Grand Prix Rejects

FIA Event and Timing Information :

http://www.fia.com/events/baku-2017/timing

Circuit Information and Times :





Tyre Allocations :



2016 Qualifying Results :



2016 Race Results :

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClUkhkhUkAEBV8C.jpg:large

The racetrack everyone already loves to hate. I suppose Baku would've been perfect in the 80s and 90s, with the long straight stressing the then-fragile engines and the drivers presumably more error-prone. Hopefully we'll all be proven wrong next Sunday, imagine the number of humble pies that'll have to be baked! I'm still expecting another race devoid of incident though.

Another one that I'm going to miss as I will be on a plane to Sweden at the time!

good_Ralf wrote:The racetrack everyone already loves to hate. I suppose Baku would've been perfect in the 80s and 90s, with the long straight stressing the then-fragile engines and the drivers presumably more error-prone. Hopefully we'll all be proven wrong next Sunday, imagine the number of humble pies that'll have to be baked! I'm still expecting another race devoid of incident though.

The first part's a bit "another square, yay", but the rest of it I like. It still definitely misses out on the top 20 in the world, but it isn't a bad track.

Too early to judge it I think. I'm certainly looking forward to the Grand Prix anyway. That narrow turn by the castle is already a classic in my eyes.

Don't get me wrong guys, I like the circuit a lot too, I adore how it combines the tight and slow corners of Monaco (with picturesque scenery to boot) with the Monza-like pit straight and the sweeping high-speed bends preceding it. The first race was a bit of a let-down, but honestly, the amount of people who judged the track so soon last year infuriated me.

Ah, someone's beaten me to the punch! No stupid, rambling opening posts...

...so we'll have it here.

Yes, it's the first ever Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan last year wasn't the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Instead, the race around the streets of Baku was christened the "European Grand Prix", despite the fact that nobody's actually sure whether it's in Europe or not.

What is Azerbaijan? Until 2008, scholars were unsure, knowing it only to be a former Soviet state, but an entry into the Eurovision song contest confirmed Azerbaijan's legitimacy as a real country. The official denonym is "Azerbaijani", which is not a relative of Neel Jani.


Not Azerbaijani, apparently. He's Swiss.

Where is Azerbaijan? Azerbaijan is located within the South Caucasus which may or may not be where Caucasians come from. The Caucasus is not to be confused with caucusing, the act of selecting a delegate for a political outfit, or cactuses, the prickly plant.


Not the Caucasus.

Azerbaijan is located next to Georgia, which is not to be confused with the US state or Georgia May Jagger, who appears in those Rimmel London adverts. You know the one. Get the London look. With those teeth.


Not a country. That being said, her father's just a few letters off being a "country".

The capital city of Azerbaijan is Baku, which is the same Baku from the "Well Done Baku" signs. Baku Welcomed Us All. This is not to be confused with the Japanese "baku", which according to that Google, you know the Googles they have now? Well apparently, the "baku" are the eaters of bad dreams, and yet Nobuharu Matsushita had an absolute f*cking nightmare in Baku last year. You 'member?


Not this kind of baku. A lot of this post appears to be "this is what Azerbaijan isn't". I know nothing about Azerbaijan except what it's not.

That's your quick guide to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The circuit itself has some ninety-degree corners, an old bit with a castle, and then a downhill bit. There's also an optician's by that castle, but they covered over the sign last year...which, ironically, I didn't see coming.

Pretty cool track, even if last year's race was shite.

Not fair to judge a circuit on one race. I gave Valencia more than one chance, i'm willing to do the same for Baku.

I think three races is a good number to evaluate how good races the track can bring. We've had dull races in Spa and everyone loves that track. Or if 2012 race had been the very first one in Valencia it could have been said "that's a very interesting track" while in fact that race was exception for the norm there.

Meanwhile, the Honda clown show rolls into Baku, with McLaren all but guaranteed to lock out the back row of the grid. I'd be amazed if this partnership lasts beyond the end of July, quite frankly.

East Londoner wrote:Meanwhile, the Honda clown show rolls into Baku, with McLaren all but guaranteed to lock out the back row of the grid. I'd be amazed if this partnership lasts beyond the end of July, quite frankly.

Its not even the penalties that are abysmal, its the fact that Steffel flat out says the new unit won't be much better!

East Londoner wrote:Meanwhile, the Honda clown show rolls into Baku, with McLaren all but guaranteed to lock out the back row of the grid. I'd be amazed if this partnership lasts beyond the end of July, quite frankly.

