The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team is heading out to the fourth round of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Azerbaijan, which takes place on the Baku Street Circuit this weekend, looking to recapture the success they enjoyed Bahrain and put behind them a very poor showing last time out a week and a half ago in Shanghai.
It will be the first race of the season to take place on a proper city circuit – one that challenges the participating teams in terms of tyre management and finding the right set-up that will allow them to extract the maximum performance of their cars on long straights and narrow turns.
Sauber’s two drivers, Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc, return to Baku with good memories from their respective races in 2017. While Ericsson finished in eleventh place in the 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Sauber-Ferrari, Charles Leclerc enjoyed a lot of success in the FIA Formula 2 races there, in which he finished with one win and one second place.
The first Grand Prix of Azerbaijan was hosted at the Baku City Circuit in 2016. The city track, located in the country′s capital, is 6.001 km long and was designed by the well-known architect Hermann Tilke. This year the race will be 51 laps (306.051 km).
Baku is one of three city races on this year′s F1 calendar, the others being Monaco and Singapore. Long straights allow high top speeds, but also require good traction, braking, and tyre management. Part of the track surrounds Baku′s old town.
Alfa Romeo has returned to Formula 1 this year after an almost three-decade absence, albeit this time in the role of the title sponsor of the Swiss-based backmarker Sauber team which is however running 2018-specification Ferrari engines in this year. This will be Alfa Romeo’s fourth race since that branding return and the first street race.
Marcus Ericsson: “The race in Baku will be our first street race of the season. It is quite a cool track, with a good mix of high-speed sectors and challenging corners. What is special about the track is that it features some twisty parts, mainly around the castle. The track is very narrow there, and you must be very precise as a driver. Another challenge will be to set up the car to suit the demands of the circuit. Tyre management will be a key factor, as the degradation of the tyres is quite high during the race. I look forward to going to Baku, and continuing our strong performance from the first three races of the year.”
Charles Leclerc: “I look forward to going back to Baku. I had a strong race there last year, when I was competing in Formula 2 and feel quite comfortable on the Baku City Circuit. I particularly like city tracks. They are challenging for drivers, as you cannot afford to make any errors. The atmosphere there is great, and the view of the old town and castle is spectacular. It will be interesting to learn about the tyre management during the practice sessions. This will prepare us for the challenges of this circuit and allow us to work on finding the right set-up and perform well in the race. I’m excited to be back in the car.”
Photos: Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team - 2018 FIA F1 World Championship
