F1 Azerbaijan GP guide: practice, qualifying, predictions, start time, TV, odds

The Baku City Circuit hosts the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

(Image credit: Will Taylor-Medhurst/Getty Images)

2019 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

What: race No.4 on the F1 2019 calendar
When: 26-28 April 2019
Where: Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan
Race start time: 1.10pm on Sunday 28 April
TV channels: live on Sky Sports F1 and highlights on Channel 4

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“Azerbaijan is one of my favourite tracks of the season, I simply love it and I’ve always performed very well there, having won and got another podium finish in Formula 2 and also scored my first Formula 1 points last year. “I always enjoy driving on it, especially the castle part with all those tight corners. It’s a unique track, you cannot find anything like it anywhere else in the world, so it’s pretty special. “The rule is quite simple: never lose focus during the race otherwise at the first mistake you’re in the wall. Baku is a demanding track, but I can’t wait.”

“Baku is one of my favourite circuits on the calendar, it’s an unpredictable track but that’s what makes it so exciting. You can always sense that all drivers look forward to this race, because everyone knows there could be an opportunity for something special. Last year I had a great race in Baku finishing fifth. My ambition is always to improve, at every track, every season, so hopefully we’ll have a clean race and can perform strongly. It’s been a frustrating start to the championship, with too much going on out of my control, but that is also part of racing. I’m determined to keep pushing no matter what and remain patient. Hard work, positive attitude and dedication always pay off.”

“Back to Baku! I had an interesting weekend there last year in F2, but I’m looking forward to running that long straight in an F1 car. It’s an exciting track and I’m hoping it will give me a more exciting race than China, if we’re lucky we’ll have the chance to score some points. This street circuit is a little less forgiving than Australia and small mistakes can be punished harshly, so my focus is on avoiding that wherever possible. I want to be fighting for the duration of the race.”

“I am really looking forward to going to Baku. Last year in FIA Formula 2 it was probably my strongest weekend and we should have won both races. I was leading the first one but had an unfortunate incident at the end of the race after a safety car and then came back to win the second race from P12 on the grid. I have great memories there, so I am looking forward to getting back to the street circuit of Baku.”

“Three 1-2s in the first three races represent a fantastic start to the season. We were able to maximise our opportunities, although we didn’t always have the fastest car. The next stop will take us to Azerbaijan where we’ve seen some very entertaining races in recent years and I’m sure that this year will be no different. The layout of the track presents unique challenges and it will be interesting to see which team will find the best compromise to deal with the mixture of long straights and slow corners. Baku is not purely about performance, though, and staying out of trouble is also important for a good result in Azerbaijan.”

“The city circuit’s mix of 90-degree corners, technical middle sector and long final straight create a unique challenge in Formula 1, and rarely do we see the cars reaching such high speeds on a street circuit. In many respects it is one of the most challenging venues we go to. A street race brings that extra degree of uncertainty, so race strategy is also challenging. Our pit-stop performances have been very good this year, so continuing to execute well on both of these fronts is certainly our goal.”

Matthew Atkinson, The Stats Zone - Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): “Baku really should suit the Ferrari, with long straights and very low speed corners. They look the team to beat, but then most commentators said the same heading into China. For the good of the sport, we need to see Ferrari winning races, as Mercedes are already running away with it. The downforce advantage of Mercedes should be significantly reduced in Baku, therefore, the prediction is for Charles Leclerc to win, but as with China, it is very possible Lewis Hamilton, in a slower car, somehow manages to pull off another unlikely win or that Ferrari continues to throw it away.”

Anish Vishwakoti, Sportskeeda - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes): “Currently second in the world title race, Valtteri Bottas had a blistering outing in Australia but didn’t show the same pizzazz in Bahrain and China. With the pressure on to get ahead of his team-mate, and the memory of the win that was almost his in Baku last year, we see the Finn taking the opportunity in the chaos to get ahead of the rest of the top team drivers.”