Azerbaijan Grand Prix: What is the F1 weather forecast this weekend?

After an extended spring break, F1 action returns with this year's Azerbaijan GP. The Baku International Circuit will also host the first of six Sprint races this season amid F1's decision to tweak the race weekend format.

All drivers and teams will take part in a 100km long race on Saturday before the full-length feature race on Sunday. Drivers can make pitstops if required during the Sprint race, but it will not be mandatory to use two different tire compounds. Points will be up for grabs for the top eight finishers, with P1 scoring eight points and P8 scoring one point.

The main change to the weekend has been the qualifying format. Under the new rules, there will only be one practice session for the entire weekend.

Friday's qualifying session will determine the starting grid for the race on Sunday. Instead of a second practice session on Saturday, teams will be involved in a Sprint Shootout to determine the starting grid for the 100km dash to the finish line later in the afternoon.

Red Bull come into the race weekend as overwhelming favorites after their 100% start to the season so far. They have also won at the venue over the last two years, with Sergio Perez claiming his maiden win for the team in 2021 and Max Verstappen taking his first win on the track last season. Red Bull are also expected to bring in an upgrade package for the RB19 and will be the team to beat going into the weekend.

Aston Martin got their first-ever podium finish in Baku through former world champion Sebastian Vettel back in 2021. Going into the weekend, Team Silverstone will be hoping that Fernando Alonso can add to his tally of three podiums in three races with the AMR23.

Mercedes looked resurgent last time out in Australia, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton impressing for the Silver Arrows. However, Toto Wolff's side will need to be wary of potential reliability issues that forced Russell to retire early at Albert Park.

Reliability could also be a cause for concern for Ferrari. The Scuderia has a great record in qualifying at the Baku International Circuit with three pole positions in five races but has not been able to convert that into wins.

After a slow start to the season, McLaren shot up the table when both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri managed to score points in Australia. Team principal Andrea Stella has also confirmed that an upgrade to the MCL60 can be expected but has refrained from considering it a game-changer for the Woking-based outfit.

Alpine will be keen to put their disappointment from Down Under in the rearview mirror when the race weekend in Baku gets underway. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer has admitted that he believes the Anglo-French outfit can take the fight to Aston Martin and Mercedes.

With two separate chances to get points on the board this weekend, all teams will be keen to make a good impression in Baku. However, they will need to consider the conditions before they plan out their strategies and go racing, given the fact that the event has been pushed up to April after being run in June for the last two years. So, what sort of weather can we expect for the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP?

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Weather forecast for 2023 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend (April 28- April 30, 2023)

Here is some information regarding the weather forecasts in Baku for the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, as reported by accuweather.com.

Friday, April 28 – FP1 and Feature Race Qualifying weather

Conditions: Partly sunny and breezy; a very high UV index of 8 with S winds blowing at 24 km/h and wind gusts at 41 km/h and no probability of a thunderstorm.

Maximum temperature expected: 21°C | 69.8°F

Minimum temperature expected: 14°C | 57.2°F

Chance of rain: 0%

Saturday, April 29 – Sprint Shootout and Sprint Race weather

Conditions: Beautiful with times of clouds and sun; a very high UV index of 9 with SSE winds blowing at 13 km/h and wind gusts at 32 km/h and no probability of a thunderstorm.

Maximum temperature expected: 24°C | 75.2°F

Minimum temperature expected: 15°C | 59°F

Chance of rain: 1%

Sunday, April 30 - Feature Race weather

Conditions: Sunny through high clouds and warmth; a moderate UV index of 4 with N winds blowing at 17 km/h and wind gusts at 35 km/h and no probability of a thunderstorm.

Maximum temperature expected: 29°C | 84.2°F

Minimum temperature expected: 20°C | 68°F

Chance of rain: 1%

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Pirelli expecting one-stop strategies for cooler 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP

Pirelli has confirmed the tire compounds that will be provided to all teams for this weekend's 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP.

For the fourth race of the season, Pirelli has gone to the softer side of their range of tires, with the C3 compound as the white-walled hard tire, the C4 as the yellow-walled medium tire, and the C5 compound as the red-walled soft tire for the race.

Pirelli believes this compound nomination is best suited for the track. On their official website, the Italian tire manufacturers said:

"This is the softest trio of compounds in Pirelli’s range, which are well suited to the tight corners on this city circuit as well as the long straights where the cars reach a maximum speed of 340kph."

They are also expecting a one-stop strategy for the race as the temperatures are expected to be considerably cooler this weekend than they were in June of 2022 when last year's race was held.

"The most common strategy for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a one-stopper, although some teams stopped twice last year to take advantage of a virtual safety car before the chequered flag. The race was held at the beginning of June in 2022, with thermal degradation becoming a factor due to the high asphalt temperature."

Viewers in the US can tune in to ESPN and ESPN Deportes to watch all the action live from the race weekend, while UK viewers can catch the proceedings on Sky Sports.

Indian viewers will need a subscription to F1 TV Access or F1 TV Pro now that StarSports and Disney+ Hotstar no longer have the rights to broadcast F1 content in the country.