Friday’s training sessions in Azerbaijan were relatively quiet by Baku’s standards, but after two hours of track action we only know enough to say that the race is still too close to be called up.
The balance of power ranged from Red Bull Racing to Ferrari throughout the day, but the Bulls are firm that they can pick up the top spot before qualifying, and if not then it looks like at least it looks strong in the race. .
But both teams are increasingly prone to succumb to technical gremlins, and both were affected again throughout practice by unreliable samples.
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Part of that was due to the rebound, which George Russell has had enough of. After talking about the health effects of the so-called car porpoise earlier this year, he wants F1 to step in and do something about it after most teams have had problems back in Baku.
THE FAVORITE OF THE POLE DE LECLERC, BUT THE PHOTO OF THE RACE IS VERY CLOSE TO BE CALLED
The first training sessions took place more or less as expected in Azerbaijan, with Red Bull Racing dominating the straights, but Ferrari recovering almost all this time in the twisted part of the middle of the circuit, although only enough to leave it at about 0.1 seconds of pace.
But the script was reversed in FP2. Ferrari switched to a lower drag configuration which, combined with some rear wing bending problems for RBR and in particular Max Verstappen, completely changed the power balance.
Leclerc not only took first place at the end of the day a quarter of a second over Sergio Pérez, but he was faster. everywhere around the track, so much so that he was the fastest of all in the first power-sensitive sector without losing any of his advantage around the fortress section. He even beat the Bulls in the speed trap.
But it may not be such a bad sign for the rest of the weekend.
On the one hand, the two RBR drivers believe they made configuration errors on Friday afternoon, the rectification of which could return the momentum in their favor. Verstappen, in particular, struggled to get a clean rating simulation, meaning the 0.245-second gap is probably at least a little exaggerated.
LeClerc en accióFont: AFP
A look at the pace of race simulation reveals a much closer picture.
Long-term averages (medium tire)
1. Red Bull Racing: 1: 47,995 (6 laps)
2. Ferrari: 1: 48.091 (6 laps)
3. Mercedes: 1: 49.053 (4 laps)
4. AlphaTauri: 1: 49.187 (4 laps)
5. Aston Martin: 1: 49.258 (5 laps)
6. Alpine: 1: 49.519 (6 laps)
7. McLaren: 1: 49.641 (hard, 3 laps)
8. Alfa Romeo: 1: 49,819 (3 laps)
9. Haas: 1: 50.360 (3 laps)
10. Williams: 1: 51,710 (3 laps)
Things looked even better for Red Bull Racing when they were worn with soft shoes, although the Verstappen race included only three representative laps thanks to the yellow flags.
Long-term tights (soft tire)
1. Red Bull Racing: 1: 47,457 (3 laps)
2. Ferrari: 1: 47,609 (5 laps)
Given that both teams will have a lot to do on Saturday as they hone their approaches to a difficult engagement track, it’s still too close to ask for it.
“Overall I think we look pretty decent,” Verstappen said. “It looks like Ferrari is back pretty fast in one lap; long throws seem a little more uniform, so it’s positive.
“Of course you don’t know the total grade of the tire, but I think we have enough information to see which direction we want to go with the tires.”
Getty Images – Picture of Mark Thompson / Getty ImagesFont
RELIABILITY PROBLETS BOTH TEAMS
There is also the issue of reliability to overcome, with both builders amassing a long list of critical issues in just seven rounds of racing.
Red Bull Racing battled Verstappen’s rear wing problems in early training. Not only did the rear wing assembly shake with the car when it reached a porpoise speed, but the DRS flap swayed when it was open.
It is now a long-running drama for Milton Keynes, which has come close to costing Verstappen victory in Spain.
“Obviously we’ve seen it,” Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports. “We have the data on that. to make modifications or adjustments.
It seems to be due to the team’s aggressive push to save weight, with an estimate of five pounds above the minimum.
“Weight is always a critical factor, obviously you’re chasing it all over the car,” Horner said. “There was a difference between the cars. We just have to look at the configuration and the rigidity of it, and hopefully we can overcome that.”
