Formula 1 driver: Track in Baku has many places for overtaking
By Rashid Shirinov
There is only one week left before Baku hosts one of the most spectacular sports events in the world this year – 2018 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The racers are making their last preparations, and some of them share their impressions from the last-year race and expectations from the race of 2018.
“Unlike other city tracks, you can outrun in Baku – there are a lot of places for overtaking, which Monaco and Singapore lack of,” Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull Racing team, who won the race in Baku last year, told F1News.ru on April 19.
He noted that the most difficult thing in Baku is braking: “There are many places where you need to slow down as late as possible, but you have no right to make a mistake. I would say that the most difficult thing is to find the limit during braking and keep this confidence.”
The Australian driver added that the track in Baku is fast: “The track in Monaco is not so high-speed, and passing the turns is more important there, while braking is more important in Baku.”
Speaking about 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ricciardo said that the race was ‘crazy.’
“Our team chose an amazing strategy and made several good decisions during the race. Rivals were making mistakes and I was outrunning them by catching the rhythm,” the racer said.
Another driver of Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen, in turn, expressed hope for a better performance in this year race compared to 2017.
“Last year, the race was unsuccessful for me. I hope this year I will be able to compensate for the missed opportunity,” he said.
The racer noted that the track section near the Maiden Tower is narrow and one needs to drive very accurately because modern Formula 1 cars are quite wide.
Verstappen further said that Baku is a nice city: “I have not been able to explore Baku yet, since the hotel is next to the paddock. I heard that the local cuisine is very tasty, and this year I will try it.”
2018 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held in Baku on April 27-29. The previous Formula 1 races, held in the city last two years, were highly appreciated by worldwide Formula 1 fans. The race in 2017 was rated as the race with the most exciting and most unexpected moments of the season in the world by fans and media representatives in surveys conducted around the world's leading media.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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