track record FORMULA 1 SOCAR AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2019
FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
The Singapore Grand Prix™ is a truly special race, in a place that’s like nowhere else on earth. It stands out as the only regular night race on the Formula One™ calendar. It also takes place on a floodlit street circuit, where sharp twists and turns are plentiful.
The fact that said street circuit is in the city-state of Singapore - where giant vertical gardens stand alongside huge futuristic skyscrapers - only adds to the allure. In other words, it’s a must-visit for F1™ fans and travel-lovers alike.
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THE TRACK RECORD FORMULA 1 SOCAR AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 26 -28 APRIL 2019
Editor Rob Burley Photography James Moy www.jamesmoy.com Editorial Giles Richards (Guardian News & Media Ltd) Contact www.trackrecordmagazine.com/contact Instagram traveller.rob
This publication is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula One group of companies. F1, FORMULA ONE, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing B.V.
THE TRACK RECORD
THE GRID Valtteri Bottas beats Lewis Hamilton to Azerbaijan pole 2 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES
3 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI
4 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA
5 11 Sergio Perez RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES
6 26 Daniil Kvyat SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA
7 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN RENAULT
8 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI
1 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES
9 55 Carlos Sainz MCLAREN RENAULT
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THE TRACK RECORD
10 3 Daniel Ricciardo RENAULT
11 23 Alexander Albon SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA
12 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI
13 18 Lance Stroll RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES
14 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI
15 27 Nico Hulkenberg RENAULT
16 63 George Russell WILLIAMS MERCEDES
17 99 Antonio Giovinazzi ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI
18 88 Robert Kubica WILLIAMS MERCEDES
19 7 Kimi Räikkönen ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI
20 10 Pierre Gasly RED BULL RACING HONDA
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The Azerbaijan Grand Prix, scene of some dramatic racing for the past two seasons, fell with barely a whimper to the flawless perfection of what appears to be an unstoppable Mercedes juggernaut. For the winner, Valtteri Bottas, there was pleasing redemption after a puncture cruelly denied him last year and, with his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, taking second, Mercedes have now secured four successive one-two finishes. It is the most successful start to a season in the sport’s history, concluded with flawless control to tame the streets of Baku.
Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari with Max Verstappen in fourth for Red Bull. Vettel’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, who had started from eighth after crashing in qualifying, made a valiant effort on an alternate strategy to come through to take fifth. The Monegasque driver’s
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THE TRACK RECORD
run caught the attention as Bottas, Hamilton and
Mercedes. “It means a lot to win,” he said. “It’s
Vettel were unable to challenge one another out in
incredible the level we’re performing at as a team.
front but it is the bigger picture that Ferrari must
that’s why I was saying to the guys I’m so proud to
consider as Mercedes leave Azerbaijan having now
be part of that. We’re all performing really, really well.
proved untouchable in three of the four races this
It’s only my fifth win and it feels good and payback
season. In Bahrain Leclerc was set to win before a
from last year.”
mechanical problem pushed him down the field. Ferrari had appeared to be the form team of the Having surpassed Williams’ record of three one-twos
field in pre-season testing but have since been
in opening the 1992 season, Bottas praised
overwhelmed as their pace has not re-materialised
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THE TRACK RECORD
and Mercedes have repeatedly had the advantage.
Indeed, it was enough for the Finn to retake the
Hamilton confirmed he felt Ferrari had yet really to
championship lead from Hamilton over whom he
compete.
now has a one-point advantage. Unfortunately it looks increasingly in danger of turning into a two-
“We are delivering on a very, very high percentage,”
horse race as Vettel dropped further back, now 35
he said. “Both Valtteri and I are both delivering on
points behind Bottas.
the laps. Our team are pumping on all cylinders, they [Ferrari] are not. If they start pumping on all cylinders
Ferrari had brought aerodynamic upgrades to
and start delivering, then we will have much more of
Azerbaijan and, with a straight-line speed
a fight.”
advantage, had expected to be strong here. But as they have done so many times before, Mercedes
Bottas’s victory, after his win at the opening round in
were able to find extra in qualifying and the race.
Australia and second places in Bahrain and China,
With F1 now coming to Europe, where Mercedes will
continues what has been his strongest start to a
bring upgrades of their own, they are very much on
season. He has issued stern notice to Hamilton that
the front foot while Ferrari need to find a step
he will face a real fight and that he intends to take a
forward. They are confident the car has the capability
shot at the title.
but, if it is not unlocked soon, the championship will have gone.
