Guide to everything you need to know ahead of 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as F1 heads to Baku.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen enters this race as the championship leader with a nine-point lead over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, although Sergio Perez is now just 15 points off the title lead following his victory in Monaco last time out.
Azerbaijan however will pose a difficult challenge with the race yet to produce a two-time winner never mind a consecutive winner, which will throw up a difficult challenge for the following previous winners; Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Now here is a guide to everything that you need to know ahead of 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from timings to track details plus more.
Track Guide
Circuit: Baku City Circuit
Laps: 51
Race Distance: 306.049km
Tyre Selection: C3, C4 & C5
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST) |
| Friday 10 June | FP1 | 12:00pm |
| Friday 10 June | FP2 | 3:00pm |
| Saturday 11 June | FP3 | 12:00pm |
| Saturday 11 June | Qualifying | 3:00pm |
| Sunday 12 June | Race | 12:00pm |
Five Key Pointers
- Baku City Circuit requires less downforce than Monaco so expect to see Red Bull back on a more competitive footing against Ferrari in one-lap pace after lacking slightly in Monaco.
- Having endured a frustrating Monaco GP weekend, Mercedes will be looking to bounce back and rediscover their form from Spain coming into this race.
- With high temperatures forecast across the weekend, it is crucial to manage the in-car temperatures and cooling with particular focus on Mercedes after their heating issues in Spain.
- Baku City Circuit has been a bogey circuit for McLaren who have only got three cars into Q3 in five previous visits – of which two of those three appearances were for Lando Norris in 2019 & 21.
- Red flags are a common theme around Baku City Circuit so maximising on-track time will be crucial for gathering data, particularly given the potential for session-ending incidents at any moment.
Last Time Out
Leclerc began last year’s race from pole position but lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton at the end of Lap Two, although a hold-up during his first pit stop saw him concede the lead to Verstappen and Perez.
Sudden tyre failures for Lance Stroll and Verstappen mid-race eventually led to a red flag on Lap 48 in order to enable safe clearance of debris, whilst ensuring everyone got a free tyre change for safety reasons without pit-lane chaos.
On the standing grid restart, Perez lost the lead to Hamilton but the Brit locked up at Turn One and could only finish 15th, as Perez took his second F1 victory with Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly rounding out the podium.