2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

For ease of use, there is one thread per grand prix where you can discuss everything during that specific GP weekend. You can find these threads here.
Locked
figo
1
Joined: 03 May 2017, 13:14

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Expectations about pole time?
In my opinion, Baku will be the only track of the calendar in which the pole time will not improve, because of heavier cars and increased drag due to halo device. Of course this year's cars have much more downforse, so i expect to be faster through corners, but probably the losses along that endless straight will not overcome the gains of the sector 1 and 2.
My guess is 1.41 flat and i expect a close fight between Mercedes and Ferrari with Red bull 0.5 behind.

User avatar
Big Mangalhit
27
Joined: 03 Dec 2015, 15:39

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

aral wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 13:39
I would be reasonably sure that the Ferrari team are fully aware as to how their car uses each type of tyre, and their strategists will have chosen the tyres that in their educated opinion, will work best for them.
except that when teams chose tyre allocation for this race they had not done a single lap with the new compounds (it was chosen before testing)
JPBD1990 wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 14:03
I agree that the tyre allocations are almost pointless at this point. All this means is Ferrari will run more ultras in practice, Vettel will run his one spare SS, raikkonen will run his one spare S - and the allocations will be exactly the same for the race, or at least they won’t be incumbered by the decision. As someone above said, likely 1 soft, 1 SS and ultras left for the race which gives them plenty of options.

Additionally, based on previous years, it’s likely the soft will be useless here.
Agree totally with first part. But I think the soft can be useful here. Remember tyres are one step softer this year, so the soft is the old SS. Which was the softest tyre anybody used in lasy year's gp

I think following recent trends they may try US-S

Monster Hesh
2
Joined: 10 Mar 2018, 16:19

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Slippery car and traction, Toro Rosso to shine again.

Gaz.
4
Joined: 24 Jul 2010, 09:53

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Monster Hesh wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 15:21
Slippery car and traction, Toro Rosso to shine again.
I do hope so. It's already a great season but STR is another feel good story.
Forza Jules

Hammerfist
0
Joined: 06 Apr 2017, 04:18

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

JPBD1990 wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 14:03
I agree that the tyre allocations are almost pointless at this point. All this means is Ferrari will run more ultras in practice, Vettel will run his one spare SS, raikkonen will run his one spare S - and the allocations will be exactly the same for the race, or at least they won’t be incumbered by the decision. As someone above said, likely 1 soft, 1 SS and ultras left for the race which gives them plenty of options.

Additionally, based on previous years, it’s likely the soft will be useless here.
I don't think it's pointless. Safety car likelihood is extremely high here. We saw last year that this was anything like a straight forward race, although the inaugural race was completely incident free. But I think it's good to have extra option tires imo. This race likely won't be a pole and win race.

User avatar
Chuckjr
36
Joined: 24 Feb 2012, 08:34
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Imo, Ferrari will do well this weekend. I see Merc continuing to struggle with their fickle car at a track that needs both low and high down force. I think Red Bull will do very well here as their chassis is the class of the field. This race may well be a championship reality check weekend for Lewis and Merc.
Watching F1 since 1986.

User avatar
F1NAC
163
Joined: 31 Mar 2013, 22:35

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Chuckjr wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 18:32
Imo, Ferrari will do well this weekend. I see Merc continuing to struggle with their fickle car at a track that needs both low and high down force. I think Red Bull will do very well here as their chassis is the class of the field. This race may well be a championship reality check weekend for Lewis and Merc.
What?

giantfan10
27
Joined: 27 Nov 2014, 18:05
Location: USA

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Chuckjr wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 18:32
Imo, Ferrari will do well this weekend. I see Merc continuing to struggle with their fickle car at a track that needs both low and high down force. I think Red Bull will do very well here as their chassis is the class of the field. This race may well be a championship reality check weekend for Lewis and Merc.
Class of the field based on what? brand new softs versus old worn out Mediums in the chinese GP?
this myth really needs to die quickly... this is no longer the blown diffuser era when funny enough it was the engine and engine maps that gave red bull their dominance and not some super duper secret mastery of aero.
Christian Horner is not a reliable source.

