The Baku Race Pack

8 June 2022

Formula 2 is back in Baku this weekend for the sixth round of the 2022 Championship. After the slowest street race on the calendar, the capital city of Azerbaijan will be quite a contrast for the drivers.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Two drivers have stamped their claims on the '22 season so far. Théo Pourchaire has two Feature Race wins to his name, as does Championship leader Felipe Drugovich. The Brazilian has an additional Sprint win in his tally though and leads the ART Grand Prix man by 32 points.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

The fight behind the top duo is a close one, with PREMA Racing's Jehan Daruvala leading the way in third on 53 points. Marcus Armstrong and Jüri Vips are in close pursuit on 50 and 49 points respectively. The Estonian is the only driver in the top five to have won previously in Baku.

WHERE TO WATCH THE SESSIONS

FROM THE GRID – Jüri Vips, Hitech Grand Prix

“After last year I can't say that I'm not excited to race in Baku again. Last year, it was a very, very good track for me and Hitech because we were very fast there. It's a nice place in general, and it’s a very unique race weekend in itself.

“I've always enjoyed street tracks and even though it's not one of the most difficult ones, it's very unforgiving. Baku has always got good racing so I'm looking forward to it. It has a bit of everything and hopefully, we can repeat what we did last year!

“I would probably say the castle section is the most unique part of the circuit, the rest is just slow 90-degree corners. I think 80% of the corners have the same minimum speed but the castle section really stands out. It's super narrow. It's exactly as it looks on camera in real life, you can gain or lose a lot of time there just by being more confident. But also, there's a fine line of putting it in the wall there, so it’s a very enjoyable one to drive. Also, the scenery is pretty cool.

“Overtaking depends on how close you are because there’s a long, long DRS zone coming down to Turn 1 so if you're close enough, you do it there. If not, you can put them under pressure and then you've got like another DRS one coming up. So, you just make him defend for Turn 1 and Turn 2 and then it's an easy DRS overtake at Turn 3.”

LAST TIME OUT - MONTE CARLO

Drugovich extended his Championship advantage over Pourchaire in Monte Carlo with victory in the Feature Race. He held off the Frenchman in a closely-fought battle, nose to tail right up until the chequered flag.

The MP Motorsport driver had a torrid Sprint Race, sustaining damage at the start and eventually retiring but he bounced back the following day. The pace he'd had during Free Practice was on show but it was his defensive display against Pourchaire that won him the race. The ART Grand Prix driver returned to the podium for the first time since Imola. He'll need to sustain that form to close the gap to the leader in the standings.

Vips also returned to the podium for the first time since Jeddah, finishing Sunday's race in third position.

TYRE TALK

Drivers will be running the yellow medium compound and the purple supersoft tyres this weekend in Baku.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director

“Formula 2 has always provided some exciting racing in Baku and we stick to a proven formula in terms of tyre nominations this weekend, with the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Purple supersoft selected just as in previous seasons. In contrast to Monaco, track position is not as crucial in Baku with the long main straight providing plenty of opportunities for passing. This combined with the extra step between the compounds provides great possibilities in terms of strategy and the chance for drivers to demonstrate their racing skills in wheel-to-wheel action against those on different tyres.”

KEY STATS

Felipe Drugovich collected his seventh F2 career win, and fourth of the season, in Monte Carlo with the Brazilian driver now just one victory short of the record.
A mere 15 points separate third-placed Jehan Daruvala from ninth-placed Logan Sargeant, with Armstrong, Vips, Doohan, Fittipaldi, and Lawson sitting between the pair.
After leading for over 40 laps in the Feature Race in Monaco, Drugovich has now led a total of 200 racing laps in his career in the second tier.
MP Motorsport have led for more laps this season, 105, than in any season previously. The Dutch outfit have also led more laps than any other team in 2022.
The lap record at the Baku City Circuit is 1:52.129, set by Charles Leclerc with PREMA Racing in 2017.
At 6.003 KM long the street circuit is the second-longest track on the calendar.

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