ROUND 15 | AZERBAIJAN

Weaving through the City of Winds

GRAND PRIX REACTION
Baku Saturday header portrait

The triple header began in Azerbaijan, with the Grand Prix taking place on Saturday, 24 hours earlier than usual.

Keep reading to get the full reaction of our team.

  • Heading into the race, the wind had dropped and conditions were warmer than they had been during Qualifying.

  • After taking grid penalties for new PU components, Fernando and Lance began from P21 and P22 respectively on the C5 compound – this weekend's Soft tyre.

  • A water pressure issue for Lance meant he had to stop the car after 7 laps.

  • On Lap 20, Fernando retired from the race after losing speed on the straights.

  • The team will work on investigating both issues.

  • Meanwhile in Formula 2, Mari Boya claimed P6 in the second Feature Race, securing eight points.

  • The triple header continues with the Bahrain Grand Prix, taking place in Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit, from 2-4 October.

THE LATEST FROM THE TRACK

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    21ST

  • Fastest lap

    1:48.547 (MEDIUM)

  • Laps

    22

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    320.0

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    19TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:47.835 (MEDIUM)

  • Laps

    24

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    320.3

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
We'll work on improving the car tonight and hopefully put ourselves in a better position tomorrow.

"We got some laps in today and learned what we could, so we'll work on improving the car tonight and hopefully put ourselves in a better position tomorrow.

"We know we're struggling for pace, and with the penalties for the new power unit components, we'll be starting from the back of the grid. We'll focus on getting the most out of the weekend and hopefully putting ourselves in a position to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way."

  • Postion

    21ST

  • Fastest lap

    1:47.403 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    24

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    309.3

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    22ND

  • Fastest lap

    1:47.889 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    9

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    311.3

Mike Krack
MikeKrack
We can take some learnings from today's practice sessions.

"We can take some learnings from today's practice sessions, but we knew this would be a track that we would struggle at compared to our competitors.

"We agreed with Honda this weekend would be the better place to take some new components and so we took that decision. Fernando's car had a suspected oil leak halfway through FP2 which limited his running.

"We will check everything overnight and look to fix things in time for tomorrow's final practice session."

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
  • Postion

    22ND

  • Fastest lap

    1:49.279 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    9

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    305.5

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
  • Postion

    20TH

  • Fastest lap

    1:46.512 (SOFT)

  • Laps

    19

  • Max. speed (KM/H)

    313.4

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
We are struggling with power here, but also downforce.

"We are struggling with power here, but also downforce. It's the car we have; it's not easy to drive.

"We are trying to put everything together, but there aren't a huge number of positives to take from today.

"We are starting from the back of the grid with the penalties, so we will just have to hope some opportunities come our way."

  • Q1

    1:47.337 – 21ST (SOFT)

  • Laps

    9

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    301.7

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
We will try to keep on improving and learn as much as we can about the car in the race tomorrow.

"It was tricky with the windy conditions today, but this is typical here in Baku and it was the same for everyone.

"I was happy with my performance and with the overall balance of the car today compared to yesterday. We are losing a lot of lap time on the straights and so I think it will make the race difficult for us.

"We will try to keep on improving and learn as much as we can about the car in the race tomorrow."

  • Q1

    1:46.593 – 19TH (SOFT)

  • Laps

    9

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    316.9

Mike Krack
MikeKrack
It was always going to be a tough circuit for us, but we will do our best to compete with the cars around us tomorrow.

"A busy Q1 session with both drivers dealing well with the traffic to get a clean lap on the board. They did two runs each, on the Soft tyres, although Fernando had to abort his final attempt.

"We ended the session in P19 for Fernando and P21 for Lance, but the grid penalties [for new PU components] will drop us to the back of the grid.

"It was always going to be a tough circuit for us, but we will do our best to compete with the cars around us tomorrow."

Fernando Alonso
14
FernandoAlonso
We knew this weekend wasn't going to be a strong one for us and it proved to be the case.

"Unfortunately, we had to retire the car as we seemed to be losing a lot of time on the straights and so we need to analyse this further.

"We knew this weekend wasn't going to be a strong one for us and it proved to be the case. It's where we are right now and let's see if we can have a stronger weekend in Malaysia."

  • Position

    DNF

  • Started

    21ST

  • Fastest lap

    1:50.968 (Lap 15) (SOFT)

  • Pitstops

    1

  • Tyres

    Soft

  • Laps

    20

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    321.0

Lance Stroll
18
LanceStroll
The focus is on improving these issues for the upcoming races.

"We had a water pressure issue, so I was told to stop the car.

"It's been another tough week, but we know the situation we are dealing with this year. There aren't many positives to take away.

"The focus is on improving these issues for the upcoming races and as we look further ahead to 2027."

  • Position

    DNF

  • Started

    22ND

  • Fastest lap

    1:51.723 (Lap 7) (SOFT)

  • Pitstops

    0

  • Tyres

    Soft

  • Laps

    7

  • Max. speed (km/h)

    321.5

Mike Krack
MikeKrack
We will analyse and regroup in time for our visit to Sepang next week.

"There was not a huge amount to fight for today with our pace on this circuit.

"Lance's race ended early on Lap 8 with a water pressure issue and we asked him to stop the car.

"Fernando reported suspected PU issues and was losing some time on the straights before he retired on Lap 20.

"We will analyse and regroup in time for our visit to Sepang next week."

A decade of racing in the Land of Fire

It's 10 years since the Baku City Circuit first welcomed Formula One, for a Grand Prix that has gone from strength to strength in the intervening decade. Features like the longest full-throttle section in F1 and the narrowest corner have moved from being novelty talking points to simply elements of racing in Azerbaijan, supplanted by a wealth of stories from a street race with a reputation for drama.

We had a tough weekend in Madrid, but have a chance to bounce back here at a circuit where both drivers have done mighty things in the past. It's also a Baku debut for Mari, coming on the back of points in the Madring Sprint, racing here in Azerbaijan for the first time, with Formula 2 coming out on the road as its season approaches the end-game.

RACE STARTS IN:

00days
00hrs
00mins
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Official Timing Partner
Session Times
FP1
FP2
FP3
Quali
Race
Track map
  • Sectors
  • Turns
  • Straight Mode
  • Overtake Mode
The castle section is the tightest on the F1 calendar and you have to really thread the needle. It's one of the coolest moments of the year.
Jak Crawford – Third Driver
  • Number of corners
    20
  • Number of laps
    51
  • Race distance
    306.049km
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