Azerbaijan GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE TEAM

Nico Hulkenberg - “It is still a new venue to Formula 1 which is exciting, we are still getting used to it. Going through the old town is cool with the narrow walls, but it takes time to learn the track. I am usually good at adapting quickly and learning new tracks and new lines. It is exotic and a bit different here. There are some cool looking, vintage houses around. The old castle brick wall has a blind entry which is unique, Monaco is spacious in comparison!

    There are some walls waiting for you so it is important to be quite brave. The viewing is good for fans and the speed is cool to watch. It is the fastest street circuit on the calendar. Overtaking will be possible with the long, DRS straights. There are a lot of tight, 90-degree turns matched with flat-out kinks, so I am looking forward to racing it. The castle complex of turns 8 to 10 will be especially close with the wider cars.

    It was obviously unfamiliar surroundings last year as we were all new to the track. But I had a positive weekend, qualifying in twelfth place before making up a couple of places in the race to come home in ninth with two points. I remember the first practice session last year and really enjoying the track as it was different and had a bit of everything. The weekend was pleasing so hopefully we can build on that this year, especially with our recent form.

Jolyon Palmer - “I think it is a cool track, there are some high-speed sections - especially for a street circuit - and overtaking is a possibility. The middle sector is busy and difficult with its undulation and the sector is extremely tight. Any mistakes on a street circuit tend to mean you are into the wall, so you have to be alert. It is wider than Monaco, apart from through the castle section. You’ve got to get as close to the walls as you can to open up the line and carry the speed through.

    I’ve loved street circuits ever since I drove Marrakesh in F2 and then Monaco in GP2. I’ve always got on well with them. I’m looking forward to getting back out on another city circuit and approaching it very differently to Monaco and building up a little bit more. It’s great when you’re so dialed in and you get close to the walls; that’s the best buzz for us. That is two eleventh place finishes in a row. I think in Baku we can at least be in the top ten, maybe top eight. We are doing well at the moment, we will keep going and I am feeling strong, I need to work on qualifying pace and being higher on the grid.

    It is going to be very hot and it is very windy in the city, so that could affect us as well. The wind affects the airflow over the car. We’ve had cars crash in the past because of a sudden, big gust of wind and these F1 cars are very sensitive. Race day in Canada was like that, it was very windy especially across the back straight! Baku is by the coast as well so you could get a bit of coastal wind coming in, according to my GCSE geography.

     It is always tricky getting to grips with a new circuit, it is very high speed and it brought a lot of challenges (last year). We now know where the bumps are and which gears to use. I qualified on the final row last year and managed to work my way up to fifteenth in the race. I think I put in the eighth fastest lap of the race which is very positive, I am looking forward to getting out there and building on that knowledge.”

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Azerbaijan GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Sauber

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAUBER F1 TEAM

Marcus Ericsson - “This will be our second trip to Baku – definitely an interesting location. It is a city track with long straights and interesting corner combinations, making it quite special. Last season, relatively high track temperatures had an impact on our tyre management. I expect that we will have similar conditions this year. As a team, our goal remains to make further progress in improving the performance of our car.”

Pascal Wehrlein - “I am really looking forward to getting back into the car in Baku. Last year′s race weekend in Azerbaijan was quite interesting for all of us, because it was the first time that a Formula 1 GP took place there. Finding the suitable car set-up for this track was a challenge to all of the teams. Due to the layout of the track, top speed and traction are the key factors for success.”

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Azerbaijan GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “Baku is a great city, and after the success of last year’s inaugural grand prix I’m really looking forward to going racing again in Azerbaijan. As a Baku Ambassador, I’ve spent more time there than a lot of my peers and colleagues, and it’s a really cool location to host a Formula 1 race. We literally drive straight through the centre of the historical old town and the old city walls make the perfect setting for this race in a new territory for the sport.

    After getting so close to scoring our first point in Canada and suffering another retirement, we go to Baku with even more determination, but it’s no secret that we expect to find this weekend tricky. After the power unit issues it’s likely we’ll need to take penalties, and the nature of the narrow, fast straights and tight corners means overtaking is generally tough. However, it’s certainly not impossible, and we’ll keep fighting as we always do.

