Almost a decade old now, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is part of the modern breed of Formula 1 street circuits. Set on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the anti-clockwise layout manages to combine some of F1's highest top speeds with a rather fiddly section through the old city, all of it lined with walls and barriers to punish mistakes. It's a low-downforce track, with mostly slow corners, similar to Montreal and Monza.
Despite the questionable record of the hosting country—something all too many F1 races can also offer, including now the three held here in the US—I have a soft spot for watching Baku, with its interesting mix of old and new architecture, and it usually puts on a good race. I particularly love the helicopter and drone shots that follow the action with a God's eye view, giving you a glimpse behind the building facades and into this city by the sea.
Friday's practice sessions gave the Ferrari-supporting Tifosi something to look forward to, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc topping the times for FP2. Hamilton, who has looked at sea this year after his switch to Ferrari, was made the bubbliest we've seen him all season when being interviewed on Friday, and his teammate Leclerc has four pole positions to his name at Baku, further stoking the hope.
Qualifying chaos
Pole was not in the cards for Charles Leclerc this year. Credit: Joe Portlock/Getty Images
Saturday's qualifying session didn't pan out for the red cars. A good time for Hamilton in Q1 was not matched in Q2, and the seven-time world champion, who is yet to step on the podium this year (other than his Sprint win in China), was knocked out in Q2 and relegated to starting 12th. His was not the only hard day that saw a record six red flags interrupt the session, which took more than two hours to complete.
Strong, random gusts of wind caught out plenty, suddenly changing grip levels and even braking points and littering the track with leaves and branches. Williams' Alex Albon clipped his front left wheel on the apex of turn 1 on only his second lap, ending his day almost before it started.