Following on from racing the glamorous streets of Monte-Carlo three weeks ago, the team are aiming for a successful point scoring weekend at the Azerbaijan Capital.
After an unfortunate event in Monaco, the Frenchman Norman Nato plans to get his season back on track after being knocked out of contention through no fault of his own at Monte-Carlo. Norman sits 8th
in the drivers’ standings coming into the fourth round with the aim of getting back on the podium as soon as possible to re-ignite his campaign.
Sean Gelael is hoping to convert his season-long solid qualifying performance into race results – the Indonesian currently sits in 18th in the Drivers’ standings. A clean weekend and taking advantage of a high safety car chance this weekend could prove decisive in the outcome of both Pertamina Arden drivers races across the Feature and Sprint races at Baku.
Both drivers visited the circuit for the first time in 2016. During the Feature race, Norman had an unfortunate start after Gasly made contact with his fellow Frenchman and caused Norman to spin. The safety car was deployed, and on Lap 3, Norman made a quick charge from the rear of the pack to gain back places. Later in the race, Norman's car showed signs of damage as a result from the earlier contact,causing him to retire from the race. Sean started the Feature race in 20th, and was soon moving through the field. He climbed up into the top 10 before the mandatory pit stop, and took the chequered flag in 7th.
Sunday's Sprint race saw Sean start on the front row in second, but saw another multi-car pile up which caused the safety car to be deployed on several occasions. Norman had a tight battle on his hands, but was struggling with his brakes. Norman was later called into the pits where he retired to avoid a potential accident occurring. Sean got caught in a second pile-up of cars, and was forced to retire from the race after 12 laps.
This year the pair will be aiming for better fortunes this year, with double point scores and targeting the podium for Pertamina Arden.
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will be back on track on Friday at 11:00 for free practice. Qualifying will be held on the same day at 15:00. The Feature Race will take place on Saturday at 12:00, and the Sprint Race will begin at 14:00 on Sunday. All times are local time - GMT+4.
Baku Timetable:
Friday 23rd May
Free Practice: 11:00 – 11:45
Qualifying Session: 15:00 – 15:30
Saturday 24th May
Feature Race: 12:00 (29 Laps)
Sunday 25th May
Sprint Race: 14:00 (22 Laps)
You can catch all the action live on Sky Sports F1 HD at the local times above to watch the Pertamina Arden duo battle at Baku - as a support race to the Formula One World Championship.