    Baku City Circuit is the fastest street track on the calendar, so from a driver’s perspective it’s really exciting to be racing at such high speeds with the walls closing in on you either side. As usual, the starts are always one of the most crucial points of the race for us, so getting the set-up just right on Friday in time for qualifying on Saturday will be the most important thing.”

Stoffel Vandoorne - "I’m excited about racing in Baku for the first time. I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the simulator driving the track already – and I did last year too, to help the engineers prepare for a new circuit – so it doesn’t actually feel too unfamiliar.

    The circuit is a real mix of great characteristics from other tracks – high speeds and long straights but also close racing and heavy braking for the tight corners on the infield section of this street circuit layout. It has a bit of everything so there’s a lot for our engineers to work on. It’s heavy on fuel consumption and puts high loads on the ERS, so we’ll need to try to optimise our package to adapt to the demands that the weekend will throw at us.

    Canada was a disappointing race for the whole team, and we don’t expect Baku to offer us any particular surprises in terms of performance, but we’re learning all the time and working hard to get on top of our issues. We’ve already regrouped and we continue to look forward, and we’ll approach next weekend the same way we do every race weekend – fighting hard and trying to extract everything we can from the package beneath us.”

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Azerbaijan GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RED BULL RACING FORMULA ONE TEAM

Max Verstappen - "Baku in my opinion is quite a special street circuit, it’s really unique in terms of having quite wide sections but also some of the tightest parts of track on the calendar. Sector 2 is tighter than parts of Monaco which has always been regarded as really narrow and challenging. When you drive up into the old town and past the castle it is fun and tricky but also amazing to watch as a spectator. That section of the track is my favourite, the straight is quick but seems to go on for a long time and gives you a chance to relax a bit.

    As the hotel is really nice and new as well as being situated right next to the paddock I didn’t manage to get out and have a look around last year. The old town is fun to drive so I think I should try and get up there one evening this year and see what else it has in store.”

Daniel Ricciardo - "This year I want to try and see the city more and get out to explore. Our hotel is so convenient being basically on the circuit but it means you don’t go out of that area too much and become a bit complacent. The view from the top of our hotel was awesome, from the gym you could see the entire city and track which is pretty unique.

    The track was fun so I’m looking forward to having another go on it. Another street circuit is exciting for me as I really enjoy those types of tracks, it doesn’t suit our car that much but there are a lot of opportunities for things to happen. I think the circuit is definitely as tight as it looks and has a lot of corners unlike any others on the calendar. There are a few interesting lines past the castle which adds to the toughness and is definitely a section of track like no other. The straight is so long that it gives you time to think, which is nice as the corners are technical and you really need to concentrate.”

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Azerbaijan GP: Circuit Preview

AZERBAIJAN GP - CIRCUIT PREVIEW + 2016 STATS

Name: Baku City Circuit

Location: Azadliq Square, Baku, Azerbaijan

Opened: 2016

Length: 3.730 Miles

Capacity: 18,500

Runs: Anti-Clockwise

Turns: 20

Race Laps: 51

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Nico Rosberg

1st Place: Nico Rosberg

2nd Place: Sebastian Vettel

3rd Place: Sergio Perez

Retirements: Daniil Kvyat (Suspension), Carlos Sainz (Suspension), Pascal Wehrlein (Brakes) & Fernando Alonso (Gearbox)

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Azerbaijan GP: Track Schedule

AZERBAIJAN GP - TRACK SCHEDULE

June 22nd / Thursday

15:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

18:05 - 18:30 - Track Tour (F1 Experiences)

18:30 - 19:00 - Pit-Lane Walk (F1 Experiences)

19:00 - 20:30 - Pit-Lane Walk Only (3-Day-Ticket-Holders)

June 23rd / Friday

12:00 - 12:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

13:00 - 14:30 - Free Practice #1

15:40 - 16:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

17:00 - 18:30 - Free Practice #2

19:00 - 20:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

June 24th / Saturday

10:00 - 11:25 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:00 - 11:30 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