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THE TRACK RECORD
Vettel believes the difference between them was largely down to making the tyres work and remarked on the frustration at not being able to challenge. “It’s boring, isn’t it?” he said. “We have to work harder, work better, they are doing phenomenally well. I know we can improve, I think we have a good car we just haven’t managed yet to put it where it belongs. I am sure it is going to turn around.”
Baku had produced dramatic qualifying but the race proved an uneventful battle at the front, the key moment coming at the start. Bottas and Hamilton went wheel to wheel with inches to spare through the first two corners but the Finn held his nerve and his line to maintain his lead. It was breathless stuff and, while Hamilton said he might have been more aggressive in squeezing his teammate, both drivers kept it clean as the walls loomed over them.
Having held his place from pole, Bottas put in a confident drive to secure victory. Hamilton stayed with him throughout, as largely did Vettel but neither had a shot at the lead. Crucially, once again Mercedes executed flawlessly. The team are operationally at an exceptional level and, with the habit of winning, show no sign of dropping the ball.
Having expected to be chasing Ferrari, to conclude the opening four flyaway races with two victories apiece for Bottas and Hamilton is an opening
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Mercedes could not have imagined. All that separates their drivers is the single point for fastest lap the Finn scored in Australia. Their fight is finely poised but Ferrari simply must find their way into the fray at the next round in Barcelona.
Sergio PÊrez took a strong sixth for Racing Point with his teammate Lance Stroll doing well in ninth. McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris also turned in impressive runs for seventh and eighth, with Kimi Raikkonen in the Alfa Romeo in tenth.
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FIRST 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES
"This victory feels really good. When you’re starting from pole, you hope for a straightforward race – the less drama, the better it is. I didn’t have the greatest start; after the wheelspin in China I was maybe just a little too cautious. Lewis had a better start so we went side-by-side into Turn 1 and 2; it was good, respectful racing between the two of us and I’m glad I could pull up in front of him. Lewis was very quick today and was able to put on some pressure at the end of the race, so I had to make sure to not make any mistakes. I’ve already said it on the radio after the race: ‘ What a team!’ The level at which everyone is performing at the moment is very impressive, both here at the track and back at the factory, and I’m really proud of everyone. We need to make sure we keep delivering at this level." gptraveller.co.uk
THE TRACK RECORD
SECOND 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES
"This is a great result for the team. I think this
it tough to catch him up. But those are all ifs
team is stronger than it’s ever been and it’s all
and buts; Valtteri drove a great race and
down to teamwork. Both Valtteri and myself
deserved the win. It was great that the team let
are pushing the boundaries of the car and are
us race though. I’ll work hard to bounce back
delivering, as are the team in the pitstops, the
and pick up the performance for Spain. "
engineers, and everyone back at the factory. I don’t think we have ever performed at this level before and I’m really grateful for all the hard work from everyone. Baku is not my strongest race, it’s always been difficult for me. I came close to the win today, but not close enough. I didn’t get the job done in Qualifying and then I was a bit too cautious at the start. I also had an issue with the VSC and that made
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THIRD 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI
“That was fun driving today, although not so much in
alright today, but not good enough. The whole team
the first stint when I couldn’t get the tyres to work
is working to the maximum and so I feel confident. I
and I didn’t have as much grip as I’d expected. We
believe in this team and I know we can improve. We
were not quick and the performance was uneven
have a good car, but we’re not using it in the way to
because I damaged the tyres trying to get them up
get the results we should be getting. It’s like a
to temperature and then, once they were there, they
Rubik’s cube where you have to have everything in
didn’t give the performance I’d expected because,
the right order. We have a lot of clever people in the
they were damaged. After the pit stop I really got a
team who could solve that puzzle in less than two
good pace and I had fun because I felt the car was
minutes, but in this case the cube is a bit bigger.”
fully under control and I felt free to push, even if it wasn’t enough to put our rivals under pressure. At the restart following the Virtual Safety Car, I set my fastest lap and I managed to get the gap to Verstappen to a second. I think that by then he realised he couldn’t attack me and so I was able to drop the pace a bit in the closing laps. Our pace was gptraveller.co.uk
THE TRACK RECORD
FOURTH 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA
“In general we had a good race. I always had
Around here, tyre temperature is key and you
the Mercedes and Ferrari in sight and I was just
end up sliding a lot more with low
trying to close the gap. At the start I was
temperatures so it wasn’t worth risking the
blocked and couldn’t really brake deep into the
position in the final laps. The performance in
corner, which allowed Perez to get past me. Of
Barcelona will of course depend on the
course, that lost me a bit of ground but you
upgrades that everyone is bringing but
don’t want to risk everything on Lap 1. Once I
hopefully we can be even more competitive
got back past, we went a little bit longer than
and close the gap even further.”
the others on the soft tyre and I had a good feeling with the car. We had good pace, especially on the medium tyre in the second stint where I closed the gap by seven or eight seconds. With the Virtual Safety Car, I think I lost too much tyre temperature and I couldn’t get it back as quickly as the others.
