Baku circuit will see changes to pitlane entry for 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP

Ahead of the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP, the Baku City Circuit will be making changes to its pitlane entry to address safety concerns raised about the venue, as per a report by motorsport.com.

The nature and profile of the pitlane entry have been a bone of contention with drivers ever since the inaugural race at the track in 2016. The conversation around it, however, was elevated after Nico Rosberg commented on it in a preview to the 2021 F1 Azerbaijan GP where he said:

“Imagine something breaks on the car here. You’re at 350 kph. On the left, there’s just a wall, and it’s facing you. If something breaks and you’re in that wall, it’s the end, there’s no more you. This is one of the most scary places I’ve ever driven an F1 car in. To go by there just feels ridiculously wrong. But you have to try and blend it out.”

Matters worsened when Lance Stroll and reigning world champion Max Verstappen both suffered heavy crashes near the pitlane entry on the start-finish straight.

At the time, the FIA stood by the design of the circuit, but it too seems to have changed its stance since. Race promoter Arif Rahimov confirmed the impending changes in an interview with motorsport.com, where he said:

“We are slightly changing the pitlane entrance. There are no changes to the track itself, but we’ve been requested by the FIA to slightly modify the pitlane entrance so it’s a little bit safer. We’ll see how it goes. Drivers don’t typically make many mistakes on entering the pitlane.”

Rahimov also confirmed that kerbs around the track will be reviewed to see if they will not be a hindrance for the new generation of F1 cars. He went on to add, saying:

“Sometimes the drivers come in and they do their practice session and they say, ‘okay, at that spot there, the steel kerb there needs to go or we need to add it.’ For the turn next to the Old City, the narrow section, we’ve been playing with the kerbs since day one. We’ve been adding it and removing it and then adding it again, so you can’t really know until the cars hit the tarmac.”

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Baku race promoter targeting sprint race for 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP

Azerbaijan GP race promotor Arif Rahimov has admitted that securing a sprint race for the 2023 F1 season is a 'priority' for the venue.

The sport is reportedly considering six sprint races for the 2023 season and already has the support of some team principals. While the Baku City Circuit's current contract only runs through until 2024, Rahimov has a sprint race ahead of the extension on his agenda. In the aforementioned interview with motorsport.com, Rahimov said:

“That is on my agenda for this year’s race. With how busy F1 is right now, I think the best time to get their attention into the novelties is when they’re here actually racing. I’m a big proponent for it [the sprint races]. I really like the idea. I think it’s good to just mix things around a little bit throughout the years. Things can get boring when people get too used to the same format, and then they lose their interest. So when these sort of changes come in, I think it’s good for the sport.”

The 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP will be held between June 10 and June 12 later this year.