Enough is enough and I repeat my belief that McLaren and Honda should just take the rest of the year off and not come back until Honda work out how to make F1 engines again. There is literally no point in taking part this season, figuratively or otherwise.

First red flag of the F1 weekend! And it's the always-tipped castle turns.

Edit: Also deserving mention for red flag news are the four red flags in F2 so far.

Anyone want tickets for the Red Bull hype train?

There was another F1 red flag in P2, but F2 will not be outdone!

So, with the size of their grid penalties and qualifying positions, will the McLarens have to start the race back in Europe?

dr-baker wrote:So, with the size of their grid penalties and qualifying positions, will the McLarens have to start the race back in Europe?

Well defenitely not in the neighbour country Iran because they won't run...

*Gets coat*

This wrote:

dr-baker wrote:So, with the size of their grid penalties and qualifying positions, will the McLarens have to start the race back in Europe?

Well defenitely not in the neighbour country Iran because they won't run...

*Gets coat*

So you mean, "I'm running, I'm running,... Iran"? (Said just as the Honda engine is self-denotating...)

I must confess to feeling a bit sorry for JolPal. His over driving in the practice sessions was more than a little epic, like a 1990s standard Reject. I hope he sticks around.

Aislabie wrote:Anyone want tickets for the Red Bull hype train?

Never mind.

On lap 1, from a championship perspective, Bottas hit the wrong Ferrari!

Blimey, more caution laps so far than an IndyCar race!

Still, even with all the safety car laps, this Grand Prix has already had much more interest and excitement than last year's Baku race.

Those handbags between Vettel and Hamilton looked a bit dramatic. Did one or other of them deliberately hit each other when Vettel pulled up alongside?

*Flush*

That's the sound of 20-25 points for Force India going down the toilet. And to make it worse, Williams will take said points instead.

Massa for the win at this rate? Be nice to see a Williams victory!

If Vettel and Hamilton can successfully smash each other.

taking bets on four hours

Bowling shoe ugly is the only way to describe this race. We're not even at half distance yet.

At this point, everyone apart from Massa and Alonso deserve ROTR. Hamilton's being playing silly buggers with the restarts, and I have no idea how Vettel hasn't been stuffed into the nearest wall yet.

RED FLAG?! WHAT THE FLYING bathplug ARE THEY PLAYING AT TODAY?

East Londoner wrote:Bowling shoe ugly is the only way to describe this race. We're not even at half distance yet.

At this point, everyone apart from Massa and Alonso deserve ROTR. Hamilton's being playing silly buggers with the restarts, and I have no idea how Vettel hasn't been stuffed into the nearest wall yet.

RED FLAG?! WHAT THE FLYING bathplug ARE THEY PLAYING AT TODAY?

Stroll's 4th and has been completely drama free too. Given his season up to Canada, I'd expect there to be no corners left on his Williams at a track like this, but he's got himself together so far.

Also Vettel is definitely getting a penalty. He deliberately thumped into Hamilton's car after the first contact. At least it'll give something for the Hamilton fabois to martyr their driver over for the rest of the season.

Dramatic race, red flag, Kimi in the pits... Well, it'd be rude not to, wouldn't it?

Vettel's a bloody idiot! Definitely deserves a penalty for that kind of behaviour.

Personally I'd throw the book at both of them. You can't brake test behind the SC, and you definitely shouldn't retaliate. They're driving like a bunch of rock apes out there.

And well, it would mean Williams fighting for the win. Yes, I'm totally impartial here.

Impressive work for Ferrari, but I bet it's gone down like a cup of cold sick with Raikkonen.

LANCE STROLL COULD LEGITIMATELY WIN THIS RACE WHAT IS GOING ON.

dr-baker wrote:Vettel's a bloody idiot! Definitely deserves a penalty for that kind of behaviour.

And he gets one, but Hamilton and his headrest...

Vettel *must* be taking the piss with that radio message, surely...?

Paul Hayes wrote:Vettel *must* be taking the piss with that radio message, surely...?

And why won't Ferrari just tell him! I'm with Crofty and Brundle on that.

It'll be fun when Hamilton cruises up to Vettel... There might be tears before bedtime on that one!

Blimey. What a race. When was the last time we had an overtake that late in proceedings...?

The IIDOTR topic is gonna have a tonne of honourable mentions this week but no one can look past Stroll, well done to get third, just a shame that Bottas pulled the tiny bit needed on the last lap!

Glad Stroll got a podium, disappointed it wasn't 2nd! Never thought I would be saying that before the race! And I have a friend who believes Vettel should get a lifetime ban!