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THE TRACK RECORD
FIFTH 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI
“We extracted the most we could have done
been the best weekend but our potential was
out of today’s race. After the setback in
clearly there and I hope that we will have a
qualifying, I started from P8 on medium tyres.
much better performance at the next GP in
It was a bit tricky in the beginning, because
Spain again.”
everyone around me was starting on the soft compound while I struggled a little bit to get up to speed. Once I got the tyres up to temperature, I had good grip and the situation improved. We had a strong first stint and were able to gain some positions there. After the pitstop it became clear that we would not be able to move further up the order, so we decided to stop pushing to save the tyres, pitted for a new set and so I was able to bring home the point for the fastest lap at the end. Overall, it hasn’t
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THE TRACK RECORD
SIXTH 11 Sergio Perez RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES
“It has been a fantastic day. It was looking good at the start when I passed Verstappen, but we didn’t have the pace to fight against the Red Bulls over the race distance. I was actually focussed on keeping the McLarens at bay. It was not easy to keep them behind and I had to drive carefully for the whole of the race. After the VSC I was able to get good temperature in the tyres and this helped me stay in P6. I am happy we succeeded in keeping our position, now we can celebrate a good day for the team with both cars in the points. We have an upgrade coming in Barcelona and I am looking forward to our performance there.”
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SEVENTH 55 Carlos Sainz MCLAREN RENAULT
“Happy to score good points today after yesterday’s setback with that yellow flag. I knew it was just a matter of time and having a clean race. Today we showed solid pace throughout the whole race.
“Congratulations to everyone in the team for our first double-points finish of the year. Great effort from everyone. We need to keep pushing though, we have to be ambitious and aim higher! It’s a nice boost ahead of my home grand prix.”
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THE TRACK RECORD
EIGHTH 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN RENAULT
“Overall, it’s a good race for us as a team. A
colder, but it didn’t and that’s just something
double-points finish, the first one of the year,
we have to look back on. It always happens in
which is a good thing. The whole race was
racing! A good weekend altogether.”
pretty good. My start was probably the best I’ve done all year and I made no mistakes. I lost the tyres a little early in the first stint so boxed onto the Mediums, had a good middle stint and we took the decision to try the Softs after the VSC.
“The thinking was that the other tyres, the Medium, while not worn, had done a lot and wouldn’t be able to turn on as well. It looked like they did, so it was the wrong decision. It could have worked, maybe if it had been a bit
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THE TRACK RECORD
NINTH 18 Lance Stroll RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES
“It feels good to be back in the points because it was a very challenging race from start to finish. This is a track that has no margin for error, keeping concentration was a key factor and that is what we did today. It was fun; we overtook cars on track and brought the car home in P9. We were fortunate with the contact between Kvyat and Ricciardo because we picked up a couple of places there, then we overtook a few more cars on track, but the car felt good throughout the race. I am really happy with where we are right now, fighting for points at every race but there’s no doubt that it’s very tight in the midfield and we are going to have to keep pushing.”
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THE TRACK RECORD
TENTH 7 Kimi Räikkönen ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI
“Not an easy weekend for us. Wasn’t the plan to start from the pit lane but it is what it is, so one point is kind of the maximum we could achieve today. We pitted earlier to get out of the traffic but then I struggled for the whole race with switching the tyres on. Bit disappointed as I was expecting a lot more but I have the feeling that the next race will be easier for us.”
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FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
If the final race of the F1™ season is also one of the most exciting, then it’s no surprise everyone wants a ticket for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix™.
The Abu Dhabi weekend is special for lots more reasons. It’s the only Grand Prix™ staged in twilight, when the cars gleam in the low sun over beautiful Yas Island. Then there’s Yas Island itself – a place devoted to leisure and entertainment, full of fun and thrilling destinations. Not to mention Ferrari World Abu Dhabi!
In other words, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix™ is well worth the trip
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THE TRACK RECORD
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AZERBAIJAN
GRAND
PRIXâ„¢
GP TRAVELLER AZERBAIJAN MINI GUIDE
The race first appeared on the calendar as the
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000.
European Grand Prix in 2016 but changed its name
The Old City is one of the few surviving medieval
to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the following year. The
towns in Azerbaijan. It retains the features of a
circuit was an immediate hit with the drivers who
medieval town including a labyrinth of narrow
like the extremely high speeds experienced on the
streets, ornate carved arches, renovated
straights. Drivers have to brush the walls in search of
caravanserais (a roadside inn where travelers could
a quick lap, using every inch of the track.
rest and recover from the day's journey), and tiny courtyards. Some hotels and restaurants in the Old
Where’s the party?
