these distasteful images……but this time will be quite
different, I’m very sure of that.
Gary
26th April 2018, 13:26
I believe the grandiosely-mustachioed-one hung out with Vladimir last year, and he had no problem paling around with the strongman, errr, Prince of Bahrain. It comes with the territory since what Liberty purchased was the web of contracts comprising Formula One management.
Most interesting to see will be how these renewals play out and how they impact revenue. The legitimate, private sector plays, e.g., Silverstone, Spa, Austin, Monza, Germany, can’t make the numbers pencil and need a material reduction in their hosting fees. Advice from Liberty on how to hold a weeklong “SuperBowl” aren’t going to cut it.
Loen (@loen)
26th April 2018, 20:56
Gary, agree with nearly all you say, but particularly the your last
line. Liberty have to get to grips with a fact many of their board
will find hard to understand/accept. Most of the motorsport watching
world do NOT love banked ovals with cars and drivers endlessy going
round in circles. It’s all as boring as hell to most Europeans and other
sectors on this planet.
As for Liberty’s lead guy conversing easily with Putin, well he’ll be
extremely good at saying all the right things when it’s required, but
the larger political situation created by US/UK/France very well
judged interference in Putin’s personal chemical playground in
that Russia-created hell called Syria last week, plus recent events in
one of UK’s beautiful cathedral cities cannot be ignored by these
commercially highly sensitive execs. If they get it all wrong this
weekend, Liberty will quite possibly find itself in very hot waters.
I shall be watching with one eye on the race and t’other on the
knife-edge politics. We’ll talk again, perhaps…….
Strontium (@strontium)
26th April 2018, 11:59
More tyre problems all weekend then, especially in the race. How exciting
RB14
26th April 2018, 14:36
Less tyre problems surely? As thermal (read: heat) deg is the main issue with these tyres.
Nitzo (@webtel)
27th April 2018, 6:56
@strontium
Sarcasm ? Isnt this track known for less tyre wear ?
With cooler temps, it is going to be somewhat tough to maintain tyre temps, but is a one stopper possible ?
joe pineapples
26th April 2018, 14:49
Glad this is not one of the early morning races (U.K). Multiple race stoppages are a lot easier to swallow at a reasonable viewing time.