Symonds expects surprises from new Baku circuit

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Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds expects the Baku City Circuit to "throw up some surprises" for teams this weekend.

Immediately following the Canadian Grand Prix, F1 teams are on their way to Azerbaijan as part of a gruelling back-to-back pair of races. The Baku City Circuit is a new street circuit which has yet to be used and Symonds says the difficulty in getting data and simulating the track could catch teams out as they try to get to grips with a new venue.

"Baku City Circuit looks to be an unusual track and so far simulations have had to be done using surveyor’s maps rather than detailed track scans," Symonds said. "Perhaps the most notable feature of the 6km anticlockwise street circuit is the flat out section from turn 16, through the start-finish line and up to turn one, where we expect cars to be reaching speeds in excess of 320kph.

"The first sector consists of a number of 90-degree turns before the start of the second sector with a series of relatively sharp corners in quick succession from turns seven to 12. The circuit then opens up to finish sector two before another 90-degree left-hander leading on to a long straight.

"In Formula One we always enjoy a challenge and even in these days of sophisticated simulations a new circuit such as Baku will always throw up some surprises. It’s our job to get on top of the unexpected and rapidly learn the nuances of this new track."

Early weather forecasts suggests teams will be faced with very hot and dry conditions in Baku, with race day set to hit 34C.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.