Russell on Baku: 'One of my best circuits, but I don't have much luck there'

The Baku City Circuit is familiar territory for the Williams drivers and they will be hoping to get good results during the race. At the moment the team's main competitors are Alfa Romeo and Haas F1. On Motorsport.com Latifi and Russell look ahead to the upcoming race weekend. Latifi won the Baku sprint race in Formula 2 back in 2019. "It's a circuit I like, I've had quite a few podium finishes there in Formula 2. I can't wait to take on the challenge of driving around there in a Formula 1 car, it will definitely be tough. There are a couple of long straights, so hopefully we can experience a bit more excitement than at the last race in Monaco. All in all, I can't wait to get out on the track."

Russell has mixed feelings

Whereas Latifi has never driven a Formula 1 race in Baku before, Russell has, although he only achieved fifteenth place. He also won a Formula 2 sprint race there, in 2018. "I'm looking forward to Baku. It's a street circuit again [after Monaco], but it has a different dynamic. There are a lot of big high-speed braking zones and with walls just behind the track it's difficult to attack the corners. You also come through the castle section with the trickiest corner on the Formula 1 calendar, it's so tight there and you can gain or lose a lot of time. I have mixed feelings about Baku; it's always been one of my best circuits, but I've never had much luck there. Still, I'm looking forward to it and let's see how we do this time."

It is to be hoped that the team will finally get points, even if it is only one. The last good result there was in 2017, when Lance Stroll finished on the podium after a wild race.