Spherical 4 of the 2023 Method 1 World Championship takes place this weekend in Baku, dwelling of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The weekend will mark the primary working of a revised Dash race, which has been made a standalone occasion relatively than the qualifier for the primary race, as was beforehand the case. It nonetheless has championship factors on the desk for each drivers and groups, although.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is held at Baku Metropolis Circuit, a Hermann Tilke-designed avenue circuit that stretches 3.7 miles and options the important thing traits of a 1.3-mile straight and a protracted pit lining the sting of the Caspian Sea, coupled with some tight corners in Baku’s historic metropolis heart.

The circuit could be described as a mixture of Monaco and Monza, as a result of the part of monitor within the outdated city’s slender maze of streets is just like that of the principality, whereas the lengthy straights and heavy braking zones aren’t not like what’s discovered on the Temple of Pace in Monza’s Royal Park.

Baku Metropolis Circuit, dwelling of the Method 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Downforce ranges are among the many lowest of the season, however Baku has no high-speed corners to place power by the tires. The problem for groups is to shave off as a lot downforce as potential, whereas guaranteeing the tires are labored onerous sufficient to stay at optimum temperatures. Pirelli has nominated its three softest compounds for the race: the C3 because the White onerous, the C4 because the Yellow medium, and the C5 because the Pink tender.

The climate forecast requires advantageous circumstances however contemporary asphalt at Baku will present a brand new studying curve to take care of this weekend.

With the revised Dash race and its related Dash Shootout qualifying session taking over Saturday, the normal qualifying session for Sunday’s important race now takes place on Friday.

Going into the weekend, Pink Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship with 69 factors. Fellow Pink Bull driver Sergio Perez is second with 54 factors, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is third with 45 factors. Within the Constructors’ Championship, Pink Bull leads with 123 factors, versus the 65 of Aston Martin and 56 of Mercedes-Benz AMG. Final 12 months’s winner of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was Verstappen, driving for Pink Bull.