Drivers anticipate unusual challenge at Baku race

F1 drivers say Baku's Azerbaijan Grand Prix will highlight an "unnatural" quirk of the 2026 cars, which are energy-starved compared to current machinery. The circuit's long flat-out straight forces drivers to deploy most of their battery there, leaving little power for the rest of the lap and creating large disparities in power delivery between corners, as Ollie Bearman described. Drivers have no ability to manage this manually, and Pierre Gasly noted that arriving at the main straight with less than 100% battery will be costly, causing cars to hit their speed limiter earlier than usual.