Ferrari had a brief moment of panic late when Leclerc reported a loss of power on the team’s radio which resulted in his power unit being switched to the wrong mode; it was easily rectified, but it certainly caused some bad flashbacks to his failure at the Spanish Grand Prix. a few weeks ago.
In fact, Haas team director Guenther Steiner began the weekend by saying he was concerned about the reliability of his Ferrari engine after Kevin Magnussen retired to Monaco with a water leak, and then to the first practice in Baku, Mick Schumacher’s car was thrown on the side of the track.
The Baku track is punishing for the engines given around three-quarters of the lap to wear out at full speed, and it’s no surprise that Red Bull Racing has launched new power units for both riders this weekend. Ferrari is in a different engine cycle, having experienced failed parts in each of its cars, and the last thing it needs is to throw it more out of rhythm with more problems.
Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFPFont: AFP
BOOM TIMES FOR PARACETAMOL TRADERS
The long explosion from turn 16 to the first turn widens the Baku city circuit directly to about 2.2 kilometers, and although most of the equipment seemed to lean towards low-power facilities , this flat explosion was more than long enough to However trigger the return of some serious porpoise.
The ground is super energized as it advances at 2200 meters at a pace and, regardless of the configuration of the rear wing, the aerodynamic force continues to accumulate until it touches the surface of the runway and touches the bottom, causing the bounce.
The effect is so strong in Baku that almost all the drivers suffered with it to some extent.
It was especially discouraging for Mercedes, who expected Monaco to be a mistake after they seemed to turn their backpack around with some improvements in Spain. Azerbaijan is still an unusual track at the far end of the calendar, but the team was so far from the pace – George Russell was eighth and Lewis Hamilton 12th, 1.3 seconds and 1.6 seconds slower than Leclerc respectively – that suddenly Barcelona seems more like a possible false dawn.
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Russell has had enough of the hellish bounce. Earlier this year he complained that it was so bad on the W13 that it hurt his chest, and more recently he was backed by Carlos Sainz, who argued that it was unsustainable for drivers to endure it twenty times a year. . to go for a run.
After seeing so many cars succumb to the dreaded porpoise, including those belonging to teams that had previously thought they had eliminated their rebound, Russell said it was time for Formula 1 to rewrite the technical rules to permanently eliminate the effect. .
“Cars are running so close to the ground,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then.
“I think it’s the same for everyone, and it’s not really comfortable to drive.
“I don’t know what the future holds for this era of cars, but I don’t see that we can do it, or I don’t think it’s right to run like that for the next four years or whatever.
“Conversations will be needed for all of us, because everyone is on the same boat, really.”
The heat usually seeps into these arguments once one driver or another says they are happy to accept the bounce in exchange for a fast car, but with Russell one of the directors of the Great Drivers Association Prize, you may have some legs if you take it seriously when initiating a discussion with the FIA.
Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFPFont: AFP
IN THE MIXED
There are several different ways to approach the configuration problem posed by Baku, and Alpine has committed early on to work with the lowest aerodynamic force configuration it has.
Equipped with a fitted rear spoiler, a new body and a revised floor, the French cars were the fastest in the speed trap at the end of the day, and Fernando Alonso drove his machine to fourth place in FP2.
Historically, the low-end setup has been rewarding for a one-lap pace, but not enough to protect the tire for the race, and Alonso noted that he lacked grip all Friday thanks to his set-up pace. car.
“Maybe low downforce is the way to go, but the car doesn’t feel so attached to the curves because of that level of downforce, and it’s an easy weekend to make a mistake,” he said.
“It seems fast today, so we’ll work overnight to make sure we keep that kind of pace tomorrow. We look fast on the straights and sometimes it’s a set-up commitment to that kind of circuit, but let’s see how we go tomorrow.”
Getty Images – Picture of Clive Rose / Getty ImagesFont
AlphaTauri seems to draw attention to this better commitment despite not having the headlines. Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda finished the day sixth and eighth, with the Frenchman only slightly slower than Alonso, but race simulation averages suggest that his car is doing a remarkably better job managing the tires, albeit for a while. shorter stage.
And then there is the Alfa Romeo, which seemed totally unimpressive all Friday despite having high hopes for a good result, but which is …