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An F1® Guide to the Baku City Circuit

  Turn-by-Turn Guide to the Baku City Circuit Few venues in motorsport demand as much versatility, bravery, and mechanical compromise as the Baku City Circuit .   Carved into the Azerbaijani capital on the shores of the Caspian Sea , this 6.003 km layout is Formula 1’s ultimate Jekyll and Hyde: an ultra-narrow medieval maze spliced with a 2.2 km full-throttle drag strip where top speeds eclipse 360 km/h. Baku demands a razor's-edge balance between low-drag straight-line speed  and high-downforce street precision. Here is the definitive corner-by-corner guide to conquering all 20 turns in the Land of Fire. Baku Track Specs at a Glance • Circuit Length: 6.003 km (20 Corners: 8 Right, 12 Left) • Race Distance: 51 Laps (306.049 km) • Maximum Top Speed: Over 360 km/h (224+ mph) into Turn 1 • Narrowest Point: Turn 8 Castle Section (Just 7.6 meters wide) • Full-Throttle Blast: 2.2 km (Turns 16 to 1) Sector 1: The 90-Degree Power Grid (Turns 1 to 4) Sector 1 is dominated by long...
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Bahrain F1® Testing News

 

McLaren’s 2026 F1 Car with Oscar Piastri Driving

McLaren tops the Times, but Red Bull is looking good


I, for one, am excited to see F1® cars back on a race track in a semi-competitive way, and this game of chess we call Formula One® testing is playing out in the most interesting way.


As the sun has set on Day One in Bahrain, and while the timesheets tell one story, the reality is that we still dont know who is sandbagging or running different strategic fuel loads.


Oscar Piastri driving the new F1 McLaren in Bahrain

Lando Leads the Way


Lando Norris officially put McLaren on top today, clocking a 1m 34.669s in the cooler afternoon air. 


After taking over from Oscar Piastri, driving through the Sakhir sectors with confidence.


Red Bull Racing F1 Car driving in Bahrain

But as any veteran of the Senate Grand Prix knows, testing is a game of smoke and mirrors. Fuel loads, engine maps, and chassis pressure loads remain a mystery—yet the pace is undeniably there.


Max Verstappen climbing into his 2026 Red Bull F1 Car in Bahrain

The Warning Shot: Red Bull’s In-House Power


While Norris grabbed the glory, the paddock was fixated on Max Verstappen.

Red Bull’s first-ever in-house power unit—the Red Bull-Ford DM01—didn't just survive; it thrived.


  Red Bull-Ford DM01 with Max Verstappen Driving


Max logged a massive 136 laps, the most of any driver, finishing just 0.129s behind Norris. The "Red Bull Powertrains" era is officially underway, and rival teams are already poring over GPS data suggesting Max is making significant gains on the straights. 


Toto Wolff himself admitted today: "The car and the power unit are the benchmark."


Lewis Hamilton in his SF-26 today in Bahrain

The Struggle: Mercedes and Ferrari


It wasn't all smooth sailing for the giants:


  • Mercedes: A difficult afternoon for Kimi Antonelli saw him sidelined for hours with a suspension niggle. He managed a defiant 30-lap burst in the final hour to hit P11, but the Silver Arrows have work to do.
  • Ferrari: Charles Leclerc finished P3, half a second back, but the SF-26 looked "handful" in the morning. Lewis Hamilton’s early spin served as a stark reminder that these new, nimble cars aren't interested in being easy to drive.

George Russel in The Mercedes W17

At Senate Grand Prix, we are watching the "Green" track surface evolve. 


The fuel loads will shift, and the true hierarchy will begin to emerge leading to the first race in Australia.


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Location: Bahrain

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