City have rooftop terraces with panoramic views of
Situated on the western edge of the Caspian Sea,
Baku and the waterfront.
Azerbaijan’s capital is a true blend of both ancient and modern. Baku is an oil city with skyscrapers and mansions jostling for position with the soviet era buildings and beautifully preserved Old City.
The fan experience at the Baku City Circuit is second to none. Dotted along the Caspian Sea Boulevard you’ll find themed zones adjacent to the grandstands where fans are treated to a variety of
The city consists of two principal parts; the
entertainment including live performances by visual
contemporary downtown area and the Old Inner City (Icheri Sheher). The Old City, Palace of
artists and musicians. The evening off-track entertainment includes a nightly light show and
Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower were designated
concerts by A list artists.
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When in Baku... Azerbaijan is home to nearly a third of the world's
• Black tea at the beginning of a meal is a symbol of
mud volcanoes. See ancient petroglyphs, carvings,
hospitality and is served with fig, strawberry, apricot,
relics and explore the bubbling, and sometimes
walnut, blackberry and other jams.
explosive landscape of Gobustan National Park on a day trip from Baku.
• Azerbaijan’s most popular fast food is the Donner Kebab.
Six things you probably didn't know about Azerbaijan...
• Azerbaijan’s “burning hillsides” caused by gas
• Baku is the first European City in which the sun
seeping through fissures in the earth have earned it
rises.
the name, “Land of Fire”. These natural fires occur in many places throughout the South Caucasus. The
• Named after the Caspian tribe that lived on its
gas ignites as it reaches the surface creating the
shores, the Caspian is the world’s largest inland sea.
effect of a burning hillside.
The Romans called it sea due to the salty taste of its water; while in fact it is the biggest lake in the world
• Baku is sometimes referred to as the “Paris of the
and contains only a third of the salt of regular
East”
seawater. Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran all have boarders along its coast. gptraveller.co.uk
When you’re hungry go to...
When you need coffee go to...
SAHiL Bar & Restaurant
Old School
Address: Seaside Boulevard, 34 Neftchilar Ave, Bakı
Address: 23 Alimardan Topchubashov, Baku 1005,
1010, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
The place to go for modern Azerbaijani cuisine.
Retro atmosphere of Soviet Union era. The interior is decorated with various pieces from the former
Zeytun Restaurant
Communist days.
Address: Park Bulvar Mall, AZ1001,Azerbaycan, Neftchilar Ave, Baku, Azerbaijan
Coffee Moffie
Traditional Azerbaijani cuisine with a city view
Address: 9 Islam Safarli Street, Bakı 1005, Azerbaijan
included.
Coffee Moffie is a local independent coffee shop that combines a traditional café with a bar.
Firuze Restaurant Address: 14 Tarlan Aliyarbeyov, Baku 1005, Azerbaijan Hidden down a flight of stairs in Fountain Square, Firuze serves a wide range of national and European cuisine.
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The know-how... Currency
Language
The national currency is the Azerbaijan Manat (AZN).
The official language is Azerbaijani but many people
One hundred Gepik (coins) equals one Manat, and
speak Russian, Turkish and English.
Manat notes come in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 denominations. It is not possible to exchange Manat
Smoking
in countries other than Azerbaijan, so visitors will
Smoking is permitted in public areas across
need to use the foreign exchange desk in the arrivals
Azerbaijan, including most restaurants and bars.
hall at the airport or withdraw from ATMs. Some
Smoking is not permitted in any Baku City Circuit
larger hotels will also have a foreign exchange desk.
venue, except for designated smoking areas.
Electricity
Time zone
Standard electrical power in Azerbaijan is 220v.
Azerbaijan is UTC+4 hours
Electrical equipment and appliances use the standard European 220-240v two-pin plug.
Gratuities and tipping Tippings is not expected across Azerbaijan but is common in Baku. Occasionally a service charge is included on the bill, particularly in more established hotels and restaurants.
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FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
The Singapore Grand Prix™ is a truly special race, in a place that’s like nowhere else on earth. It stands out as the only regular night race on the Formula One™ calendar. It also takes place on a floodlit street circuit, where sharp twists and turns are plentiful.
The fact that said street circuit is in the city-state of Singapore - where giant vertical gardens stand alongside huge futuristic skyscrapers - only adds to the allure. In other words, it’s a must-visit for F1™ fans and travel-lovers alike.
DON'T MISS THE UNMISSABLE? BOOK NOW www.gptraveller.co.uk + 44 (0) 114 345 1977