‘Take a step back’… Jacques Villeneuve tells F1 driver to slow down at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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The Baku City Circuit is one of the most punishing on the Formula 1 calendar. Many of the drivers see it as two tracks in one.

The final sector only features one meaningful corner before a 2km blast down to the start/finish line. It’s among the fastest sequences of the season, but the drivers can’t afford to focus solely on top speed as they did at Monza last time out.

That’s because the first two sectors are tight and technical, featuring a plethora of 90-degree turns. The castle section requires particular precision as the cars wind their way through Baku’s old town.

The track debuted on the F1 calendar in 2016 under the guise of the European Grand Prix. From 2017 onwards, it’s been the Azerbaijan GP, a race with a chaotic reputation given the increased likelihood of accidents.

Jacques Villeneuve mocked Charles Leclerc after he hit the barriers during Friday’s FP1 session. He says Leclerc has an ‘affinity with the walls’ in Baku, but his error demonstrates that the circuit can catch out even the biggest stars on the grid.

Jacques Villeneuve tells Franco Colapinto he’s ‘overdriving’ at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Another driver who crashed out of the session was Williams’ Franco Colapinto. The Argentine lost control of his car on the entry to turn four and slid into the wall.

Colapinto took significant damage, with his rear left making contact first before his front left followed. While there’s no sign of a gearbox penalty, which can sometimes result from similar accidents, the repairs were so extensive that he missed the start of FP2.

This is only the youngster’s second race for the team after taking over from Logan Sargeant at the Italian GP. Colapinto produced an impressive debut as he finished 12th, a result Sargeant has only bettered once all year.

But one of the reasons the American lost his seat was that he crashed too often. And that’s why, in the eyes of Villeneuve, it may be wise for Colapinto not to push quite so hard.

“He seems like he’s been overdriving a little bit,” he said on the F1 Show. “He’s quick, he drives well, but he’s a little bit on the edge. A tiny little mistake puts him in the wall.

“He clipped the wall again in FP2 in a risky, risky corner, so he just needs to take a step back. A tenth slower maybe, but just to really figure out where he’s at.”

Franco Colapinto names the F1 superstar who was first to congratulate him on Williams promotion

Colapinto knows that he’s only in the car until the end of the season. Williams have agreed a deal to sign Carlos Sainz as Alex Albon’s teammate.

While James Vowles will still expect him to contribute a couple of points, that should reduce the pressure. But the 21-year-old may see this as audition for a future seat, or even the 2025 Sauber drive.

When he did get out for FP2, he showed an impressive turn of speed. He was just a hundredth of a second slower than Albon as Williams ended up 12th and 13th after the qualifying simulations.

Speaking before the race, Colapinto said Lando Norris had sent him a message immediately after he got the seat. He revealed that the ‘very nice’ McLaren driver was the first to congratulate him.