What to Watch for: Some of the key storylines to look out for in Baku

12 September 2024

The 2024 Formula 2 season heads to Baku for Round 12 of this fascinating campaign, with both Championships close at the top and each team and their driver looking to steal a march on each other.

Gabriel Bortoleto produced a stunning last to first performance in the Monza Feature Race to take victory last time out, but the rest of his title rivals will no doubt be keen to hit back this weekend.

Baku Preview: Taking it to the streets

So, before we hit the streets of Baku, let us look at a few of the key storylines…

BORTOLETO PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF

Bortoleto’s performance across both Monza races was that of a driver who was supremely confident in both himself and his car. But can he continue that form in Baku?

It is one of the few tracks on the calendar that the Brazilian has not raced at, so while he will be comfortable in the car he, will be learning and testing the limits of the circuit early on.

Bortoleto's victory in Monza saw him close the gap to Hadjar in the Drivers' Standings

The quicker he adapts, the better he will be and as he has clearly demonstrated he has the pace, so if he puts it together again, it could put him in prime position to battle it out front once more.

His victory in Monza put him just 10.5 points behind Isack Hadjar in the Drivers’ Championship battle, and another top performance could see him lead heading to Qatar.

But before he worries about that, he has a weekend in Baku to navigate.

ARON AND HITECH KEEN TO FIGHT BACK

At one stage this season Paul Aron and Hitech Pulse-Eight were at the front of both Championship Standings, but they have struggled of late with results going against them.

The positive is that the pace has been there, with Aron on pole in two out of the last three rounds. He started from third in Monza and looked set to take the lead at the start into Turn 1 before he was hit in the rear and spun into retirement.

But Baku could represent a new beginning, with Aron now fourth on 124 points – 41 off leader Hadjar – while Hitech are fifth with 153 points – 75.5 points adrift of first-placed Invicta Racing.

Aron was spun out on the opening lap in Monza and will be looking to return to form in Baku

They remain the only team on the grid not to win a race this year and Aron will definitely be eyeing one in Baku as he looks to re-energise his title hopes.

Like Bortoleto, this is a new track for him so he will have to do some learning on Friday, but like his fellow rookie, he has shown himself to be a quick learner this year.

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So, converting that raw pace into a victory would do wonders for his and Hitech’s title hopes.

NEW FACES ATTEMPT NEW CHALLENGE

In Baku, we will have a few new faces on the grid and they each will be racing at a track they have not been to before in a car they have never previously driven competitively.

Gabriele Minì is deputising for Oliver Bearman – who is set to drive for Haas F1 Team this weekend – at PREMA Racing, while Christian Mansell will jump into the Trident #23 car, replacing Roman Stanek for the rest of the season.

Also joining the grid for the final three rounds of 2024 is Luke Browning, who joins ART Grand Prix in place of Zak O’Sullivan.

This is to go with Oliver Goethe and Niels Koolen, who got their first taste of competitive Formula 2 action for MP Motorsport and AIX Racing respectively last time out in Monza.

All five drivers will be facing a new challenge this weekend in Baku, an unforgiven street track. It is a difficult task waiting for them but one they will no doubt be very excited to tackle.

Goethe is back for a second weekend with MP Motorsport

FINDING THE PERFECT BALANCE

Baku is a unique circuit for several reasons, but in terms of setup it requires things from the drivers and their teams that are arguably not seen anywhere else on the calendar.

First, there are several extremely long straights to start and end the lap, meaning the that the drivers will hope to have a car that is not draggy, especially when the DRS is open.

However, they cannot take the downforce all the way off with these long straights usually met with heavy braking zones meaning that brake demands are very high.

On top of that, the second sector is an interesting one as it starts with a few slow speed corners before a fast high-speed section brings it to a close.

The drivers will be keen to use Practice to ensure they have a car that is an all-rounder and can be efficient and fast in all phases of the lap.

Nail the setup and you stand a chance of coming out on top in Qualifying and the races.