User avatar
godlameroso
309
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 21:27
Location: Miami FL

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

figo wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 14:25
Expectations about pole time?
In my opinion, Baku will be the only track of the calendar in which the pole time will not improve, because of heavier cars and increased drag due to halo device. Of course this year's cars have much more downforse, so i expect to be faster through corners, but probably the losses along that endless straight will not overcome the gains of the sector 1 and 2.
My guess is 1.41 flat and i expect a close fight between Mercedes and Ferrari with Red bull 0.5 behind.
1:39.8 because of the softer tires.
Saishū kōnā

User avatar
carisi2k
28
Joined: 15 Oct 2014, 23:26

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

giantfan10 wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 19:50
Chuckjr wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 18:32
Imo, Ferrari will do well this weekend. I see Merc continuing to struggle with their fickle car at a track that needs both low and high down force. I think Red Bull will do very well here as their chassis is the class of the field. This race may well be a championship reality check weekend for Lewis and Merc.
Class of the field based on what? brand new softs versus old worn out Mediums in the chinese GP?
this myth really needs to die quickly... this is no longer the blown diffuser era when funny enough it was the engine and engine maps that gave red bull their dominance and not some super duper secret mastery of aero.
Christian Horner is not a reliable source.
Of course red bull has the best chassis. It is 50hp down on Ferrari and Mercedes and is right on their coat tales in qualifying. Sure they had better tyres at china but Hulkenberg was also on new soft tyres at the end of the race and he couldn't do anything about the top 6 cars except Vettel who had damage to car and tyres.

Manoah2u
61
Joined: 24 Feb 2013, 14:07

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

Like last season, i'm expecting a good bunch of surprises here.

lots of crashes and chaos. surely not a vettel-ham incident will repeat, but i'm confident there will be misjudgements in overtaking and many incidents following.gasly and hartley might clash, sirotkin and stroll, and perhaps vettel and kimi? i'm actually expecting Bottas to outperform Lewis once again. i'm thinking there's another opportunity here for DannyRic and Max, but both of them might clash aswell. Instead, who knows - we might see Alonso or Sainz take a win.

that doesn't take away that i personally don't like the track at all. also think F1 doesn't belong there, especially with a government that is corrupt and tyrannic to innocent people, but hey, that's same goes for Bahrain, just to name one. And quite frankly, China too to be honest. A government that spies -literally- on their own people with billions of camera's and is planning to implement a 'social judgement' system not unlike that of a episode in 'The Orville' from all things. but i'll just focus on racing instead.
"Explain the ending to F1 in football terms"
"Hamilton was beating Verstappen 7-0, then the ref decided F%$& rules, next goal wins
while also sending off 4 Hamilton players to make it more interesting"

zibby43
613
Joined: 04 Mar 2017, 12:16

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

digitalrurouni wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 14:01
Ferrari have the 'sweeter' car and Mercedes has the 'diva'. I think Ferrari will walk this one.
If Mercedes goes from locking out the front row with a gap of over 1 second from P1 to P3 in qualifying to getting "walked" by Ferrari in 1 year, then I would also expect Mercedes to pull out of the sport permanently on Saturday night, because that would the epitome of embarrassment.

User avatar
Chuckjr
36
Joined: 24 Feb 2012, 08:34
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

F1NAC wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 18:46
Chuckjr wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 18:32
Imo, Ferrari will do well this weekend. I see Merc continuing to struggle with their fickle car at a track that needs both low and high down force. I think Red Bull will do very well here as their chassis is the class of the field. This race may well be a championship reality check weekend for Lewis and Merc.
What?
Let me rephrase.

Imo, if there was a Ferrari engine in the back of that RB, they would be leading the field. I think the RB chassis is that good.
Watching F1 since 1986.

Restomaniac
0
Joined: 16 May 2016, 01:09
Location: Hull

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

aral wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 13:39
I would be reasonably sure that the Ferrari team are fully aware as to how their car uses each type of tyre, and their strategists will have chosen the tyres that in their educated opinion, will work best for them.
Ferrari will have had no clue how their car treats the new compounds in 'anger' when they decided on this weekends tyre compounds.

User avatar
Mr. Fahrenheit
6
Joined: 02 Apr 2015, 16:28

Re: 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 27-29

Post

carisi2k wrote:
23 Apr 2018, 23:56
right on their coat tales in qualifying.
Ricciardo was a second slower than Vettel's pole lap in Bahrain. Calm it with the sensationalism :lol:

Locked