14:00 - 15:00 - Free Practice #3

15:05 - 16:40 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

17:00 - 18:00 - Qualifying

June 25th / Sunday

12:25 - 13:25 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:00 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:30 - Drivers Track Parade

15:45 - 16:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

16:45 - National Anthem

17:00 - 19:00 - Race

(Subject to change)

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Canadian GP: Race - Re-Cap & Results

CANADIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    It was quite a dramatic start to race day as there was trouble on the grid before the warm-up lap. Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso stalled with a gearbox malfunction while the rest of the cars had already started to head around the circuit. Kvyat failed to re-join his grid position before the first Safety Car line. Kvyat was then supposed to start from Pit-Lane but instead moved back to his original grid spot. The Toro Rosso driver was given a drive-through penalty and then an additional 10-Second-Stop-Go-Penalty as well as 2 penalty points on his license. 

    Once the race started, Lewis Hamilton pulled away from Vettel in the Ferrari, while Bottas was quick to follow his team-mate. Max Verstappen managed to get ahead of Vettel as well with a fantastic start. Further in the back, there was contact between three cars: Grosjean, Massa and Sainz.

    Carlos Sainz had attempted to move to the right side of the track and failed to see Grosjean coming up alongside of him. The two collided and Sainz was sent sliding into Massa. Both Sainz and Massa spun out and Sainz ended up in the barriers while Massa's Williams came to rest in the grass. Grosjean suffered front wing damage and pitted shortly after the accident. Sainz was given a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for the upcoming Azerbaijan GP and also 2 penalty points were added to his license. 

    Despite Verstappen's fantastic start, the Red Bull driver pulled over to the side of the track with a faulty battery on lap 11. His race was over. Mean while, team-mate, Ricciardo, was running up in 3rd behind Bottas and Hamilton.

     Kevin Magnussen was given a 5-Second-Time-Penalty and 2 penalty points to his license after overtaking under the Safety Car while the marshals were removing Verstappen's stricken Red Bull.

   In the later half of the race, after Raikkonen pitted, there was a tight 3-way battle between Ocon, Perez and Ricciardo for that last spot on the podium. Ocon had moved up to 5th following Raikkonen's pit-stop and was just under 2 seconds behind his team-mate. Perez was quickly catching Ricciardo and made multiple attempts to overtake the Aussie. As laps continued to fall away, Force India made the suggestion to Perez that he let Ocon by so Ocon could have a try at passing Ricciardo. Perez, however, insisted the team let him continue trying. There were no official team orders and they continued to battle it out on their own terms.

    Towards the end of the race, Kvyat reported vibrations coming from his engine. He went into the pits and took his penalties and then the pit-crew had trouble while changing his tyres. They then quickly attempted to place on another set, but by then he was told to stop the engine and they retired the car.

    By the final laps, both Ferrari drivers had caught up with the Force India duo and while Raikkonen had looked to be quick, he overshot the chicane and lost his pace due to overheating rear brakes. Sebastian Vettel, however, was able to overtake both Ocon and then Perez a few laps later.

    What looked to be McLaren's first points finish of the season with Alonso running in 10th, bad luck struck the team once more and the Spaniard retired on lap 68 due to an engine issue. Vandoorne managed to get to the end of the race but finished in 14th, just a handful of positions away from scoring any points.

    Lance Stroll finished his home grand prix and scored 2 points for Williams by crossing the finish line in 9th. It's quite a victory for the rookie, who had never driven on the circuit in prior years with other racing series.    

    Lewis Hamilton took home the win for Mercedes, followed by his team-mate, Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo who managed to hold on to that last podium position, despite Vettel being super close in the final laps.

    The teams can now look forward to heading to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

RESULTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points

2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points

3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points

4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points

5. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 10 Points

6. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 8 Points

7. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 6 Points

8. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / + 4 Points

9. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 2 Points

10. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 1 Point

11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

12. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

13. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

14. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

15. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / Mechanical Issue

RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Battery

RETIRED - Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / Collision

RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Collision

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Canadian GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

CANADIAN GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton took pole position and has equaled Ayrton Senna's total number of pole finishes in Qualifying. Afterwards, Hamilton, was given a race-worn helmet that Senna had used and emotions ran high in the Mercedes driver. He now only has one other driver to pass in most pole positions and that is Michael Schumacher.

