Audi Revolut F1 Team arrives in Baku with points finishes in five of the past six races, most recently Nico Hülkenberg’s tenth place in Madrid. That consistency has kept Audi in the midfield fight, although the margins remain narrow: Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 11th and 12th in Spain, just outside Q3.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix opens a run of three races in three weekends, with Malaysia and Singapore following. Baku’s street circuit can create opportunities through mistakes and interruptions, but Audi will need another clean weekend to take advantage. Hülkenberg is looking to extend the team’s scoring run, while Bortoleto will be aiming to turn his recent pace near the top ten into a points finish.
SCHEDULE
| DAY/DATE | ACTIVITY | TRACK TIME | CET | EST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 Sep | Practice 1 | 12:30-13:30 | 09:30-10:30 | 4:30 AM – 5:30 AM |
| Thu 24 Sep | Practice 2 | 16:00-17:00 | 13:00-14:00 | 6:00 AM -7:00 AM |
| Fri 25 Sep | Practice 3 | 12:30-13:30 | 09:30-10:30 | 4:30 AM – 5:30 AM |
| Fri 25 Sep | Qualifying | 16:00-17:00 | 13:00-14:00 | 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM |
| Sat 16 Sep | Grand Prix | 15:00 | 12:00 | 7:00 AM |
RACE INFORMATION
AUDI REVOLUT F1 | FORMULA 1 SERIES | OFFICIAL BAKU CITY CIRCUIT WEBSITE | GRAND PRIX EVENTS
CIRCUIT
BAKU CITY CIRCUIT
Baku City Circuit runs through the streets of Azerbaijan’s capital, combining a fast waterfront section with tight corners around the Icheri Sheher old town. At 6.003 km (3.730 miles), it is a long lap for a street circuit. The route passes close to the city’s medieval walls, where barriers leave little margin for a mistake.
The main straight along the shoreline offers a chance to slipstream and pass under braking for Turn 1, where the track is wide enough for cars to run three abreast. Elsewhere, the narrow castle section calls for precision and makes overtaking much harder.
That mix gives teams a setup decision: more downforce helps through the slow corners, while less drag improves speed along the straight. Qualifying position matters through the old town, but Baku’s long run to Turn 1 gives drivers a chance to gain places on Sunday.
Baku first hosted Formula 1 in 2016, when the race was called the European Grand Prix; it became the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the following year. This year’s race is scheduled for 51 laps, covering 306.049 km (190.170 miles). Charles Leclerc holds the race lap record of 1:43.009, set in 2019.
PIRELLI TIRE PREVIEW
The next triple header will get underway in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and home to one of the fastest and most distinctive street circuits on the calendar. The track is 6.003 kilometres long and features 20 corners, some of them at right angles, with highly technical sections through the old city and long straights where the cars reach very high speeds.
Some of the city streets that make up the circuit have been resurfaced. The work has affected sections of Turns 2, 3 and 4. The new asphalt, limited to specific areas, should not influence tyre behaviour which, as is often the case on street circuits, will initially be affected by rather low grip levels. Track evolution over the course of the weekend is instead expected to be significant, thanks to the progressive build-up of rubber on the surface.
For this event, Pirelli has selected the softest range of compounds: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. Last year, the selection was one step softer and included the C6 as Soft. However, that compound was not used in the race, as drivers preferred to extend their stints and retain greater strategic flexibility by relying on the C5 and C4. This year, the race weekend schedule has been brought forward by one day, with the first two practice sessions taking place on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday at 15:00 local time.
The asphalt, which is relatively smooth and not very abrasive, should result in very low levels of wear and degradation, making a one-stop race the most likely scenario. The C5 could prove capable of delivering particularly long stints, as seen recently at Monza, a circuit that shares some characteristics with Baku. By contrast, the Hard compound could be overlooked by many teams in the race.
Some graining may occur, particularly during the opening sessions when grip levels are still low, but it is not expected to be a decisive factor in terms of performance.
Despite being a street circuit, Baku places significant loads on the tyres due to the extremely long main straight and the many low-speed acceleration zones. It is a typical stop-and-go layout, where braking stability and the ability to maximise traction on corner exit are crucial. Aerodynamic efficiency is also particularly important and a car with low drag could enjoy a clear advantage.
One of the most interesting tyre-related aspects will be temperature management. The very long full-throttle section linking the final corner to the first promotes tyre cooling, aided by developments in wheel rim design. This phenomenon could increase the risk of lock-ups under heavy braking, particularly on the front axle.
Ambient temperatures could also help keep tyre overheating under control. Despite the generally warm climate, the buildings lining the circuit create numerous shaded areas, limiting any rise in track temperature.
TEAM RACE PREVIEW
Audi Revolut F1 Team is ready to tackle the streets of Baku, as the championship heads overseas for the final part of the season. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks the start of an Asian triple-header that will test the team’s mental and physical resilience, with Malaysia and Singapore following over the next two weekends.
After adding another point to its tally in Madrid, the fifth occasion in the last six races in which the team finished in the top ten, Audi Revolut F1 Team will be aiming to continue its progress in the streets of Baku.
TEAM QUOTES
Allan McNish, Racing Director: “Madrid was another encouraging weekend for us, and I was pleased with how the team operated. We maximised our potential, and another point was a good reward for that effort: now we need to keep moving in that direction. Baku is the first of three races in a row, so it will be a busy few weeks for everyone – not least because they are three heavily physical races for both drivers and crews. Our focus will be on doing our job well, continuing to improve and putting ourselves in the best possible position to be in the fight for more points.”
Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27): “We’ve been consistently fighting around the points over the last few weekends, and that’s where we want to stay. Baku is one of those circuits where things can change quickly, so if we put everything together and have a clean weekend, there should be opportunities. What we can expect is for the battle around our positions to be quite close, as in the previous rounds, so we will need to execute well.”
Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5): “Madrid wasn’t the easiest weekend for me, but we were close to Q3 once again and our pace was quite good, so I’m keen to pick up where we left off. We have been fighting very close to the points recently, and we know our car has the potential to get into the top ten, so the aim is to keep pushing in that direction. We usually see some really interesting racing in Baku, and I’m ready to get back in the car and see what we can do.”
PHOTO GALLERY
