Formula 1: Expect the unexpected in Azerbaijan as championship's strangest circuit takes centre stage

Oh, how it teases us. With its 230mph straight, impossibly narrow twisty section complete with comedy castle, and austere approach to run-off areas, the Baku City Circuit is utterly unlike any other F1 venue.

And it does like to surprise F1 fans. When it was unveiled for the 2016 European Grand Prix (to a fanfare of ‘kerchings!’ from Bernie Ecclestone’s cash register) there were high hopes that Baku would host an action-packed, blink-and-you’ll-miss-something F1 festival of speed and agility.

In the event, it turned out to be a bit lacklustre, with none of the predicted chaos (except at Mercedes, where team bosses couldn’t tell Lewis Hamilton which one of his switches was in the wrong position because of rules around driver coaching… those were the days). Though Nico Rosberg did flick himself in the eye with an earpiece as he waited to collect his winner’s trophy.

Then, last year, when the race was renamed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, our expectations were somewhat muted and… it was a mental weekend.

Crashes – some accidental, some deliberate (Vettel on Hamilton under a Safety Car was one of the F1 moments of 2017) – multiple Safety Cars, and Daniel Ricciardo pummelling his way from 17^th to first made it one of those races you’d happily keep on your DVR for dark winter Sundays when F1 is in hibernation.

So, it might be exciting, F1 fans

Yes, it might be. And there are a few reasons why it might be exciting, over and above the peculiarities of the Baku layout.

Firstly, it’s a windy place. In fact, Baku is known as the City of Winds (no sniggering at the back). When a cold gale isn’t blowing in from the Caspian Sea, warmer breezes often blow in from the west.

Wind, as we know, plays havoc with the aerodynamics of F1, particularly in braking zones, where it can turn a stable car into a twitching, sliding beast.

When you’re pulling 5-6g as you decelerate from north of 230mph for the 90degree first turn, you really don’t want a gust of wind to rob you of vital downforce.

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Baku’s turn 1 presents an additional challenge, in that it comes at the end of a long straight. Actually, let’s be clear. It comes at the end of a 1.3mile section that is taken flat out.

Those 1.3miles give both brakes and tyres a little time to cool down so they may not be at their optimum operating temperatures when the action kicks off at the corner itself.

Yes, drivers should be perfectly capable of coping but, if they’re hit by a gust of wind, as one of the sport’s braking specialists (more likely to be Daniel Ricciardo than Valtteri Bottas) throws a move down the inside, it could get messy. And, if Max Verstappen is involved, best give your friendly panel-beater a call.

An additional consideration, also a result of that long straight, is that a bit of fuel saving will be necessary – that means a ‘lift-and-coast’ approach to turn 1, which comes at the end of a DRS activation zone. It could be a tricky place to defend.

And that long straight is going to be a huge challenge to the power units, running flat out for so long.

Honda has admitted that it faces a particular headache on the straight because of its struggles with the Energy Recovery System. Still, as this year’s Bahrain race showed (Pierre Gasly’s fourth place for Toro Rosso), Honda power can still deliver surprising results on a track with long straights, if a little chaos is thrown into the mix.

Up the creek with an extra paddle?

Every year, F1 throws up a technical mystery as teams seek to exploit the rules to the max – F-ducts, double diffusers, third pedals, suspension trickery. The list goes on.

This year (and last) has been the year of the oil burner. Teams (especially Mercedes and Ferrari) have been extracting a little more power from engines by burning lubricant as well as fuel.

The FIA has cracked down, restricting the amount of engine oil that can go missing during a race (and then restricting it again) but, as is the way with F1, someone is still suspected of ‘getting away with it’.

That someone has been Ferrari, whose cars have smoked like a freshly-lit bonfire every time they’ve been powered up, as well as appearing to vent ‘something’ from the rear end during races.

It’s not that the smoke itself is suspicious – new regulations are designed to keep exhaust fumes from being sucked back into the engine – it’s just that no one else seems to produce quite such a belch of oily grottiness, and it’s extremely unlikely not to be linked to an engineering benefit of some sort. This is the pinnacle of motorsport technology, after all.

Couple that to the mysterious extra paddle that’s appeared of late on Ferrari steering wheels, and the conspiracy theories can get breeding.

The suspicion is that Ferrari are programming the engine to increase the flow of exhaust gases in corners, and using these gases to increase downforce. And that they’re burning a goodly amount of oil.

Whatever the truth is, it’s extremely unlikely that Ferrari have fixed an extra paddle and a smoke machine to their cars just to troll the rest of the paddock, so we’ll have to wait to see if the FIA give the red team a yellow card.

Beware the stilt-walkers. And the artists. And the mimes, oh god, especially the mimes

Baku does things its own way. While other circuits have boasted about Justin Timberlake concerts and other such frippery, Baku has been happily tweeting about its take on F1 entertainment.

I give you speed painting, rola bola (balancing on a bit of plywood), stilt walkers, a mime show (who said F1 couldn’t get any quieter???) and Margritte’s Dancing Puppets. All that’s missing is the ghost of Paul Daniels and a Bunco Booth.

Of course, I’m being unfair… fairground attractions will be a huge hit and, lest we forget, there are concerts from Jamiroquai, Christina Aguilera and Dua Lipa to punctuate the weekend. Not too shabby.

And the late-night DJs start around 1:30am – honestly, with flights to Baku starting around £300, there’s a case to be made for hitting Azerbaijan for a weekend of F1-themed partying.

See? F1’s not just about whether Clark was better than Fangio, or whether racing was more exciting before seatbelts.

Though if you do want to have those debates, I’m free for a pint after Sunday’s race…