    Sebastian Vettel will start Sunday's race from 2nd on the grid, while Hamilton's team-mate, Bottas, will start third. Raikkonen and Verstappen completed the top 5.

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

8. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

9. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France

10. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

11. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

12. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

13. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

14. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

15. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

16. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

17. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

18. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

19. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

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Canadian GP: Free Practice #3 - Re-Cap & Times

CANADIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    The third and final practice session ahead of qualifying was a Ferrari 1-2 with Sebastian Vettel posting the fastest time; a 1:12.572. Team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen finished just behind him with a 1:12.864. Hamilton, Verstappen and Bottas completed the top 5.

    Nico Hulkenberg has been finding good pace in his first season with the Renault Sport team and ended the session in 6th with a 1:13.493. Jolyon Palmer in the other Renault finished further back in 15th with a 1:14.102. Many rumours have been circulating around media that Palmer will be replaced over the Summer break. Sergey Sirotkin is said to be the top choice to take Palmer's seat.

    Another decent session for McLaren with both cars managing to get timed laps on the board without any engine failures. Alonso finished slightly higher up in 12th with a 1:13.885 while Vandoorne finished in 16th with a 1:14.228, just slightly off of Alonso's pace.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:12.572 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:12.864 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:12.926 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

4. Max Verstappen - 1:12.965 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:13.210 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

6. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:13.493 / Renault-Renault / Germany

7. Felipe Massa - 1:13.527 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

8. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:13.545 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

9. Esteban Ocon - 1:13.635 / Force India-Mercedes / France

10. Carlos Sainz - 1:13.667 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

11. Daniil Kvyat - 1:13.788 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

12. Fernando Alonso - 1:13.885 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

13. Sergio Perez - 1:13.956 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

14. Romain Grosjean - 1:13.994 / Haas-Ferrari / France

15. Jolyon Palmer - 1:14.102 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

16. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:14.228 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:14.392 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

18. Lance Stroll - 1:14.409 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:14.883 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:14.965 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

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Canadian GP: Free Practice #2 - Re-Cap & Times

CANADIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    It was Kimi Raikkonen this time around who set the fastest lap of the session, with a time that has been the quickest so far this weekend; a 1:12.935. Lewis Hamilton was the second fastest with a 1:13.150. Vettel, Bottas and Verstappen completed the top 5.

    Red Bull ran into multiple troubles with both cars suffering from mechanical issues. Daniel Ricciardo has a loss of power due to an engine failure and ended up needing it replaced. Max Verstappen stopped later on, causing the only red flags of the session. His issue ended up being gearbox-related.

    Carlos Sainz was back on track after his earlier engine failure in FP1. However, the Spaniard was under investigation for suspected impeding. Kevin Magnussen was investigated for this as well.

    Another good session for Force India with both cars finishing in the top 10. Ocon finished 8th with a 1:14.299 while Perez ended in 10th with a 1:14.501. In FP1, both cars also finished in the top 10 and they are looking to continue to set a good pace ahead of Qualifying.

    Fernando Alonso also got back on track following engine troubles in FP1. He finished this session in 7th with a 1:14.245. Team-mate, Vandoorne, finished further back in 19th with a 1:15.624.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:12.935 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:13.150 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:13.200 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:13.310 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

5. Max Verstappen - 1:13.388 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Felipe Massa - 1:14.063 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

7. Fernando Alonso - 1:14.245 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

8. Esteban Ocon - 1:14.299 / Force India-Mercedes / France

9. Daniil Kvyat - 1:14.461 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

10. Sergio Perez - 1:14.501 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

11. Romain Grosjean - 1:14.566 / Haas-Ferrari / France

12. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:14.604 / Renault-Renault / Germany

13. Carlos Sainz - 1:14.621 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

14. Kevin Magnussen - 1:14.676 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

15. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:15.072 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

16. Jolyon Palmer - 1:15.127 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

17. Lance Stroll - 1:15.240 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:15.611 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:15.624 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

20. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:16.308 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

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